USA Network Pilot UNSOLVED: THE MURDERS OF BIGGIE AND TUPAC Announces Additional Casting

The new pilot from Universal Cable Productions has filled the roles of Sean "Puffy" Combs, Biggie Smalls' mother Voletta Wallace, and wife of DEATH ROW Records CEO Suge Knight, Sharitha Golden. LUKE JAMES is set to play Sean "Puffy" Combs, the young and wildly successful founder of Bad Boy Records, the label of Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls.

James is a two-time Grammy®-nominated singer/songwriter whose collaborative works include the co-writing of Britney Spears' "Kill The Lights," penning songs for Justin Bieber such as "That Should Be Me" and Chris Brown's "Crawl." His self-titled debut album "Luke James" was released in September 2014 by Island Records/New Age Rock Star Records and featured the Grammy-nominated single, "Options" featuring Rick Ross. James began his acting career with the drama film "Black Nativity" alongside Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker and Angela Bassett. Most recently, he starred in the successful miniseries "The New Edition Story." He is repped by ICM Partners and JME Management.

AISHA HINDS has been tapped for the role of Voletta Wallace. The mother of Biggie Smalls, Wallace talked to her son every day before his death and, ever since, has never stopped seeking justice.

Hinds is best known for her role in the Emmy®-nominated series "All The Way." Currently, Hinds can be seen in the upcoming second season of hit drama series "Underground," and will also co-star in the 10-part event series "Shots Fired." She is repped by Greene & Associates Talent Agency.

LETOYA LUCKETT will play Sharitha Golden. In 1997, she was the estranged wife of DEATH ROW records CEO Suge Knight and seemingly one of the only people at the time not intimidated by him.

Best known for her recurring roles in "Rosewood" and "Ballers," alongside Dwayne Johnson, Luckett can also be seen on "Single Ladies," "Treme," and in the upcoming season of "Greenleaf." Luckett began her musical endeavor as an original member of Destiny's Child co-writing gold-certified singles "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name." Her self-titled debut album "LeToya" was certified platinum and included the No. 1 hit "Torn," while her 2009 collection featured her Top 10 single "Regret" with Ludacris. Luckett is set to release her highly-anticipated third album in 2017. She is represented by ICM Partners, Vincent Cirrincione Associates and Stone, Genow, Smelkinson, Binder & Christopher, LLP.

Previously announced cast includes newcomer Wavyy Jonez as Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, Marcc Rose as Tupac Shakur, Josh Duhamel as Detective Greg Kading, Jimmi Simpson as Detective Russell Poole and Bokeem Woodbine as Officer Daryn Dupree.

From Universal Cable Productions (UCP), UNSOLVED: THE MURDERS OF BIGGIE AND TUPAC (WT) is a scripted true crime serial that chronicles the two major police investigations into the murders of Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls. Emmy Winner Anthony Hemingway ("The People v. O.J. Simpson: AMERICAN CRIME Story") is set to direct and will executive produce along with Mark Taylor through their Hemingway | Taylor production company. Kyle Long (SUITS) is writing the pilot and will also executive produce. The drama is based on the experiences of former LAPD Detective Greg Kading, who is consulting on the pilot script and will also serve as co-executive producer. Kading led multiple law-enforcement task forces investigating the murders and authored the book "Murder Rap: The Untold Story of Biggie Smalls & Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations."

Image courtesy of USA.

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