The Notorious B.I.G. was tragically killed almost 30 years ago, but drama over his legacy has been making headlines ever since. Now, it’s Gene Deal, the one-time bodyguard of Diddy, who’s coming forth with some serious claims, claiming that Biggie’s legendary music is up for sale from some shady dealings behind it.
Saying that those in Sean “Diddy” Combs’ inner circle “manipulated” Biggie’s mother, Voletta Wallace, in her last days, Deal didn’t pull any punches in an interview with The Art of Dialogue that was published on Tuesday (March 11). The main players? Mark Pitts and Wayne Barrow, two former close associates of Diddy and prominent figures at Bad Boy Records. While Wallace was in grave condition at a hospice, Pitts and Barrow negotiated a rich deal to sell off Biggie’s publishing, marketing rights, and more, Deal reports.
“They were negotiating a deal for them,” Deal said, adding that he is convinced the payday had nothing to do with Wallace or Biggie’s children. “It ain’t for Miss Wallace. It ain’t for B.I.G.’s kids.”
He also blasted their supposed opportunism, emphasizing that these same men feasted off Biggie’s marketing and publishing after he died. “They were Puff boys,” he said. “I guess it paid off, ‘cuz now they looking to get $100 to 150 million on this whole thing.”
Negotiations to sell Biggie’s catalog to Primary Wave are reportedly nearly completed, with Pitts and Barrow as estate representatives. If true, the move would be one of the most significant transactions in hip-hop history, yet one clouded by whispers of betrayal.
Gene Deal is well used to outrage regarding Biggie’s premature murder. For years, he has maintained that Diddy knew about, or was somehow responsible for, the events that led up to Biggie’s fatal drive-by shooting on March 9, 1997, in Los Angeles. His most recent comments add fuel to the fire.
In the Peacock documentary Diddy: The Making of a Bad Boy, Deal speculated on the extent of any involvement that Diddy might have had in Biggie’s death, saying, “So did he directly have something to do with it? He could have.”
The lead-up to that fateful night was the subject of a vivid recount by Deal. “Biggie was reluctant to go into a Vibe magazine party after the Soul Train Awards,” he says. “The week in which Biggie was killed, he was just acting real anxious and trying to get Big at this party,” Deal said.
Biggie had reportedly been telling people he needed to be in London, but Diddy was pushing back. “Puff was telling people, ‘He ain’t going to London’ all week,” Deal added.
Deal claims he even tried to warn Diddy not to appear at the event due to the current East Coast-West Coast beef. “I say, ‘Yo Puff, I got some intel bruh,’” said Deal. “He said, ‘What?’ I said, ‘Yo man, if we go to this party tonight, one of us gon get killed. Somebody gon’ dies.’ ”
Diddy shrugged off the warning, according to Deal. “Yo, Gene, I don’t wanna hear that s###,” he said to have replied. A few hours later, Deal was riding in a different car when he heard the fatal shots that took Biggie’s life.
Between the prospect of Biggie’s catalog being sold off and renewed allegations about the circumstances surrounding his death, the discussion of his legacy is as complicated as ever. Fans worldwide still celebrate his music, but behind the scenes of the ongoing musical celebration, it seems that power plays, financial maneuvering, and old grudges won’t die. So, who’s looking out for The Notorious B.I.G.’s legacy? And as more people like Gene Deal step forward, will we ever learn the truth?
0 Comments