Cash Money Records
| Cash Money | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founder |
Ronald "Slim" Williams Bryan "Birdman" Williams |
| Status | Active |
| Distributor(s) |
Republic Records (In the US) Universal Music Group (Worldwide) |
| Genre | Various |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location |
New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S. Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Official website | www |
Cash Money Records is an American record label founded by two brothers, Bryan "Birdman" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. The label is distributed by Republic Records, which used to be Universal Republic. The label itself has been home to a roster of prominent hip hop artists that include Drake, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, which has led Cash Money to being described as one of the most iconic and successful record labels in hip-hop history. Cash Money is estimated to be worth $300 million.
Cash Money Records was founded in 1991. Bryan Williams told some of his close friends the motivation for starting the label:
"I was hoping it would get us out of the projects and into a positive way of life. And we wanted to help other people get out of this poverty"
Along the way he met a lot of influential people on the road with the Hot Boys. Cash Money and Universal negotiated the deal between Cash Money and Universal Músic Group's Universal Records (now Republic Records), which became an 80%-20% distribution deal. Later, UMG acquired a portion of Cash Money Records, making it a UMG subsidiary.
For its first few years (1991–1994), Cash Money played host to a number of local releases by artists, selling only one album, without ever releasing a music video or having a Billboard hit. Some of the label's releases garnered some regional success in New Orleans, Louisiana, but the label was little known to the national rap scene. Artists on the label during this period included the group U.N.L.V. (Uptown Niggas Living Violently), Kilo G, Lil Slim, Pimp Daddy, and PxMxWx. In 1995, the label signed young rappers B.G., Turk and Lil Wayne. The signees marked what would be the second wave of Cash Money artists. Cash Money Records’ opening salvo was the release of Kilo G’s ‘The Sleepwalker.’ Rapper Kilo G was just 15 years old when his Cash Money debut arrived in 1992, and his album was sold out of the trunk of the Williams brothers’ car.
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