Bryan Christopher Williams ( Brooks; February 15, 1969), better known by his stage name Birdman (also known as Baby), is an American rapper and record executive. He is the co-founder and public face of Cash Money Records which he founded with his older brother Ronald "Slim" Williams in 1992. Birdman released his debut album in 2002, and has gone on to release four solo studio albums in total. Aside from his solo career, he is also a member of the hip-hop duo Big Tymers, along with producer

Mannie Fresh Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American music producer and rapper. He's best known for his productions on Cash Money Records releases, as well being half of the hip hop duo (alongside ...

. Along with his solo work and numerous releases with the Big Tymers, Birdman has released a collaboration album and numerous tracks with fellow rapper and protégé

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

, whom he discovered and took under his wing at age twelve. Birdman has also made his name by contributing to the making of

YMCMB Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republ ...

(Young Money Cash Money Billionaires), a combination of the former's "Cash Money" and Lil Wayne's

Young Money Entertainment Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republi ...

, formerly an imprint under the label. Birdman has also founded the project and hip hop supergroup ''Rich Gang'' in 2014, bringing initial attention to fellow

Southern Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

artists such as

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

and Rich Homie Quan.

Early life

Birdman was born Bryan Christopher Brooks on February 15, 1969, at Charity Hospital in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

, to Johnnie Williams and Gladys Brooks. Williams did not sign the birth certificate, which led to Bryan initially taking his mother's surname. For almost a month after his birth, he did not have a given first name and was simply referred to as "Baby", a nickname he retains to this day. As a small child, Brooks and his family lived on top of a bar owned by his father. His mother, Gladys, became ill and died in 1975 when Bryan was five years old. After their mother's death, Birdman and his siblings Kim, Ronald and Ray were taken in by their uncle and spent two years living in

Prince George, British Columbia Prince George is the largest city in northern British Columbia, Canada, with a population of 74,004 in the metropolitan area. It is often called the province's "northern capital" or sometimes the "spruce capital" because it is the hub city for ...

, Canada, followed by two years in foster care upon their return to New Orleans. After Johnnie learned that they were in the foster home, a long legal battle took place in the mid-'70s which eventually ended with Johnnie and his wife Patricia gaining full custody of the children and Bryan's name changing to Bryan Williams. He and his siblings moved in with Johnnie and Patricia and lived in the Magnolia Projects in

Central City In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city i ...

in the 3rd ward of Uptown New Orleans, where Bryan developed a close friendship with his step-brother, Eldrick Wise. While living in the Magnolia, Williams and Wise soon began committing robberies and sold

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

together before both getting arrested at the age of 16. At 18, both were again arrested for

drug possession The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances. While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...

and sentenced to three years in

Elayn Hunt Correctional Center Elayn Hunt Correctional Center (EHCC) located in St. Gabriel, Louisiana, is a multi-security- level Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections institution for adult men. It is the second-largest prison in Louisiana and is located about ...

. Williams served 18 months before he was acquitted of all charges.

Career

1988–1998: Cash Money Records

After Bryan was released from prison, he and Slim both began paying attention to the emerging

bounce Bounce or The Bounce may refer to: * Deflection (physics), the event where an object Collision, collides with and bounces against a plane surface Books * Mr. Bounce, a character from the Mr. Men series of children's books Broadcasting, film and ...

sub-genre of hip-hop, a sound that was quickly becoming popular in nightclubs all over

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. In 1992, Bryan came up with the idea to form their own record label, and wanted to name it " Cash Money Records". Bryan and Slim would then travel to nightclubs all over Louisiana to see who was playing and try and recruit artists to the fledgling label. Their first signed artist was a local rapper named Kilo G, who released the label's first ever project, a horrorcore album titled "The Sleepwalker" in 1992. Bryan and Slim continued to recruit more and more artists, and Bryan was able to convince his friend and local DJ

to become Cash Money's in-house producer. By the mid-1990s, Cash Money had grown to a popular independent label in the south, with most of their fanbase located in New Orleans and the surrounding areas. In 1995, Cash Money artist Lil' Slim was introduced to 12-year-old

Dwayne Carter Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining ...

