As part of a feature story for DJBooth.net, Chicago, Illinois lyricist Mikkey Halsted recalled his time spent as an artist signed to Cash Money Records.
Halsted detailed the cons of being with the label, from Birdman attempting to change him as a person to currently being owed money from the label.
According to the wordsmith, he was never able to “see eye-to-eye creatively” with Birdman. He revealed that at one point, the Cash Money Records CEO wanted to change his image completely, even suggesting that he get tattoos on his neck.
“We didn’t see eye-to-eye creatively and he was trying to make me do something, be something that I wasn’t,” Mikkey Halsted said. “I was wearing Polo, they only wanted me to wear white t-shirts and Reeboks. It felt like real prison over there. I was trying to explain to him that a clean cut rapper will work. Where I’m from we do this, we do that, this is what we do. Why would you sign me if you want me to be like I’m from New Orleans? I can’t go home and be around my friends if I go and change and act like I’m from you guys, from y’all. And he was like, ‘You should go get tattoos on your neck,’ and I’m like, ‘Listen, fuck that, I’m not doing shit like that man.’”
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According to Halsted, Birdman was also quite the stickler when it concerned money. He recalled Birdman having thousands of dollars spread out on his bed, and later demanding his change back if he were to give a family member money for a meal at McDonald’s.
“I’ve seen Baby [Birdman] over there with $50,000-$100,000 spread out on the bed and people that’s in his own family are asking him to give them McDonald’s money,” the rapper said. “He would give somebody $10 and ask for change back. So, that’s the kind of person he was. It was just a lot of bad business man, that I’ve seen done and you know, it’s only so far as I can talk about it…until I get my money.”
Halsted also shared his belief that he’s owed money from Cash Money Records, half a million to be exact, to this day.
“I feel I’m owed probably a half a million dollars right now,” he said. “After I saw what happened after Kanye got his money [Mikkey had to fight to get Kanye paid] I should have tried to get off the label. But I always had hope. I left over 75 songs [with Cash Money] because back then they didn’t just give you the music. It wasn’t like we were using email. We couldn’t hear it. None of this shit [the music I recorded] ever saw the light of day.”
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