How much does Birdman earn?

Birdman, an American rapper, record producer, CEO, entrepreneur, and CEO, has a net worth in excess of $150 million. Birdman is also known as Bryan Williams (or Baby), the founder and CEO of Cash Money Records. He founded it with his brother Ronald Williams back in 1991. Cash Money Records is home to many notable artists such as Drake, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and Blueface.

Early Life

Bryan Christopher Brooks was conceived in New Orleans, Louisiana, on February 15, 1969. His parents Johnnie Williams, and Gladys Brooks, took almost a month before they were able to name him. Bryan used Bryan’s mother’s name because Williams didn’t sign the birth certificate. He is the father of three children: Kim, Ronald, and Ray. Birdman lived with his family in the apartment above the bar that his father owned. Birdman’s mother died in 1975 when Birdman was just five years old. Birdman and his siblings lived with Gladys for a few more years in British Columbia, Canada, after Gladys’ passing.

The Brooks family spent two years in foster homes after their return to New Orleans. Their father discovered that their children were living in foster care and filed a lawsuit to obtain custody. Birdman was granted custody of his children after a lengthy legal battle that lasted into the 1970s. He moved in with his stepmother Patricia and father, Johnnie. He changed his last name from Birdman to Williams at this point. Birdman lived with his stepmother and father in New Orleans’ Magnolia Projects. Birdman lived there with Eldrick Wise, his stepbrother. They robbed and sold heroin. Both were 16 years old when they were arrested. Birdman and Wise were both 18 when they were arrested. They were sentenced to three-year imprisonment in a correctional facility. Williams was sentenced to 18 months in prison and eventually released from all charges.

Cash Money Records

Birdman was released from prison and he and Ronald “Slim,” his brother, began to notice the “bounce” sub-genre in hip-hop that was becoming popular in New Orleans nightclubs.

In 1991, the brothers started their own record label to capitalize on this trend. Cash Money Records was their name. Both brothers had never run a record label or worked in the music business. They didn’t have a recording studio or any artists. However, they did have approximately $100,000 in capital for the startup. This may have been money Terrence Williams gave them as drug money. Terrence Williams founded the notorious drug crew known as the Hot Boys.

Ronald and Bryan picked the name “Cash Money Records” as a reference to the film “New Jack City,” where Wesley Snipes plays a New York City gangster who leads a crew called “Cash Money Brothers.”

Soon, the pair were traveling throughout Louisiana, scouting acts at nightclubs and trying to find artists for their new label. Kilo G, a rapper from Louisiana, was the first artist that they signed. He was known for his 1992 horrorcore album “The Sleepwalker.” This was Cash Money’s debut project. Slim and Birdman continued to search for new talent to hire. Birdman eventually convinced DJ Mannie Fresh to become the Cash Money producer.

Cash Money

By the mid-1990s, Cash Money was one of the most well-known independent labels in the south. Birdman met Dwayne Carter (12 years old) in 1995. Birdman signed Carter for Cash Money. He may be better known as Lil Wayne.

Cash Money had to overcome many setbacks despite its success in the region. In the 1990s, Cash Money’s artists, including Pimp Daddy and Kilo G — all Cash Money musicians-were assassinated. Birdman and Slim, desperate for success, recruited Turk and Juvenile to form Hot Boys. Soon, they also featured Lil Wayne, B.G. This was the ticket to Cash Money.

Cash Money Records signed many more artists between 1994-97 through sheer talent and hustle. Their albums sold between 25,000 to 50,000 copies, even more impressively, without any distribution or promotional deals from major labels. In its first two months, the Hot Boys’ debut album sold 300,000.

Read Also: What was Michael Jackson’s Net Worth?

Universal Records Deal

Cash Money Records was an interest of a variety of record companies in 1998 to form a partnership or acquire the company.

They were perfectly placed as Sony Music and Universal Music were fighting for market share. Cash Money signed with Universal Music Group, which offered Ronald Birdman and Birdman a contract worth $30 million. The deal paid $3 million to the brothers upfront and guaranteed them $1.5million per album. The boldest move was when Cash Money signed with Universal. This deal would have allowed them to own their masters. It’s a deal, not even The Beatles could have! Instead of receiving a few pennies per record sold, the company receives several dollars per unit.

