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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...
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...
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...