Cash Money Records
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| Cash Money Records | |
|---|---|
| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Bryan "Baby" Williams Ronald "Slim" Williams |
| Distributor(s) | Universal Records (U.S.) |
| Genre | Contemporary R&B Southern Hip Hop Gangsta rap |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Official website | cashmoney-records.com |
Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1990 by brothers Bryan "Baby" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams in New Orleans, Louisiana.
History
The label's first artist Kilo-G released The Sleepwalker in 1992. Over the next 4 years Cash Money played host to a number of local releases by artists such as Pimp Daddy, U.N.L.V., Ms. Tee, Mr. Ivan, Lil' Slim, B.G., among others, selling hundreds of thousands of albums without ever releasing a music video or having a Billboard hit.[citation needed] Cash Money's big break came in 1997 when the label's most popular artists, the Hot Boys, B.G. and Juvenile in particular, caught the attention of Universal Records executives. Juvenile's Cash Money release Solja Rags sold 200,000 copies independently. In 1998, co-CEOs Ronald "Slim" Williams and Brian "Baby" Williams signed a US$30 million pressing and distribution contract with Universal Records, entitling the label to 85% of its royalties, 50% of its publishing revenues and ownership of all masters.
Between 1998 and 2001, Cash Money churned out 19 Top Five Billboard singles and 11 platinum and multi-platinum albums, almost all of which were supervised by in-house producer Mannie Fresh.[citation needed] Controversy arose when two of the Hot Boys left the label claiming financial mismanagement by "Birdman" Williams. The first artist to leave was B.G., who claimed he had never received a royalty check for any album released before 2003, an amount that would exceed 3 million dollars. The second to leave was Juvenile, who claimed he had only received half of the tour money he had accumulated over 4 years, and did not receive proper payment for his quadruple platinum album, 400 Degreez. The artist filed three simultaneous lawsuits, asking for more than $5 million in damages. The lawsuits were dismissed, however, for lack of evidence.
The departure of Cash Money's two biggest stars did not seem to affect the performance of the Hip hop company. Between 2001 and 2003, the label sold 7 million albums, and the song "Still Fly" by the Big Tymers (Williams and Mannie Fresh) was nominated for two Grammy awards. In April 2003, Juvenile returned to the label for a reported $4 million deal, and in return, he signed over the rights to Juve The Great, an album which would go on to sell over a million copies.
Former Hot Boy member Lil Wayne was named president of Cash Money Records and CEO of Young Money Entertainment, giving the rapper full creative control over all releases under the two labels. Later in 2007, Lil Wayne stepped down as president to focus on his career, especially Tha Carter III.[1]
Filmography
- Baller Blockin (2000)
Artists
- Birdman
- Lil Wayne
- Mack 10
- Glasses Malone
- Yo Gotti
- All Star Cashville Prince
- Brisco
- Kevin Rudolf
- Jay Sean
- T Lopez
- Dunk Ryders
Young Money Entertainment
Former Artists (in chronological order)
- 1993:
- DJ Crack Out
- 1995:
- Pimp Daddy {R.I.P.}
- Lil' Slim
- Mr. Ivan {R.I.P.}
- PxMxWx (Big Man & MC Heavy)
- 1996:
- Kilo-G {R.I.P.}
- Ms. Tee
- 1997:
- U.N.L.V. (Tec-9, Lil' Ya & Yella Boy {R.I.P.})
- Magnolia Shorty
- 1999
- 2001:
- 2002:
- 2003:
- Derrick {aka} Lil' Derrick {R.I.P.}
- 2004:
- Mikkey
- Christina
- T.Q.
- D-Boyz (Lac & Stone)
- Bizzy
- Jazze Pha
- 2005:
- Gillie Da Kid
- Boo & Gotti
- Tateeze {aka} Strings
- Mannie Fresh
- 2006:
- Tha Blockburnaz
- KeKe Wyatt
- 2007:
- Teena Marie
- Six Shot
- Magnolia Chop {aka} Chop 'The Hookman'
- 2008:
- Tha Dogg Pound
- Curren$y
- Stack$