Baby Reflects On Lil Wayne’s Career and His Upcoming Jail Time: ‘You Won’t Even Know He Gone …’

Brian “Birdman” Williams, aka “Baby,” has built Cash Money and Young Money Records from the ground up. From its earlier incarnation with platinum-selling New Orleans rappers like B.G. and Juvenile, to its latest hitmakers Drake and Nicki Minaj — the label has managed to remain viable 15 years in its existence, and that’s a rarity in hip-hop. But the mainstay of the label has always been the one-time prodigy that was signed before he was old enough to drive: Lil Wayne.

Baby helped groom Wayne as his protégé and believed in Wayne’s talent — even before Weezy was a rap megastar. “He was smarter from day one. I saw that he was a smart kid, he wanted something,” Baby says of Wayne’s early days. “He wanted it more than the rest of them. He wanted to be the best [and] I saw that he had the swag to do that.”

Baby took exception to MTV’s naming Jay-Z the Number One “Hottest Rapper In the Game.” He’s been vocal in his belief that Wayne owns the title — hands down.

“This is my feeling. I feel that my son [Wayne] do the most, lyrically, you know … he raps the most, do the most tours [and] he make the most money. I don’t give a f— how good a n—- is, if he ain’t making money — he ain’t worth s—. If I’m making more money than you and you’re better than me, what does that say about you? No n—- in the rap business make more money than him. How can a m——— even want that title if he ain’t making the most? And I don’t think a n—- can rap better.”

With Wayne’s recent gun possession conviction and pending one-year prison sentence, Cash Money will be without its most recognizable star for a few months. But Baby doesn’t think the label — or the industry — will be fazed. “Really, you won’t even know he gone,” he says with a smirk. “I’ll let our actions speak. Watch us work.” 
 

– todd williams