WME Legends Signs Management Deal With Estate Of The Notorious B.I.G.

Courtesy of Biggie – The Notorious B.I.G.
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WME’s Legends Group is working with Ms. Voletta Wallace and the family of the Estate of The Notorious B.I.G., the company announced Tuesday.

The management deal follows last month’s news of the launch of WME Legends, a management company focused on estate and brand management with the objective to “manage and grow the legacies of artists and brands for a new generation.”

Voletta Wallace is the mother of the late Biggie Smalls, considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Prior to his death in a drive-by shooting in 1997 at age 24 he recorded two albums: 1994’s Ready to Die and 1997’s Life After Death, along with the 1995 collaboration album Conspiracy with Junior M.A.F.I.A. His posthumous studio albums include 1999’s Born Again and 2005’s Duets: The Final Chapter. In 2017 Faith Evans released a collaborative album featuring Biggie called The King & I.

Biggie was nominated for four Grammy awards including Best Rap Album for Life After Death, Best Rap Solo Performance for “Big Poppa” and “Hypnotize” and Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for “Mo Money Mo Problems” (with Mase and Puff Daddy). Other accolades include winning Rap Artist of the Year at the 1995 Billboard Music Awards, winning Best Rap Video for “Hypnotize” at the 1997 MTV Video Music Awards and being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.

The latest film to chronicle the rapper’s life is “Biggie: I Got a Story To Tell,” released on Netflix in March. The documentary, which features rare footage and in-depth interview, was executive produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs and Voletta Wallace, as well as being co-produced by Biggie’s former manager Wayne Barrow.

WME Legends is being run by music industry veteran Phil Sandhaus who has spent more than 35 years in the business as an artist manager, record label executive, estate manager and consultant.

As previously reported, the launch of WME Legends includes signing the estates of performance artist, comedian, actor and musician Andy Kaufman; singer, actress, dancer, comedian, civil rights and anti-Vietnam war activist Eartha Kitt; and esteemed reggae musician and The Wailers co-founder Peter Tosh, who was also an anti-apartheid, criminal justice and Pan-African activist. The company is representing The CBGB Club for brand management and it’s also working with Ram Dass’ Love Serve Remember Foundation, which manages the intellectual property of the late spiritual teacher, psychologist and author.

WME’s existing roster of estates includes singer/songwriter Donna Summer; novelist/playwright/short story writer Agatha Christie; novelist, essayist, screenwriter, and short story writer F. Scott Fitzgerald; playwrights August Wilson, Terrence McNally and Edward Albee; writer/professor Isaac Asimov; and humorist/author/stage director Abe Burrows.

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