at a local block party, and after hearing him rap, brought him to Baby's attention, and soon after Carter was signed to Cash Money as the youngest artist on the label. Carter was placed into a group with another young rapper, 14-year-old Christopher Dorsey, and the two would be known as "Baby D" and "Lil Doogie" respectively; The B.G.'z. During this time, Baby himself also began to rap as a member of the group 32 Golds, going by the name B-32. Despite their regional popularity, the label suffered many setbacks in the mid-1990s, with a number of the "first generation" of Cash Money artists leaving the label citing financial issues as the main reason. In addition to this, Kilo G, Pimp Daddy and Yella Boy were all murdered in the mid-90s. The only two artists to remain were Baby D and Lil Doogie, who renamed themselves

and B.G. respectively in 1997. The same year, Baby and Slim recruited two new artists,

Turk Turk or Turks may refer to: Communities and ethnic groups * Turkic peoples, a collection of ethnic groups who speak Turkic languages * Turkish people, or the Turks, a Turkic ethnic group and nation * Turkish citizen, a citizen of the Republic o ...

and

Juvenile Juvenile may refer to: *Juvenile status, or minor (law), prior to adulthood *Juvenile (organism) *Juvenile (rapper) (born 1975), American rapper * ''Juvenile'' (2000 film), Japanese film * ''Juvenile'' (2017 film) *Juvenile (greyhounds), a greyho ...

, and the four were placed together in a new group, known as the

Hot Boys The Hot Boys (often styled as Hot Boy$) are an American hip hop group formed in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1997. The group is made up of B.G. (rapper), B.G., Lil Wayne, Juvenile (rapper), Juvenile and Turk (rapper), Turk. The group was originally ...

. The Hot Boys soon took Cash Money to new heights, and the label was able to sign a $30 million deal with Universal Records in 1998.

1998–2003: Big Tymers

After Cash Money's nationwide success, Baby and

formed their own group, dubbing themselves the Big Tymers. Big Tymers debuted in 1998 with the album ''How Ya Luv That?'' and went on to release ''

I Got That Work ''I Got That Work'' is the third studio album by American hip hop duo Big Tymers. Originally scheduled for a February 8, 2000 release, it was ultimately released May 16, 2000, by Universal Records and Bryan "Baby" Williams' Cash Money Records. ...

'' in 2000 and ''

Hood Rich ''Hood Rich'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Big Tymers. The album was released on April 30, 2002, by Cash Money Records and Universal Records. It features the single "Still Fly". It is the first The Big Tymers album not to ...

'' in 2002. ''I Got That Work'' contained the popular singles "Get Your Roll On" and "#1 Stunna". Although the singles failed to chart on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, I Got That Work was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for selling over 1 million copies in the United States. ''Hood Rich'' contained the hit single "

Still Fly "Still Fly" is a single by American hip hop group Big Tymers, released as the lead single from their 2002 album ''Hood Rich''. It reached number 3 on the Hot Rap Tracks chart, number 4 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and number 11 on the '' ...

", which was nominated for a

Grammy award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

and peaked at #11 on the Hot 100. Hood Rich was also certified platinum in the US.

Big Money Heavyweight ''Big Money Heavyweight'' is the fifth and final studio album by hip hop duo Big Tymers. It was released on December 9, 2003, through Cash Money Records and was mainly produced by Mannie Fresh, with other production handled by R. Kelly, Jazze ...

followed in 2003, and was again successful, being certified Gold in the US. The group went on hiatus soon after and remained inactive following Mannie Fresh's departure from Cash Money Records, though they've since reunited for live performances, most recently in 2017.

2002–2005: Solo career

After the departure of

and B.G. from Cash Money, Baby was forced to focus on his solo career and began marketing himself as the new public face of Cash Money Records. He released his major label debut, '' Birdman'' on November 26, 2002, and by January 15, 2003, the album was certified gold by the

(RIAA), for the shipments of 500,000 copies in the United States. The album peaked at #24 on the

Billboard 200 The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of art ...

, and featured guest appearances from Jazze Pha,

, Lil' Wayne, Toni Braxton,

Clipse Clipse, also known as The Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, chiefly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Mal ...

