Neither Drake nor Universal would comment on his status. On his 2018 album Scorpion, he declared himself “out of the deal” after fulfilling his contractual obligations Cash Money’s spokesperson says he’s scheduled for one more. Meanwhile, Drake’s status remains something of a mystery. A spokesperson for Cash Money also points out that artists including Mannie Fresh and Juvenile have returned for collaborations. To streamline future payments, Brown says Cash Money has upped the distribution fee it pays to Universal by a few points in exchange for having the record giant handle all back-office matters. It’s that other people worked to get paid that they didn’t know had to get paid.” “Ninety percent of the time, it’s not that we owe them money.
“Contracts haven’t been done, producer agreements haven’t been done, samples haven’t been cleared,” Brown says. He finally left the label as a multimillion-dollar 2018 settlement cleared the way for the release of his latest album, Tha Carter V (a representative declined to make him available for an interview).Ĭash Money’s founders deny any nefarious activity and argue that the contractual conflicts stem from the fact that many of their artists aren’t familiar with the music business when they arrive. Mannie Fresh departed over such claims in 2005 (he did not reply for a request for comment), while Lil Wayne spent much of the last five years suing Cash Money over money issues amid the specter of violence. Along the way, the label’s artists started to match their boss’s earning power: Drake has pulled in $257 million since 2011 Minaj ($135 million) and Lil Wayne ($145 million) are right behind Birdman ($156 million).ĭespite that kind of success, many of Cash Money’s early acts left the label after complaining they’d been cheated out of royalties. They signed Drake and Minaj in 2009 the pair has since released a combined nine studio albums, all platinum or better. The Williams brothers relocated to Miami-where Young Money, their joint venture with Lil Wayne, launched a new Golden Era. Birdman told me he lost “20 houses, 50 cars, and memories.”
That year, Hurricane Katrina swept through New Orleans. Juvenile couldn’t match his initial success and left Cash Money after 2003, while Lil Wayne didn’t equal his 1999 platinum debut until 2005. 11 on Billboard’s singles charts, but they never quite crossed over. Big Tymers, Birdman’s duo with Mannie Fresh, sent “Still Fly” to No. The diminutive rapper flashed his potential even in the 1990s, coining the term “bling-bling.” “It’s in the dictionary!” Slim says proudly.Īsh Money continued to crank out music in the early 2000s, but for several years it seemed the label might not be capable of launching another mainstream star. Early recruits included producer Mannie Fresh and rapper Pimp Daddy, but their best investment was an 11-year-old wordsmith who called himself Shrimp Daddy-later, Lil Wayne. After initially following the “hustler” footsteps of their father, Slim says, they decided to try making a living in music. Their mother passed away when they were young, and they spent much of their youth in boys’ homes.
The Williamses founded Cash Money in their native New Orleans to serve as a home for hip-hop and its boisterous cousin bounce.
“The only time I’ve ever been broke in life is when I was born,” says Birdman. Slim, who’s lanky and laconic and has a syrupy Louisiana drawl, explains how he and his brother divide the labor: “I do all the business parts,” Slim says. After his art purchase, he walks outside to find twin black Mercedes-Maybachs, one for each brother. Irdman may have curtailed his spending slightly, or at least diversified his portfolio, but he still seems to have a weakness for automobiles.
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