S. Samuel
Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan "Baby" Williams recently weighed in on the lack of sales in today's rap game and how emcees should try to find alternative means of revenue as album sales drop.
In addition to suggestions, Baby also questioned whether another rap team could outshine the achievements of Cash Money.
“I be looking at the challenge a lot and I be seeing that a lot of these artists need to go harder,” he explained in an interview. “When our time came, we ain’t take no excuse, ain’t have no excuse. We just went hard and I think that’s what everybody needs to do, go harder…It ain’t the same like it used to be. I think they think that ringtones is bad. To me, ringtones is good ’cause it’s just another way of getting money. If you can’t sell records, you might can sell ringtones. So, don’t think ’cause we losing something, really we gaining something. But [Cash Money] don’t have a selling records problem.” (“106 & Park”)
With over a decade of history within hip-hop, the Birdman previously spoke on his early hardships with Cash Money.
“We lost a lot of friends and homies for the success,” Baby said in an interview. “A lot of blood came with this life, with this music…None of them wanted to be with a major. Juvie comes from a major and he had f*cked up experiences with them and he didn’t want to do it. [Lil] Wayne wanted to do it. Geezy wanted to do it. [Mannie] Fresh didn’t want to do it. I was like, man, f*ck it. It’s the only way we gonna grow because we’re outgrowing what we doing. So I was like, man, we about to settle this sh*t. I’m about to go get this money they got and gonna see what it do. We probably gonna expand ’cause at the time motherf*ckers was f*ckin’ with our Hot Boys sh*t getting us confused ’cause you know they had the No Limits out there.” (Vibe)
Baby was previously featured on the televised documentary “NEWBOs: The Rise of America’s New Black Overclass.”
Go behind the scenes for unprecedented access with these multimillionaires, including NBA superstar LeBron James, Major League All-Star Torii Hunter, The Williams brothers of Cash Money Records, Multi-platinum gospel star Kirk Franklin and more. The next all-new CNBC Original “NEWBOs: The Rise of America’s New Black Overclass” premieres Thursday, February 26 at 9p ET/ 10p PT on CNBC. (Press Release)
The hip-hop mogul has also stressed his company’s ability to focus on profits rather than beef.
“We got money man,” Baby explained in a past interview. “We on islands and jets f*cking h*es. We ain’t trippin’ off petty sh*t. We got money. Ain’t ever a dark day in my life, why won’t I go spend 250 right now, I’ll burn that b*tch…We just did a deal for a 100 mil, we got money for real. It ain’t no game. We ain’t got time for bullsh*t. We getting money man. We go to the studio that’s money, that’s like $20 million. When I hit your town they pay 250 just to say they saw us…We been through the wars, I got scars from wars. Get with that anytime, but lets get with this money sh*t, that’s what’s up…Me and my son are rich for real, that’s why I won’t entertain bullsh*t…Today, I’m the only n*gga in the industry, me, my son and my brother that own everything, nobody owns nothin’. We 100 percent in this b*tch, we make more than they make.” (SmackTube)
Check out Baby’s interview on “106 & Park” below:
