The estate of the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G., also known as Biggie, has reached a settlement with the estate of the late photographer Chi Modu, who captured some of the most memorable images of the hip hop legend in the 1990s.
The lawsuit, which was filed in 2018, alleged that Biggie’s estate had infringed on Modu’s copyrights by using his photos on merchandise, such as clothing, posters, and calendars, without his permission.
Modu, who passed away in 2021 after a battle with cancer, was a renowned photographer who worked for The Source magazine and documented the rise of hip hop culture. In 1996, he photographed Biggie in front of the World Trade Center towers, taking a series of shots he said were partly inspired by Big’s reference to the buildings in his hit song “Juicy.”
According to Billboard, Staci Jennifer Trager, who represented Biggie’s estate, announced the settlement on Thursday (January 18). While the terms of the settlement were not made public, Trager revealed that the resolution was between Biggie’s children, T’yanna Wallace and Christopher Wallace Jr., and Modu’s widow, Malena Modu, all of whom are the executors of the respective estates.
Trager said that the settlement was “amicable” and that both parties “respect each other’s artistic endeavors and wish each other continued success.”
Biggie, who was born Christopher Wallace, was killed in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in 1997, at the age of 24. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
