Sean Combs Allegedly Charged Biggie’s Funeral to His Estate

LOS ANGELES, CA — Allegations have surfaced that Sean Combs charged the funeral expenses of The Notorious B.I.G. back to the deceased rapper’s estate, despite publicly appearing to fund the lavish send-off himself. These claims were revealed in the Netflix documentary Sean Combs: The Reckoning, which premiered this week.

Kirk Burrowes, co-founder of Bad Boy Records, stated that while Combs intended to orchestrate an extravagant funeral for Christopher Wallace following his murder in March 1997, he allegedly decided to bill the entire cost to Biggie’s estate after seeing the steep price. “He was gonna make the funeral be a recoupable charge to Biggie in death,” Burrowes claimed in the documentary. “Sean, doing a big show looks good on him. But he’s not gonna tell the world that Biggie was gonna pay for it.”

The Notorious B.I.G.’s funeral took place on March 18, 1997, just nine days after the Brooklyn rapper was shot dead in Los Angeles. Thousands of fans lined the streets as a hearse carrying Wallace’s coffin rolled through Brooklyn. The ceremony at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel on Manhattan’s Upper East Side drew attendees from the entire Bad Boy family, including Wallace’s wife Faith Evans and his protégé group Junior M.A.F.I.A.

However, according to Burrowes, the funeral billing was just one instance of questionable behavior from Combs following Wallace’s death. He alleged that Combs sought to alter the terms of Wallace’s recording contract posthumously to benefit the label. “Sean wanted me to change the agreement to more favorable terms for Bad Boy, and [Wallace’s] family and mother would not know,” Burrowes alleged. “I said, ‘That’s not right. I’m not doing it.'”

The documentary also highlighted tensions between Burrowes and Combs regarding a 1997 Rolling Stone magazine cover opportunity. While Burrowes advocated for including Wallace, Combs insisted on promoting his own image instead. “I was telling Sean, ‘Let’s make it Biggie. You still have a chance [for a cover in the future],'” Burrowes recalled. Combs reportedly replied, “No, he’s dead. I’m putting out [Combs’ debut album, No Way Out] in July. I need to be on the cover of Rolling Stone.'”

These revelations emerge as Combs faces multiple legal challenges, including federal charges related to racketeering and sex trafficking.