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A portion of Notorious B.I.G.’s estate will now be handled by Primary Wave. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, a deal rumored to be in the “eight figures” was in the works between Notorious B.I.G.’s estate and the music publisher and involved half his publishing and master rights, including his rights to name, image, voice, and “other identifiable characteristics.” Notorious B.I.G.’s estate had been primarily run by his mother, Voletta Wallace, who was instrumental in securing stake from Bad Boy Records. Christopher Wallace, otherwise known as Biggie Smalls or Notorious B.I.G., had been one of the first artists to sign to the label owned by Sean “Diddy” Combs. Bad Boy Records had 50% stake in his songwriting catalog, Variety mentions. Voletta was able to increase the estate’s stake to 85% after arguing it was doing the heavy lifting in securing deals to license and monetize Notorious B.I.G.’s music. She then secured the remaining 15% stake in 2020. “Securing control of my son’s...
Fans are flocking to support the music of the late Angie Stone. The Grammy-nominated soul artist and member of The Sequence passed away on March 1, 2025, at 63 years old, according to Variety. Stone was in a car accident with an 18-wheeler while traveling from Montgomery, AL, to Atlanta, GA, causing her vehicle to overturn three times. Of the nine passengers in her van, she was the only one who did not survive. Stone, born in Columbia, SC, is survived by her children Diamond Stone and Michael Archer and her grandchildren. “Never in a million years did we ever expect to get this horrible news,” Diamond and Michael said in a statement, the outlet notes. “Our mom is and will always be our everything. We are still trying to process and are completely heartbroken.” Stone leaves behind an imprint that includes her most revered song, 2001’s “Wish I Didn’t Miss You,” 10 solo albums, and three Grammy nominations in categories including: best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals...
Flo Rida made history when he purchased a shopping plaza to champion local businesses. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, Flo Rida—born Tramar Lacel Dillard—purchased the Cloverleaf Plaza shopping center in Miami Gardens in 2023 alongside his business manager, Lee “Freezy” Prince. The fully leased property was secured in a $10 million deal . This investment came on the heels of Flo Rida’s legal victory against Celsius over a breach of contract, which resulted in an $82.6 million award, per CBS News. “You might own a house and things like that, but growing up just looking at highrises and things like that, the first thing is not to think that you can own it,” Flo Rida told the Miami Herald. “Maybe you have a spot there, but you won’t really own it. So to actually own our own plaza is just phenomenal.” The plaza is home to several businesses, including Cloverleaf Beauty Supply, Creole Kitchen, Boost Mobile, Top Notch Cigars & Smoke Shop, and Flowers by Grace, a staple for three decades...
T-Pain has been taking notes from Shaquille O’Neal’s business blueprint. The “I’m Sprung” artist was a guest on O’Neal’s podcast, “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” and revealed that since 2018, O’Neal has been influential in how he approaches business. O’Neal is one of the greatest centers in NBA history and has established a booming $500 million business empire that includes various franchises, such as Shaq’s Big Chicken and Papa Johns, where he also served on the board of directors until 2024. He has also secured a slew of endorsements, including PepsiCo. In 2023, he reunited with Pepsi for a new partnership that led to a commercial putting a fresh twist on Skee-Lo’s 1995 single “I Wish,” as AFROTECH™ previously told you. This came nearly three decades after he appeared in Pepsi’s Big Slam commercial. Additionally, O’Neal was offered a $40 million Reebok deal but declined to release affordable shoes with Walmart. However, he later returned to Reebok and now serves as its President of...
The catalog of one of Hip Hop’s greats, the late Notorious B.I.G., is reportedly up for sale. Various artists have seen massive profits from their music catalogs, including John Legend and Nelly, who sold 50% of his catalog to HarbourView Equity Partners in 2023 for $50 million, as previously reported by AFROTECH™ . That same year, Wiz Khalifa also sold a portion of recorded music and publishing assets to HarbourView, and R&B artist Jeremih followed suit in 2024. The estates of late artists have also sold catalogs. David Bowie’s estate cemented a deal with Warner Chappell Music in 2022 to acquire his 27 studio albums for $250 million, Variety reports . Sony Music Group also acquired half of Michael Jackson’s publishing and recorded music catalog in a deal valued at a minimum of $600 million in 2023, according to Billboard. The Hollywood Reporter states that by 2030 the publishing rights asset class will reach more than $10 billion. Now, it appears that the estate of Notorious...
