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Cash Money Records Founder Birdman experienced several losses by the age of 16, and he was determined to steer clear of any losses in the music business. Birdman, born Bryan Christopher Williams, started the label in 1991 alongside his brother Ronald “Slim” Williams, according to BET. They were able to gain traction and had the support of independent distributors such as Gonzales Music and SouthWest Distribution, XXL Magazine reports. Building popularity in the South, the label caught the attention of Universal Records and signed a deal with the company on May 10, 1997, per a Max Volume Media interview Birdman gave. He later discussed the deal during an interview on the “Wilde Ride!” podcast, revealing that he was looking to retain ownership of his music due to his upbringing. “I felt like I lost everything already. I lost my family,” he explained on the podcast. “Nothing can repay me for what I already lost. I lost my mama, my daddy, my brother, my sister… I lived a hell of a life...
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....
Cash Money continues to take over for the 2000s! Born Bryan Christopher Williams, Birdman is the co-owner and co-founder of Cash Money Records, a label that features a roster of some of this generation’s hottest names in rap like Nicki Minaj, Drake , and Lil Wayne. The label first gained notoriety through former artists like Juvenile, Cory Gunz, and Hot Boys and set the tone for current labels and hip hop acts whose music is evident of Cash Money’s influence on the culture as a whole. Birdman — formerly known as “Baby” — recently explained how putting out the hottest artists has provided a big return to this day, explaining how the label continues to capitalize off of its artists and even how clearing their samples is paying off big time. According to Complex, the hip hop heavyweight recently shed light on the cash flow for the record label during an exclusive with Wallo of “Where’s Wallo.” “If it has a value. That’s a value. If you don’t have a value, you sitting on some sh*t...
GloRilla had to take control of her spending after her first hit single took off. In 2022, the Memphis, TN-born artist, born Gloria Hallelujah Woods, found success with the release of her single “F.N.F. (Let’s Go),” produced by Hitkidd. ”It didn’t take the song long to blow up. It blew up in like three days,” she said during an interview on “The Shop” podcast. “So, I was just traveling the world like two days after I dropped that song ‘cause all the labels were calling me everywhere. So yeah, my life changed, changed right after I dropped that song.” Her newfound fame came with some learning curves, such as keeping her spending habits in check. During the interview, she notes that she shifted her mindset with spending when rap-artist-turned-music-executive Yo Gotti intervened and suggested she hire an accountant. “My first year I blew up, this was before I got an accountant. I was just spending money, and I’m like, ‘Okay, I’m getting it. I’m making it but I’m spending it too,'” she...
TikTok’s future in the United States gets closer to being decided. As AFROTECH™ previously told you, a 12-page bill had been passed in the U.S. House of Representatives in March 2024 to eradicate the platform’s use in the United States. The bill was created to “protect the national security of the United States from the threat posed by foreign adversary controlled applications,” per CBS News. If passed, ByteDance, the owner of the China-based platform, would have 180 days to sell TikTok for the app to remain accessible to U.S. users. If the company chooses to maintain ownership, the app and all other applications associated with ByteDance would be banned in the United States. At the time, per AP News, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew shared in a statement, “We will not stop fighting and advocating for you. We will continue to do all we can, including exercising our legal rights, to protect this amazing platform that we have built with you.” On Saturday, April 20, 2024, a modified version of...
A trademark has placed Pharrell Williams in legal drama. In April 2024, Pink, also known as Alecia Moore, sued Williams for trademarking “P.Inc” for his music-focused promotional marketing services, Rolling Stone reports. The pop singer’s lawyers are requesting for the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to not authorize his trademark as they claim that it resembles the “PINK” trademark, which court documents show she applied for in 1999 and registered in 2001. Pink’s lawyers also claim that Williams’ trademark has the potential to damage her business and create confusion for her fans as they both operate in the music industry. “[Williams’] P.INC Mark is similar to the PINK Marks in sight, sound, meaning and commercial impression,” the filing wrote, according to Rolling Stone. “[Williams’] and [Pink’s] goods and services are identical and/or closely related. … [Williams] is likely to market and promote its goods through the same channels of trade...