, Jermaine Dupri,

Cam'ron Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper, record executive, and actor from Harlem, New York City. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" ...

, T.I.,

Keith Murray Keith Omar Murray (born May 29, 1974) is an American rapper from New York. Murray grew up on Carleton Ave, in Central Islip, which is located on the South Shore of Long Island in Suffolk County. Murray was a known member of a local rap collec ...

and

Puff Daddy Puff may refer to: Science and technology * Puff, a small quantity of gas or smoke in the air ** Puff, a light gust of wind ** Exhalation ** Inhalation * Puff model, volcanic ash tracking model developed at the University of Alaska Fairbanks * PUF ...

among others. Due to the album's success, Baby became more widely known to the public as "Birdman", and soon after changed his stage name to reflect this. After Lil Wayne achieved worldwide success with his critically acclaimed and commercially successful album ''

Tha Carter ''Tha Carter'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on June 29, 2004, by Cash Money Records and Universal Records. The production on the album was mostly handled by Cash Money's former in-house producer Mannie ...

'' in 2004, on which Birdman was featured numerous times, Wayne became the flagship artist of Cash Money, with Birdman and Lil Wayne being viewed as the two public faces of the label. Birdman's second album, Fast Money, was released in 2005 and was once again a success, debuting at number 9 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with first-week sales of 65,000 copies in the United States.

2006–2010: ''Like Father, Like Son'' & solo albums

Lil Wayne and Birdman released their first collaborative album, ''Like Father, Like Son'', on October 31, 2006. It peaked at number 3 on the

, was certified gold and spawned two singles, "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" and "Leather So Soft". The former peaked at number twenty-one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, won the 2007 BET Viewer's Choice Award, and was named the 94th best song of 2006 by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine. Birdman's third solo studio album, 5 * Stunna, was released on December 11, 2007, and debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, selling 80,000 copies in the first week. It spawned the hit single "

Pop Bottles "Pop Bottles" is the first single from Birdman's third studio album, '' 5 * Stunna''. The track features rapper Lil Wayne. The track also samples his song "Put Ya Hands Up." The song has since sold over 3,690,000 copies. In the music video for t ...

" which features

and peaked at number 38 on the Hot 100. To date, the album has sold 372,000 copies in the United States. Birdman released his fourth studio album Priceless on November 23, 2009. The album debuted on the Billboard 200 chart at number thirty-three, selling 34,000 copies in its first week. The album's first single, was " Always Strapped", featuring

, and the second was "

Written on Her "Written on Her" is a song by American rapper Birdman featuring British singer Jay Sean. It was released as a single on June 23, 2009. The song was produced by Oddz N Endz, and samples the Deadmau5 remix of "The Longest Road" by Morgan Page feat ...

", featuring British singer Jay Sean. "Southside", featuring Lil Wayne, was the third single. "

Money to Blow "Money to Blow" is the third single from rapper Birdman’s fourth studio album, '' Priceless''. The song features Young Money/Cash Money artists Drake and Lil Wayne. The song - leaked in early 2008 - was originally by Drake, but he went on to giv ...

" featuring

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

and Lil Wayne was the fourth single. " 4 My Town (Play Ball)" featuring Drake and Lil Wayne was the fifth single. "Written on Her" also became Birdman's first UK release in December 2009.

2010–present: Rich Gang

In 2010, Birdman announced plans to release an album titled ''Priceless 2'', a sequel to his previous album, but changed the title to ''Bigga Than Life''. The first promotional single was titled "

Loyalty Loyalty, in general use, is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation, cause, philosophy, country, group, or person. Philosophers disagree on what can be an object of loyalty, as some argue that loyalty is strictly interpersonal and only another h ...

" and featured

and Tyga. Other collaborations will come from

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

, Young Jeezy,

Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with ...

and

. The album was scheduled to be released in early 2011.Kuperstein, Slava (November 14, 2010)
"Birdman Talks Lil Wayne, Drake Collaboration Album"
HipHop DX. Cheri Media Group. He released a music video for a possible future single, "My Jewel", which featured Bun B and Young Jeezy. On November 22, 2010, he released the first official single, "

Fire Flame "Fire Flame" is a song by American rapper Birdman. The song features a guest appearance from fellow rapper Lil Wayne, who was not originally intended to appear on the song: however, his vocals were added following his release from prison. The r ...

