Say whatever you want about Bryan “Birdman” Williams, but at the end of the day, he’s part of Hip-Hop royalty.
Without him, there would be no Drake. Without him, Nicki Minaj would still be “Mixtape Nicki” in Queens. And without him, Lil’ Wayne’s career would have hit the skids after The Hot Boys called it a day. (“Back Dat Azz Up” proved that Juvenile, not Lil’ Wayne, was gunning for the gold.)
At his peak, Birdman said that he was buying 100 new cars every six months, which he would then give away to family and friends when he no longer had any use for them. So extensive was his car collection, in fact, that when Hurricane Katrina blazed through New Orleans, he claimed to Jet Magazine that he lost five houses, 20 condos, 30 cars, and the Cash Money headquarters in New Orleans. According to The New York Post, even his “abandoned” property in New Orleans — which was all but wiped out during Katrina — is worth more than $600,000, in the condition that it’s in. So, the man knows money.
By the time he was 22-years-old, Birdman was worth $40 million. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Birdman made more than $200 million in salary between 2007 and 2019. And ultimately, the outlet reports that he’s worth $100 million, with most of that salary coming from the success of Young Money/Cash Money Records.
Let’s take a look at Birdman’s investments through the years.
Young Money/Cash Money Records
In 2012, his success with Young Money/Cash Money Records landed him at No. 4 on the Forbes list of Hip-Hop’s Wealthiest Artists. While his then-$125 million net worth seems like peanuts today, it proved to be a smart investment on his part, because the success of artists like Drake and Nicki Minaj jettisoned him to the top. According to Billboard, Young Money/Cash Money Records is the most commercially successful Hip-Hop record label of all time.
Clothing Line
When Birdman told The Breakfast Club to put some “Respeck” on his name, the popular radio morning show awarded him the Donkey of the Day “Award.”
But, in response, Birdman turned a negative into a positive when he announced a clothing and merchandise line. HotNewHipHop reported that the clothing line features the “Respeck” and other popular catchphrases from the record executive.
Oil Fields
In 2010, Birdman allegedly teamed up with his brother, Ronald “Slim” Williams — the other half of the Young Money equation — to form Bronald Oil.
But when the deal began faltering, Bloomberg (via XXL) began investigating, and realized that they’d never followed the proper procedures to get the investment off the ground.
Real Estate
In November 2020, Realtor.com reports that Birdman sold his Miami mansion — complete with a golden toilet — for $10.85 million. The Miami property also contained an office building where Birdman housed the recording studio for Young Money/Cash Money Records. However, he purchased the property in 2014 from Rockstar energy drink founder Russell Weiner. So, he suffered a bit of a loss on that sale.