Jeezy has reportedly missed out on his own earnings due to his internal team. In the past, Jeezy admitted to having trust issues with those around him. However, navigating the music industry and forming partnerships required the rapper to lower his guard and trust others to uphold their end of the deal. “I never really had people around that I trusted,” Jeezy said on the “Springhill” podcast in 2023 . “ And when it went on to the music, I started to understand quickly like this is worse because where I come from, it’s death or the penitentiary. But with these people in the music industry, they’re cutthroat anyway. It’s just the nature of the game.” He added, “But then what I started to understand about having business partners is you gotta trust that they’re gonna at least do what they’re supposed to do. Like if you’re telling me that you’re gonna be able to market this on a scale that I can’t, I’m gonna believe that you can do that. Now if you show me you can’t, now I gotta make...
T-Pain is the next artist to cash in on his publishing and masters. Variety reports that the Grammy-award winning artist, who has secured 10 Billboard Hot 100-charting singles, sold his publishing catalog and select masters to HarbourView Equity Partners. It is unclear at this time which songs are included in the deal or how much the purchased price was. The announcement also coincides with the 20th anniversary of several T-Pain songs such as “Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin’),” “Bartender (featuring Akon),” “I’m N Luv (Wit a Stripper) (featuring Mike Jones),” Flo Rida’s “Low,” and “I’m Sprung,” among others. “I’m excited for this next chapter and to partner with HarbourView Equity as they help preserve the legacy of my music,” T-Pain said . “This catalog represents years of hard work, creativity, and unforgettable moments, and I’m grateful to see it continue to reach new heights. I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon.” HarbourView Founder and CEO Sherrese Clarke commented: “We are...
Technology is enabling fans to immerse themselves in the music of legendary artists like Janet Jackson. The “Anytime, Anyplace” songstress is currently headlining a residency at Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, NV, running through May 31, 2025. Fans can relive 42 of her timeless hits, including “I Get Lonely” and “When I Think of You.” The latter, released in 1986 as the third single from her “Control” album, became her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as Billboard notes. Jackson’s Vegas residency carries deep significance. Her career began when she was seven years old at MGM Las Vegas. She performed alongside sisters Rebbie and La Toya, as noted in Las Vegas Magazine. “I will always have a very, very special place in my heart for Las Vegas. I started my career here 51 years ago. I love you so much,” Jackson said during her performance on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Photo Credit: Resorts World Theatre L-Acoustics With a career spanning five decades, Jackson’s passion for performing...
Shonda Rhimes is stepping down from her position on the Kennedy Center board. Deadline reports that the award-winning producer had served as treasurer of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, which exposes art to 2 million annual visitors and is guided by a mission to promote a “culture of inclusiveness,” according to its website. The center has served 1.4 million students and offers education and outreach programs throughout the United States and in 29 countries. Now, the center’s leadership, which contributed to its direction and impact, will shift in response to Trump becoming more involved. He previously shared on Friday, Feb. 7, 2024, his intentions to become its chairman and stated that he would remove board members as part of his plan to pursue “a golden age in arts and culture,” the Los Angeles Times reports. This resulted in 18 board members being removed from the roster on the center’s website by Feb. 10, including chairman, David Rubenstein. Most of the...
As Kendrick Lamar prepares to take center stage at Super Bowl LIX, alongside SZA, keep a close eye on the production. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Apple Music (@applemusic) It will all be spearheaded by Lamar’s agency pgLang, which embraces creators from authors, film and television directors, producers, musicians , and more who are aligned in the vision to produce “quality” and “unconventional concepts,” its website mentions. Currently, 30 individuals and five executives are on board the pglang team, and they will have a hand in Super Bowl LIX — held Sunday, Feb. 9, 2025, in New Orleans, LA — working on edits, production, stage design, sound tech, and more. During a press conference with Apple Music, the Super Bowl’s main sponsor since 2022, Lamar highlighted the importance of pgLang’s team, giving them their flowers and acknowledging that their collective efforts are what made it all possible for the show to reach its finish line. “Shout out to pgLang…That’s my...
