story by Todd Williams
images by Hannibal Matthews for Steed Media Service
About 50 people are buzzing in and out of the hallways of Patchwerk Studios in Atlanta. The collective ranges from photographers to bloggers to publicists to models to producers to … Gucci Mane? The Atlanta-based rapper shuffles in quietly past all of the press and groupies and makes his way upstairs for a light refreshments. He gives a few salutations to the media in attendance before helping himself to some hot wings and a little bit of Hennessy and Coke. Everyone pretty much goes back to what they were doing, because, in what has to be a bit of a rarity for him these days, Gucci isn’t the star of the hour. People are bustling about, prepping things for Cash Money and Young Money founder and CEO, Bryan “Birdman” Williams — the man who turned a fledgling hip-hop enterprise based in New Orleans into one of the biggest brands in the music industry.
Birdman has a well-deserved reputation for flashing, but his wealth came from work, and the mogul values the latter just as much as the former.
“We’ve been doing it like this for 20 years of my life — every day, every second, every minute,” he says. “To f— with this, you’ve gotta have that ethic. If you ain’t about that, I can’t f— with you.”
And the CEO knows who does and who does not have the inner grind to conquer the industry; you can tell just by turning on your radio or checking the mixtape circuit. “You can tell a n—- that rap a lot — you’re gonna hear him a lot. Your work ethic has to be to the ceiling. You’re gonna get out of this what you’re putting into it,” he says.
And what Birdman put into it was his heart and soul. He and his brother, Ronald “Slim” Williams, founded Cash Money in 1989 and set about building a reputation for gritty New Orleans street rap, but with an affinity for and an aesthetic rooted in balling and blinging. Think Scarface meets “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” From its earlier incarnation with platinum-selling New Orleans rappers like B.G. and Juvenile, to its latest hit-makers Drake and Nicki Minaj — the label has managed to remain viable 20 years into its existence, 15 of which were spent in the national spotlight. That type of longevity is a rarity in hip-hop. Birdman recommends that anyone planning to become the next big media mogul read up on those who have made it work.
“You should educate yourself. Read up on it. That’s what I did. I read [about] who I was trying to come into this game to be,” he shares. “Know what you’re getting yourself into. To be successful and to be a businessman, you’ve got to know all parts of your business. You may have other people doing the job, but you’re supposed to know your business. If you don’t know your business, you’re going to get swallowed in it. There comes a point where you’re going to have to make decisions. I have to know where every dollar goes. Other people might not treat your money like you would.”
As with any successful dynasty, the Cash Money imprint has had to weather its fair share of storms. The defection of a number of its original cadre of stars led many to believe that the label would flounder under the weight of its own success — much like other successful hip-hop labels of the past.
In the late ‘90s, Cash Money’s most recognizable group was The Hot Boys, a super group formed by two of its biggest solo stars, Juvenile and B.G., with two young up-and-comers, Turk and a prodigy named Lil Wayne completing the foursome. But as the dynamics at the label began to shift, ego and personal tensions caused the group to split, leaving Wayne the sole member left on the Cash Money label. Super producer Mannie Fresh created the template for the label’s sound — a unique combination of spare, bass-heavy rap beats and gritty Southern soul with big, catchy hooks. But after leading the label to the promised land and forming his own rapping duo with Birdman, Fresh decided to strike out on his own and he, too, left the label he helped make famous. But Cash Money surprised legions by being able to weather the storm, by both branching out and by placing the fortunes of the label on the shoulders of its youngest star.
A former prodigy signed to Cash Money before he was old enough to drive, Lil Wayne graduated from upstart Hot Boy to full-fledged superstar. He bridges the gap between the label’s “Bling-Bling” past and its current multi-genre, multi-national hipster to hood rat appeal. 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 “Hottest Rapper In the Game,” and 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’s a m———, 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.”
Baby has groomed Wayne from the beginning, he has music’s next big thing in Toronto-born MC-vocalist Drake; and his femcee, Nicki Minaj, is one of the most high-profile females in rap; and his British pop star, Jay Sean, has just released “Down,” and his first hit for the Cash Money Records and Young Money Entertainment imprint. And there have been whispers of a possible Hot Boys reunion.
“When we get around to it, we’re gonna do it,” says Birdman. “We definitely all have put the past behind us and we’re looking forward. And later on — you will get it.”
But through his ups and downs with Cash Money, the rapper formerly known as Baby has plenty to reflect on. “I don’t regret nothing,” he says, before pausing somberly and clarifying his position. “The only regrets I might’ve [had] are the sacrifices that come with this. I just think you [can] dedicate so much — and my family don’t get as much time because of the sacrifices I make, for their life to be better than mine.”
Some may criticize his ball-till-you-fall lifestyle, but Birdman is no fool with his money, and he feels that he has the right to advertise what his drive and work ethic accrued. “If I was just a average n—- on the block with these tattoos, [people] would look at me [like] I’m supposed to be a f—– up individual,” he says matter-of-factly. “I could be a dope boy or whatever else goes with that lifestyle. Jobs wouldn’t even want me because I’ve got these tats and [platinum teeth] in my mouth. [But] I want a n—- to know — I don’t give a f— how you look, you can get it. I like that [they] stereotype us. Google me and see what comes up. What I love more than anything out of all this is being able to spend my money. Flying [in] private jets and living in the most exquisite suites and putting 10-carat diamonds in my daughter’s [ears] and buying my son a million-dollar watch. That’s what I love.”
And what’s in the future for the label, with its biggest star, Lil Wayne, having recently been convicted for gun possession and facing a one-year prison sentence? Cash Money will be without its most recognizable voice for a few months, but Birdman 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.”
