When Faith Evans and Voletta Wallace embraced each other at Biggie’s funeral in 1997, few could have predicted how their shared grief would evolve into one of music’s most remarkable business partnerships.
Bound by love for the same man — as husband and son — these two women channeled their devotion into a visionary collaboration that not only preserved the Notorious B.I.G.’s artistic legacy but transformed a $10 million estate into a thriving $160 million enterprise that continues to influence hip-hop culture nearly three decades later.
Keeping B.I.G. Alive
When Biggie died without a will, conventional inheritance law awarded Faith Evans 50 percent of his estate, with his children splitting the remainder. However, Evans made an unconventional business decision that would prove transformative — she chose to share her portion with her mother-in-law.
“I could have just made sure she was taken care of and then had my attorney let her attorney know our plans,” Evans wrote in her 2008 memoir “Keep the Faith.” “But I wanted actual input from her on how she wanted things to be handled. And I wanted to have her there just as a way to show her that I was trying to be open and collaborative in the whole process.”
This collaborative approach established a foundation for what would become a master class in legacy management. While many celebrity estates become mired in legal battles and financial mismanagement, Evans and Wallace created a strategic framework that balanced commercialization with cultural preservation.
Working alongside merchandising manager Wayne Barrow, they’ve systematically built a business empire through careful licensing, strategic partnerships, and innovative ventures — including the 2022 NFT collection “The Sky’s The Limit,” which monetized rare Biggie freestyles while allowing fans meaningful engagement with his work.
The partnership leveraged each woman’s unique strengths.
Evans, a Grammy-winning artist herself, brought industry expertise and artistic sensibility to business decisions. Wallace, a former preschool teacher, contributed a protective maternal instinct and unwavering commitment to her son’s authentic representation.
Together, they established the Christopher Wallace Memorial Foundation also supports arts education in underserved communities with the motto “Think B.I.G. ‘Books Instead of Guns.'”
The raise money through a series of innovative fundraisers like the the its 2023 collaboration with Air Jordan at Sotheby’s.
Perhaps most impressive is their forward-thinking succession planning.
According to Finance Monthly, in 2015, they ensured that T’yanna Wallace, Biggie’s daughter who was just a child at his death, received a substantial portion of the estate when she turned 22. This strategic wealth transfer was coupled with gradual integration into the business operations, positioning her as a potential future estate executive.
The enduring strength of this business partnership was evident at Voletta Wallace’s funeral on Mar. 12 at Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel on New York’s Upper East Side — the same venue where Biggie’s service was held 27 years earlier.
Faith Evans arrived in a cream Gucci tuxedo blazer, joining T’yanna Wallace and Christopher Jordan “C.J.” Wallace (Biggie’s son with Evans) among the mourners paying respects to Voletta, who died on Feb. 21 at age 78.
The family’s official statement highlighted Voletta’s role as “the matriarch who built her son’s memory into the legacy that stands today, allowing his iconic music and his legendary style to touch and inspire generations upon generations.”
With Voletta’s passing, the business structure she helped create faces its first major transition. While initial reports suggest T’yanna may take a leadership role, Evans appears positioned to continue as a key adviser and possible executive, ensuring continuity in the estate’s management.
The Evans-Wallace partnership represents a case study in effective celebrity estate management — proving that with strategic collaboration, mutual respect, and forward-thinking business acumen, an artist’s legacy can not only endure but flourish long after their passing. In transforming personal tragedy into a thriving enterprise, these women created a blueprint for preserving cultural significance while building generational wealth.
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