The music industry is a cutthroat business and often times it takes ample amounts of cash to maneuver around it. Atlanta native Money Man learned that the hard way when he signed a deal with Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Cash Money Records in 2018 only to leave eight months later.
During a recent interview with Say Cheese, the 34-year-old “Boss Up” rapper explained he ended up paying Birdman $250,000 to get out of his Cash Money contract.
“We didn’t do no tapes, no albums,” he said of his time with Cash Money. “I released it [a tape], but it was on my side. They wasn’t trippin’ on that. What made me leave that muthafucka? I wanted to just do it on my own. I didn’t want to be in that situation … I didn’t want to be in that major label system over there … I’m trying to own my shit … I wanted to be accessible. Not like I gotta talk to somebody through lawyers and shit like that. I need to be able to talk to you personally.
“They just told me to give ’em double what they gave me. So I just went ahead and did that. I had it. I was doing show, I was doing crazy shows. I stay doing shows. Then I was eatin’ from music so whatever extra I had, music was on top of that.”
Money Man understands his situation is atypical — most artists have to fight to get their masters back from a major label.
“Some people be getting into something they don’t got enough to pay their way out of,” he continued. “I make sure I know, like I said, I know how to work money. If I get into something, I know how to be like, ‘A’ight, if this goes south, I can just get out of this with that.’ I can fix it with this ’cause that’s all that’s understood with that music shit — money.”
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But like his moniker suggests, Money Man is smart with his money and controls his own destiny. This year alone, Money Man released two mixtapes addressing the COVID-19 pandemic — State of Emergency and Pandemic. One of the singles from Pandemic, “24,” was remixed with Lil Baby in September.
Check it out below.
Man signed to Cash Money and all he got was a bill that was twice what he paid? lmao why even bother? You ain’t even get Birdman to his handrub thing in your music videos
He dodged a bullet. Once birdman does his handrub and says pleighboi, it’s a whole wrap for you no tortilla
Lmao.
WOW WAIT THIS DUDE SIGNED WITH CASH MONEY JUST TO GIVE THEM A QUARTER MILLION DAMMMMM