", which featured Lil Wayne. Birdman released another single called "I Get Money" featuring T-Pain, Young Money artist

Mack Maine Jermaine Anthony Preyan (born July 28, 1982), better known by his stage name Mack Maine, is an American record executive, songwriter, and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. Mack Maine has been the president of Young Money Entertainment since 2 ...

and Lil Wayne. On September 13, 2011, Birdman released "Y.U. MAD", featuring

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

and Lil Wayne. He collaborated with Mack Maine as a duo named White Boys to release a mixtape titled ''Billionaire Minds'' on November 2, 2011. On May 22, 2012, he released "

Born Stunna "Born Stunna" is a hip hop song by American rapper Birdman. The song features Rick Ross and was produced by Beat Billionaire. The music video was released on June 11, 2012, on Vevo. and was directed by Derick G. The remix, featuring Lil Wayne a ...

", featuring Rick Ross. The remix, featuring Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj, was released July 10, 2012. The most recent single, "Shout Out" featuring Gudda Gudda and

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...

, was released October 16, 2012. During 2008, it was announced Birdman was set to release a mixtape with his long-time friend Rick Ross titled ''The H''. On May 16, 2013 Birdman and Rick Ross announced that ''

The H Heise (officially ''Heise Gruppe'', formerly ''Verlag Heinz Heise'') is a German media conglomerate headquartered in Hanover, Lower Saxony. It was founded in 1949 by and is still family-owned. Its core business is directory media as well as gen ...

'' would be released as a mixtape hosted by

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station WEDR, 99 Ja ...

on May 23, 2013. The project was recorded during a couple days in 2008. A new compilation album, titled ''Rich Gang: Flashy Lifestyle'', hosted by Birdman, was previously set to be released June 25, 2013. The album would feature appearances from the many members of Cash Money Records and

among others such as Meek Mill, French Montana and

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

. A mixtape titled ''Rich Gang: Allstars'' was released prior to the release of that album. This mixtape included singles from artists of Rich Gang, such as "

Started From the Bottom "Started from the Bottom" is a song by Canadian hip hop recording artist Drake, released as the first single from his third studio album ''Nothing Was the Same''. The song was written by Drake, Michael Coleman, and Noah "40" Shebib, and it was pr ...

" by Drake, "

Bugatti Automobiles Ettore Bugatti was a German then French manufacturer of high-performance automobiles. The company was founded in 1909 in the then-German city of Molsheim, Alsace, by the Italian-born industrial designer Ettore Bugatti. The cars w ...

" by Ace Hood featuring Rick Ross and Future, "

Karate Chop In martial arts, a knifehand strike is a strike using the part of the hand opposite the thumb (from the little finger to the wrist), familiar to many people as a karate chop (in Japanese, ''shutō-uchi''). This refers to strikes performed with t ...

" (Remix) by Future, " Love Me" by Lil Wayne featuring Drake and Future, "

Freaks Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak, freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Fictional characters * Freak (Ima ...

" by French Montana featuring Nicki Minaj, "

Rich As Fuck "Rich As Fuck" (edited for explicit album as "Rich As F**k" and for clean album as "Rich As F***") is a song by American hip hop recording artist Lil Wayne, sent to urban radio on April 9, 2013, as the third and final single from his tenth studi ...

" by Lil Wayne featuring

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...

, and "Champions" by Kevin Rudolf featuring Fred Durst of

Limp Bizkit Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked by D ...

