A Delaware Chancery Court judge has ruled for Wayne Barrow, a former manager of The Notorious B.I.G., in the first of two lawsuits tied to control of the rapper’s catalog and intellectual property, according to Rolling Stone.
The court found that Faith Evans, Biggie’s widow, could not hold back money owed to a trust created by Voletta Wallace, the rapper’s mother. Barrow serves as the trust’s sole trustee and as executor of Voletta Wallace’s estate.
After Voletta Wallace died in February 2025 at age 78, Evans declined to make the requested payment even though she and Voletta Wallace had shared ownership of Notorious B.I.G. LLC with Primary Wave. The judge ruled that Barrow must be given access to Voletta Wallace’s 25 percent share of profits from that deal.
In the ruling, Chancellor Kathaleen St. J. McCormick said Evans appeared upset after Voletta Wallace changed the trust shortly before her death and removed her grandson, Christopher Jordan “CJ” Wallace, as a co-trustee. A separate Pennsylvania lawsuit filed by CJ Wallace in February 2026 challenges Barrow’s authority as trustee and executor and is still pending.
