How much did Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne make while signed to Cash Money Records? Birdman reveals the eye-watering figure
In a candid interview, Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan Birdman Williams claimed that he distributed a hefty amount to his top artists—Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj.
On April 23, 2025, during an interview with Nick Cannon for Cannon's Class, the American rapper and record executive Bryan Birdman Williams was asked about how much artists under his label made.
"Two billion dollars between Drake, Nicki, and Wayne," Williams said.
Cash Money Records was founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald Slim Williams and Bryan Baby Williams. The label rose to prominence due to its unique element of gangsta hip-hop. As of today, it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.
Bryan Birdman Williams spills on the fortune paid to hip-hop artists
On April 23, 2025, Bryan "Birdman" Williams appeared on the Cannon's Class podcast. He talked about the success of three major rappers from Cash Money Records and said they were guaranteed to make over $2 million after signing with the label.
"Two plus billion dollars between Drake, Nicki, and Wayne. Hundreds of millions of dollars. Guaranteed," Williams said.
This is not the first time Bryan Birdman Williams has talked about the fortune of the three rappers while being a part of the Cash Money Records label.
In 2021, during an extensive interview with the Big Facts Podcast, the record producer shared that his record label signed a deal with Universal Music Group. Birdman paid a combined $1.4 billion to the three rappers from his pocket.
"When Universal gave me a bag, brother, I could honestly say I gave Wayne about $400 to $500 million, Drake got about $500 million, and Nicki got about $300, $400 million out of my pocket. No cap. If you don’t believe them, ask ’em," the record producer said.
According to Tripal, in 1998, the record label Cash Money signed a landmark distribution deal with UMG’s subsidiary Republic Records, reportedly worth $30 million. This deal included Cash Money retaining ownership of master recordings, a $3 million advance per album, and a 90/10 profit split in favor of Cash Money.
The Canadian rapper Drake was signed with the record label Cash Money from 2009 to 2018. He released his debut album, Thank Me Later, in 2010. The rapper released more albums under the label, including Take Care, Nothing Was the Same, Views, and Scorpion.
Another hip-hop heavyweight, Nicki Minaj, was signed with the label in 2009 through its subsidiary, Young Money Entertainment. The artist released her best-selling albums under the label, including Pink Friday, Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded, The Pinkprint, and Queen.
As of now, it remains unclear whether Nicki Minaj is still part of the record label. She has recently released all her music under Republic Records.
Lil Wayne was signed by Bridman when he was 15 years old in 1997, the same year he released his debut album, Get It How U Live. However, the rapper officially left the label in June 2018; no reasons were cited.
As of now, neither of the artists has responded to Bridman's claims.