Universal was paid a 7% commission for the distribution of Cash Money singles and albums but did not own any label assets. However, Universal was soon more than twice as big as its closest rivals, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, and Drake, many years later.

More Success

Birdman also started rapping in the same year. He formed a group called the Big Tymers with DJ Mannie Fresh. Their debut album, How Ya Luv That?, was released in 1998. They released their debut album How Ya Luv That? in 1998. In 1998, they followed it up with I Got That Work & Hood Rich. B.G. B.G. Birdman, a major-label debut called Birdman, was released in November 2002. It peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200.

Tha Carter was a commercially and critically successful album by Lil Wayne in 2004. Cash Money’s most successful artist was Lil Wayne. Birdman’s second album, Fast Money, was released in 2005. It reached number nine on Billboard 200. The Halloween 2006 release of Like Father, Like Son, was the first collaboration album by Birdman and Lil Wayne. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200.

Cash Money Records has sold 50 million records and is the most successful hip-hop label. Cash Money Records was worth $100 million per annum at its peak.

Birdman and his brother launched a joint venture in oil and energy called “Bronald Oil” in early 2010. “Bronald,” his name and Bryan’s brother Ronald, is the combination of their names. They planned to search for and develop oil resources on the U.S. Gulf Coast, Oklahoma Osage County. It isn’t known if the venture was ever successful or if oil was actually discovered.

Read Also: A Complete Detail About Jose Trinidad Marin?

Legal Issues

Birdman was found with nearly a pound of marijuana in his possession when he was arrested in Tennessee in November 2007.

Thomas Marasciullo sued Birdman, Lil Wayne, and Cash Money Records for copyright infringement in 2009. He claims that his voice was not used without his permission. In 2006, both rappers requested that he record “Italian-styled spoken word recordings.” These lyrics are allegedly taken from Birdman’s 5 * Stunna and Like Father, Like Son’s collaboration album.

Personal life

Birdman’s mother passed away in 1975 following a long battle with cancer. Eldrick Wise, Birdman’s stepbrother, was murdered in an unsolved homicide in 1991. In 1996, his father was killed in an automobile accident. Tamara, one of Birdman’s younger sisters, was killed in an automobile accident in 2006.

Birdman is the brother of 10 siblings and sister to 12 others.

Birdman is the father of Bryan Jr. (born 1997) and Bria (born 1998).

He claimed at his peak that he purchased 100 new cars every six months and gave the “older” ones to family members and friends. Birdman is often seen with jewelry worth several million dollars, including a black 15-carat diamond ring and matching earrings, as well as a $500,000 grill for his teeth.

Birdman lost 20 houses, 50 cars, and two Maybachs during Hurricane Katrina. Four Ferraris were also destroyed.

Highlights

Birdman, who was 22 at the time, had already amassed a $40 million net worth.

Birdman Career Earnings By Year

Year The amount

2007 $12,000,000

2008 $10,000,000

2009 $9,000,000

2010 $10,000,000

2011 $15,000,000

2012 $20,000,000

2013 $21,000,000

2014 $24,000,000

2015 $18,000,000

2016 $18,000,000

2017 $20,000,000

2018 $20,000,000

2019 $20,000,000

Total: $217,000,000

Birdman was sued by many artists, both current and past, for not paying royalties.

Real Estate

Birdman was a millionaire and owned a Miami condo worth $30 million. He also owned at least two other Miami properties (one being a recording studio) as well as a New Orleans mansion. Today, his property portfolio is much smaller.

Birdman lived in a large house on Palm Island, Miami, for many years. It has a fascinating history. Scott Storch, a hip hop producer, paid $10.5million in 2006 for the mansion. However, it was lost to foreclosure just a few years later. Russell Weiner, entrepreneur and founder of Rockstar energy drinks, purchased the house from a bank for $6.7 million in 2010. Russ sold the house to Birdman for $14.5million just two years later.

Birdman was threatened by a bank to be expelled from his 20,000-square-foot waterfront home in January 2018. He tried to sell his house immediately for a record-breaking $20 million but was unsuccessful. Birdman dropped the price to $16.9million, then $15 million, and ultimately accepted $10.9 million in November 2019.

Birdman was sued by a Los Angeles homeowner seeking $114,000 back rent for a Bel-Air mansion. The legal filings show that Birdman had agreed to pay $33,000 per month in rent for the mansion, but he stopped paying.