Lil Yachty always knew he would be able to get rich with rap. The artist took a blast to the past on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast. Before betting fully on his music dreams and dropping out of college in the process, he worked several job. His mother, a businesswoman , instilled in him the importance of education and working. “My mother’s from a different time period than me as to where, like you know, her parents worked in steel mills, you know, and they instilled college in her. She’s from Gary, IN, so all she knew was a degree career,” he said on the podcast. “So, I’m like ‘I’m going to be rich off rap,’ and I’m from a little suburban area outside Atlanta (GA), where no one was famous, right. It was low to middle income. It was just regular, right. So, she’s like, ‘You got like a one-in-a-million chance.'” At 15, Lil Yachty worked at McDonald’s as a cook, and a year later he spent a month working at Six Flags amusement park during its Fright Fest. He also altered...
GloRilla once admitted that she plans to become a billionaire and continues to progress towards this milestone. The Memphis-born rapper has remained the talk of the town, lighting up the charts through hit singles that include “TGIF” and “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME” and what started it all, “F.N.F.” released in 2022. “It mean a lot to be able to be a a voice for my city,” she said during an interview with AFROTECH™. Before the artist’s journey kicked into gear, she worked overtime to make her dreams a reality. Working at jobs such as Nike and FedEx with little to no energy, she remained optimistic the grind would pay off, and it has. “I was doing 12 hours at Nike and maybe seven to eight hours at FedEx. And I was just doing all that to sponsor my rapid career so I could be able to pay for videos and studio time,” she explained. In 2022, GloRilla signed to Yo Gotti’s label Collective Music Group. He has remained a constant supporter in her journey as an artist and in business. As AFROTECH™...
Hip-Hop icon RAKIM is aligning himself with artificial intelligence (AI). According to a news release, the rapper, who released the studio album “G.O.D.’s Network” in 2024, is now the founder of the fintech platform Notes Technology, which will benefit artists by providing them access to loan and credit providers to fund creative projects, AI-powered education around financial literacy and entrepreneurship, and fintech tools to manage capital and income. By merging music, finance, and technology, Notes seeks to empower artists with the tools they need to succeed and maintain control over their careers. “With Notes, getting ‘paid in full’ is beyond just the money, it’s also about the knowledge and understanding of the urban music game from a position of being conscious of how it all works as a business, and how to leverage that to thrive and succeed as independent urban music artists and creators,” RAKIM said in a statement shared on the company website. Notes Technology’s other...
Jay-Z will be launching a groundbreaking partnership, marking a first in the United States. Billboard reports that Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, a full-service entertainment company, has partnered with South Korean fintech company Musicow to introduce “the first Music Equity Service Provider in the United States.” This will give U.S.-based music fans a rare opportunity to obtain partial ownership of songs created by their favorite artists, while also earning a share of the revenue generated from sales. This will be made possible by giving artists the ability to fractionalize their royalty revenue and sell shares of their tracks to individual investors, creating an all-around win for everyone involved. “The music industry is evolving into a shared ecosystem where fans and creators can earn together,” Roc Nation Vice Chairman Jay Brown said in an interview with Billboard. “Our mission is not only to support and empower artists by providing the tools and services they need to build a better...
Entertainer Jason Derulo is forging a deeper connection with will.i.am that extends beyond their shared passion for music. The pair are working together on the technology front, in alignment with their individual ambitions within the space over the years. Derulo has made several investments in the tech space. He participated in a funding round for Moonpay — a fintech company that allows users to quickly buy and sell cryptocurrency — which amounted to $87 million in 2022, along with other investors such as Brent Faiyaz , Snoop Dogg, Drake, Lil Baby, and Lil Durk, its website lists. Derulo also joined a $40 million funding round for Christian app Glorify in 2021, according to a news release, and is an investor in blockchain-enabled music platform Audius. Derulo is an advocate for artificial intelligence (AI) within artistry as well. He sees it as a helpful tool. “When it is good enough, I will embrace it because I just feel like with my wealth of knowledge of music I can utilize...