All of Cash Money's albums and singles in this period were solely produced by the label's in-house producer, Mannie Fresh. These albums contained major Billboard hits such as Juvenile's " Back That Azz Up" (#19 on the Billboard Hot 100), B.G.'s " Bling Bling" (#36), and the Hot Boys' " I Need a Hot Girl" (#65). Later albums in 1999 such as the Hot Boys' Guerrilla Warfare, B.G.'z Chopper City in the Ghetto, and Lil Wayne's Tha Block Is Hot also saw great chart success and furthered the label's reputation. The release of Juvenile's 1998 album 400 Degreez, which was certified 4X Platinum by the RIAA, solidified Cash Money as a powerful label in the national hip-hop scene. Lil Wayne started as a member of the Hot Boys and became the label's best-selling artist.Īfter the deal Cash Money records achieved a new level of success. Dino Delvaille, who orchestrated the deal, later told HitQuarters: "I made certain they retained (the rights) of their work. In 1998, Cash Money signed a $30 million pressing and distribution deal with a $3 million advance contract with Universal, entitling the label to 85% of its royalties, 50% of its publishing revenues and ownership of all masters. and Juvenile in particular, caught the attention of Universal Records executives. Cash Money's big break came in 1998 when the Hot Boys, B.G. Shortly before the Hot Boys took off, Bulletproof left the group and was later killed in 2002. After the passing of his father, Lil Wayne joined the group and they became known as the Hot Boys. In May 1997 Birdman organized a rap group that included Juvenile, B.G, Turk and Bulletproof. At this time Turk and another local rapper by the name of Bulletproof aka lil Derrick joined the roster. Starting in 1996, Cash Money signed a slew of new artists such as Lil Wayne, B.G, Juvenile, who already had a buzz in the streets in the mid-1990s, was also signed. Later, UMG acquired a portion of Cash Money Records, making it a UMG subsidiary. Wendy Day negotiated the deal between Cash Money and Universal Music Group's Universal Records (now Republic Records), which became an 70%-30% distribution deal. īryan "Birdman" Williams (pictured) founded Cash Money Records in 1991 with his brother Ronald "Slim" Williams.Īlong the way he met a lot of influential people on the road with the Hot Boys.
The label's name is an allusion to the 1991 cult movie New Jack City. Īrtists signed to Cash Money Records have achieved a combined 12 number one albums on the Billboard 200 chart and 7 number one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart ( Juvenile's " Slow Motion", Lil Wayne's " Lollipop", Jay Sean's " Down" and Drake's " One Dance", " God's Plan", " Nice for What", and " In My Feelings").
The label has been home to a roster of hip hop artists, including Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj, and is regarded as one of the most successful in hip-hop history. The label is distributed by Republic, which used to be Universal Republic. Cash Money Records (or styled as Ca$h Money) is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams.