We all know that nothing lasts forever. In the entertainment business, you’ll be lucky if you make it past 15 minutes. Cash Money Records has been the exception to the rule, and the label has managed to be a mainstay in the music business for the last 25 years. When rapper Juvenile said, “Cash Money taking over for the 99 and 2000,” he wasn’t just talking. That’s exactly what Cash Money did.
Although they were the stars of Cash Money, the label didn’t miss a beat (no pun intended) when Juvenile and BG left. Even The Big Tymers gave us a few catchy songs to hold us over. Everybody get your roll on! The game-changer was the release of Lil Wayne’s The Carter III in 2008. To this day, The Carter III is considered to be one of the best rap albums ever recorded. At this point, Lil Wayne had become the Michael Jordan of the rap game and the label was riding high on his success.
Once hip-hop superstars Drake and Nicki Minaj joined the label, Cash Money was in a league of their own. The label had become so successful, they could not be touched. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. This time, it seems Cash Money may not be able to escape this downfall.
There is no surprise the empire is crumbling. In the last few years, the signs were all there. The first sign was Juvenile, BG, and Mannie Fresh publicly accusing Birdman of not paying them properly. In some cases, some claims suggest Birdman wasn’t paying them at all.
The second sign was the ongoing lawsuits from producers, claiming they didn’t get paid for tracks they provided Cash Money artists. Don’t forget the whispers of tension between Drake and the label. Although Cash Money and Drake quickly shutdown the tension talk, it seems there may be some truth to the accusations.
Our suspensions arose again when Tyga and Lil Twist stated they were leaving Cash Money a couple of months ago. Arguably one of the biggest shocks in hip-hop was when Lil Wayne went on his Twitter rant claiming to be a prisoner of the label.
Could this be the end of the mighty Cash Money Records? Drake and Nicki are big enough stars to hold the label down. But how long will they remain with the label if Lil Wayne leaves? Can the label survive without Lil Wayne?
I guess we will have to wait and see. In the past, Cash Money has proven the label can survive no matter what the circumstances are. The reality is, Lil Wayne is Cash Money Records. If there’s no hope for Lil Wayne, then there cannot be any hope for any other artists on the Cash Money roster.