Drake has been making headline after headline lately — and for all the right reasons. As AfroTech previously reported, his $400 million deal with Universal Records was reported as “one of the biggest” in the music industry. Before he even signed the blockbuster deal, Drake had a $200 million net worth (even though he said “the numbers are way off” in “The Remorse”) and had invested in a wide variety of businesses, making him a “certified millionaire” by every definition of the word. Things, however, weren’t always a “Fair Trade” for the Toronto native. Prior to becoming a juggernaut himself, he signed a bad deal with Cash Money Records, led by Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams. And while Cash Money certainly raised the “Scorpion” king’s profile exponentially — as they’d done with the likes of Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj — he still had to take them to court for millions of dollars. Let’s take a look back at the details.
Hip-Hop is big business. What was once considered a niche musical sound has become the soundtrack of our lives. And the genre’s best-known artists have become all the richer for it. “Hip-hop has, and always will, set trends,” says Kim Kaupe, founder of the creative agency Bright Ideas Only, to Variety. “Brands realize they can no longer sit on the sidelines and test what ‘might’ work. They need to be in the mix testing partnerships and trends before they have the data to back it up.” Certainly, too, some rappers do far better than others — and indie rappers, like Tech N9ne, can still make a six-figure salary for themselves. According to Variety, Tech N9ne’s earnings come from an eight-figure digital catalog deal — a deal that was previously unreported to mainstream outlets. But, as one might imagine, the marquee-name rappers — like Drake and Kanye — make the biggest bucks. What’s more, rappers who diversify their portfolios — like Jay-Z and Wiz Khalifa — can continue to make money...
Atlanta’s University Center (AUC) will soon have a space fit for the next rockstar! Today Rockstar Energy has announced that it will team up with Cortez Bryant, a renowned talent manager known for working with greats like Drake and Nicki Minaj. He is also the co-CEO of the record label Blueprint Group and will now play a pivotal role in helping to spearhead the launch of Atlanta’s next destination for Black artists, Rockstar Culture Labs. “The Rockstar Culture Labs is an exciting next step for Blueprint Group, which has been dedicated to educating, supporting, and amplifying the next generation of creative artists,” said Bryant in an official release shared with AfroTech. “Partnering with Rockstar Energy to open this space in one of the country’s most happening music communities gives us another platform to create incredible opportunities for Atlanta’s Black artists.
Born Michael Ray Nguyen-Stevenson in Los Angeles, CA, Tyga seemed destined for greatness at an early age. Although he initially claimed to have been born & raised in Compton and, later, Gardena, TMZ eventually revealed that the rapper — whose name is an acronym for “Thank You God, Always” — was actually born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, and his parents were relatively well off. Still, it’s not where you come from, but where you’re going. And where Tyga went was straight to the top. He first made his mark in the music industry in 2009, when his music was licensed to the video games “Need for Speed: Undercover” and “Madden NFL 2009.” He even did some work with his cousin, Travie McCoy of Gym Class Heroes. But from his early days as part of the Young Money collective to his current business ventures that include some surprising forms of income, Tyga has always stayed booked and busy. And while Hip-Hop aficionados may be divided on the quality of his music, they can’t deny...
Cities across the country are still adjusting to the impact of COVID-19, and among them, New Orleans has been one of the hardest regions hit. Black communities in the city have been disproportionately impacted during the pandemic. Now, fellow New Orleans natives Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams of Cash Money Records have partnered with Mayor LaToya Cantrell to cover rent payments this month for residents living in low-income housing. As co-founders and brothers who are well-known in their community, Slim and Birdman have committed to invest and give back to those whose struggle they resonate with. “We all need each other right now,” said Slim in an exclusive interview with Black Enterprise . “I’ve spoken to people over the last several weeks and the one thing that’s a common theme is that we’re all, in so many different ways in so many of the same ways, affected. There’s no one that’s not touched.” Since the Williams brothers founded their record label almost 25...