Birdman and the Cash Money empire

By Mr. Hollywood
JR Staff Writer

What began as a dream some twenty years ago has become a major reality. Bryan "Birdman" Williams and his brother, Ronald "Slim" Williams, have been running Cash Money Records for some time. Through their success with music, they have been able to branch out into other businesses.

Often times, there is plenty of talk surrounding Jay-Z and Diddy as hip hop's top businessmen. Much of their fortune comes from endorsement deals. While the New Yorkers do own several businesses, their primary pay comes from their work with other companies.

Birdman recently entered the $100 million discussion without having any endorsement deals. Early in the 2000s, he did, but they have run out. Through his company and the lucrative distribution deal with Universal Records, Birdman has built an incredible empire. Cash Money Records helped launch this business and it is currently on top of the music scene with several sub-labels.

Recently, Birdman launched Cash Money content and released a book for Wahida Clark called Justify My Thug. This deal is the first of its kind for a hip hop company and will likely be emulated by several other hip hop entrepreneurs in the future.

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Bow Wow wants to be an Outlaw

By The Film Critic
JR Staff Writer

Despite being a veteran in the rap game, fans and critics have had a hard time accepting Bow Wow for an adult. His Wanted album received a bit of criticism for the harsh lyrics. Compared to most rap albums, the lyrics were mild, but it was tough for Bow Wow.

Bow Wow has shown a bit of frustration, at times, about people still looking at him as a child. In 2009, he retired from the rap game to focus on his film career. Not even retired for a year and work began on his comeback album.

Now signed with Cash Money Records, Bow Wow is working on a new project. On this album, he intends to record with his popular Young Money label-mates. Bow Wow also has a few film roles coming up. He has been very busy with his work.

Outside of the music, Bow Wow wants a major role that would help him with his image. With the Tupac Shakur bio pic coming up in the next few months, Bow Wow wants to be cast. The Ohio rapper thinks he would do well playing as one of the members of The Outlawz. Bow Wow, like many other rappers, is a major fan of Tupac Shakur and his other projects.

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