, Birdman, and Lil Wayne. In 2014, Birdman began promoting Atlanta-based rappers

and Rich Homie Quan. The two had already collaborated extensively with each other. Birdman released a single titled " Lifestyle" featuring Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan from a Rich Gang album. He also released a second Rich Gang mixtape titled Rich Gang: Tha Tour Pt. 1 featuring new music from Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan. The mix-tape featured no music from Young Money or Cash Money artists except Birdman himself, and instead had guest features from artists such as PeeWee Longway, Nipsey Hu$$le, Jacquees and Yung Ralph. Birdman, Young Thug, and Rich Homie Quan had a joint tour planned. ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

'' magazine estimated his personal fortune at US$125 million in 2012. In 2013 he was listed by Forbes.com as the fifth highest-earning star in hip hop, taking in $21 million in the year to September 2013. Birdman and Lil Wayne had supposedly reconciled from their beef in 2016 after being seen at

's NYE Party, at Miami's Club Liv, and in studio. However, a contract dispute still exists between them, with the latter trying to get out of the contract; in 2016, Birdman called off the negotiations to settle their lawsuit. Birdman announced the release date of his mixtape with his protege Jacquees on April 26, 2016. This went on to be released on May 27, 2016.

Personal life

Family and relationships

Birdman's mother, Gladys Brooks (August 29, 1935 – January 21, 1975), whom he exclusively refers to as Ms. Gladys, became ill and died when he was 5 years old. Birdman has made numerous references to her in his music, including releasing a song named after her. His father, Johnnie Williams (September 20, 1920 – July 13, 1996), owned a number of small businesses in the

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

area, including multiple bars and a

laundrette A self-service laundry, coin laundry, laundromat, or coin wash is a facility where clothes are washed and dried without much personalized professional help. They are known in the United Kingdom as launderettes or laundrettes, and in the Uni ...

. Johnnie was killed in a car accident in 1996. Birdman has ten brothers and twelve sisters, including Ronald "Slim" Williams. Ronald is the co-founder of Cash Money Records, alongside Birdman. One of Birdman's younger sisters, Tamara, was killed in a car accident in 2006. Due to their mother passing away at a young age, Birdman primarily raised his younger sister and referred to her as his daughter. Birdman also had a close relationship with his step-brother Eldrick Wise, who was killed in an unsolved murder in 1991. Birdman has two children, Bryan Jr. (born 1997) and Bria (born 1998). In addition to his biological children, he formed a close parental-like bond with protégée

, whom he has often referred to as his other son, despite no familial connection between the two. Birdman began dating singer Toni Braxton in May 2016, and the couple announced their engagement in February 2018. In January 2019, the couple called off the engagement. However, in April 2019, both Braxton and Birdman confirmed that they were still together.

Legal issues

In November 2007, Birdman was arrested in

Kingsport, Tennessee Kingsport is a city in Sullivan and Hawkins counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 census, its population was 55,442. Lying along the Holston River, Kingsport is commonly included in what is known as the Mountain Empire, w ...

and charged with possession of nearly a pound of

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

. In October 2009, Birdman, Lil Wayne, Cash Money Records and various music distribution outlets were sued for

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...

by Thomas Marasciullo, who claims his voice was used without permission. Both rappers asked him to record some "Italian-styled spoken word recordings" in 2006. The lyrics were allegedly used on "Respect" and other tracks from the rappers' collaboration album ''Like Father, Like Son'' and Birdman's ''5 * Stunna''.

Conflict with Lil Wayne

On December 4, 2014, just five days before ''

Tha Carter V ''Tha Carter V'' is the twelfth studio album by American rapper Lil Wayne. It was released on September 28, 2018, by Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records. The album's features include Swizz Beatz, Kendrick Lamar, Sosamann, Lil Wayne's d ...

'' was scheduled to be released, Wayne issued a statement saying the album would not be released due to his displeasure with Birdman refusing to release the album, although it had been completed. Wayne also expressed his feelings by stating he felt he and his creative partner were being held "prisoner". Lil Wayne filed a lawsuit. On January 20, 2015, Wayne self-released ''Sorry 4 the Wait 2'', a sequel to his 2011 mixtape, to compensate for the continued delay of ''Tha Carter V''. Upon the release of ''Sorry 4 the Wait 2'', it was noted that Wayne dissed Birdman and Cash Money Records several times throughout. Birdman was reportedly upset with this. In late January 2015, Lil Wayne filed a $51 million lawsuit against Birdman and Cash Money over the delay of ''Tha Carter V''. In January 2015, Wayne also stated that when he left Cash Money, he would take

and

with him. On June 22, TMZ reported new details on the lawsuit. According to documents filed by Lil Wayne, Birdman and Cash Money had mismanaged

Young Money Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republ ...

, including Drake and Minaj. The documents alleged that Birdman and Cash Money hadn't paid people. "Free C5" became the mantra to get money to the unpaid artist. In June 2015, Wayne joined Jay-Z's Tidal as an artist owner and exclusively released a single on the service titled "Glory". On July 4, 2015, Wayne released '' Free Weezy Album'' exclusively through Tidal under Young Money and Republic Records. Prosecutors alleged on July 15 that Birdman and Young Thug conspired to murder Lil Wayne and were involved in a April 26 shooting. On July 16, Birdman filed a $50-million lawsuit against Jay Z's Tidal streaming service over Lil Wayne's ''Free Weezy Album'', alleging that Cash Money Records exclusively owned the rights to Lil Wayne's music. Due to frustration with the situation, Lil Wayne tweeted in 2016 that he planned to retire because he felt "mentally defeated". Many rappers rushed to his defense and pleaded with him not to retire, including Kendrick Lamar, one of the delayed album's featured performers.

Other ventures

Oil business

In early 2010, Birdman formed an oil and gas exploration company, Bronald Oil and Gas, LLC. The company was a joint venture founded by Birdman and his brother Slim, and the name was a combination of the brothers' first names, Bryan and Ronald. Evidence of the company's actual business operations was scant, limited mostly to a website and the appearance of a "pumpjack" tattoo on the side of Birdman's head. The website indicated that the company's strategy would be to first develop existing land holdings and seek out new oil and gas leases. In February 2010, Birdman told ''Ozone'' magazine that he had been in the oil business for "4 or 5 years" and was "making very good money off that". However, by March 2010, Birdman had almost completely covered the pumpjack tattoo, which sparked speculation that the Bronald Oil project had stalled. An investigative report from Bloomberg revealed that official regulators in charge of oil and gas permits had never heard of Bronald.

Clothing line

On April 22, 2016, Birdman disparaged the hosts of hip-hop radio show ''The Breakfast Club'' during a live interview, telling them to "stop playing with my fucking name". He later issued an apology for his outburst after being awarded the "Donkey of the Day" appellation from one of the hosts,

Charlamagne Tha God Lenard Larry McKelvey (born June 29, 1978), known professionally as Charlamagne tha God or simply Charlamagne, is an American radio host and television personality. He is a co-host of the nationally syndicated radio show ''The Breakfast Club' ...

. The video went viral, and on April 27, 2016, Birdman launched a merchandise line, "Respek", featuring catchphrases from the interview.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Birdman'' (2002) * '' Fast Money'' (2005) * '' 5 Star Stunna'' (2007) * '' Priceless'' (2009)

Collaboration albums

* ''

Baller Blockin' ''Baller Blockin'' is a 2000 drama film set in New Orleans' Magnolia Projects. It stars Bryan “Birdman” Williams, Ronald "Slim" Williams, Juvenile, Manuel Vazquez, B.G., Lil Wayne, Turk, and Mannie Fresh with cameos by comedians Anthony ...

'' with Cash Money Millionaires (2000) * '' Like Father, Like Son'' with Lil Wayne (2006) * ''

Rich Gang Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. Distributed by Republic, formerly known as Universal Republic, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip h ...

'' with Rich Gang (2013) * ''Lost at Sea'' with Jacquees (2016) * ''Lost at Sea 2'' with Jacquees (2018) * ''Just Another Gangsta'' with Juvenile (2019)

Awards and nominations

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Birdman 1969 births Living people 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American businesspeople 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century American rappers African-American businesspeople African-American male rappers African-American record producers American businesspeople in the oil industry American chairpersons of corporations American chief executives in the media industry American corporate directors American hip hop record producers American music industry executives American music publishers (people) Businesspeople from New Orleans People from Prince George, British Columbia Cash Money Millionaires members Cash Money Records artists Gangsta rappers Rappers from New Orleans Southern hip hop musicians Universal Motown Records artists