Dropping a bombshell during Nick Cannon’s Cannon’s Class podcast on April 23, 2025, Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan “Birdman” Williams revealed that Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Lil Wayne together raked in over $2 billion in revenue for the record label. The utterance at about the 55-minute stamp sent shockwaves in the hip-hop community with heated arguments flooding the internet and reviving interest in Cash Money’s heyday. While sounding bold, Birdman’s announcement has contexts of triumphs, scandals, and unmistakable legacy attached to it. This is the complete story behind the billions.
Few record brands in hip-hop today have been so long-lasting and powerful in their influence and at the center of it all is Cash Money Records and Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj. Signed in 1997 at 15 years old, Lil Wayne was to become the backbone of the record with his Tha Carter series and the 8x-platinum Tha Carter III in particular.
Drake, signed in 2009, turned things around with releases like Take Care (4x platinum), Nothing Was the Same (6x platinum), and Views (8x platinum). He blended rap with melody to evolve into a global superstar with record-breaking hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Nicki Minaj, also signed in 2009, redefined women’s rap with Pink Friday and The Pinkprint, both multi-platinum and cementing her own cultural icon status
The group produced 12 number-one releases and seven number-one singles together, powering Cash Money’s purported $1.8 billion in gross income since 1998, according to Forbes. While Birdman put his take at $2 billion in a boast that closely matches these statistics, it remains uncertain whether that is referencing total income, profits, or investments.
Birdman didn’t just boast about revenue—he claimed to have personally distributed $1.4 billion to the trio after a landmark Universal Music Group deal. In both the 2025 podcast and a 2021 Big Facts Podcast interview, he broke it down: Lil Wayne received $400–500 million, Drake got $500 million, and Nicki Minaj pocketed $300–400 million. “No cap. If you don’t believe me, ask ’em,” he insisted.
These staggering figures mirror Cash Money’s policy of providing artists with “unlimited budgets,” according to a 2020 interview from Birdman. Financed by the deep coffers of Universal, he gave Wayne, Drake, and Minaj unlimited budgets to spend, and the resulting profitability and creative prosperity should surprise absolutely no one. However, the precise composition of the $2 billion—payouts or revenues—is vague, and none of the artists publicly verified Birdman’s estimates.
Established by Cash Money co-founder Ronald “Slim” Williams and his brother Birdman in 1991, Cash Money Records was turned into a hip-hop powerhouse with its raw, Southern sound. It was the 1998 deal with Universal, which was rumored to cost $30 million, that provided the label with the bulwark to expand. Lil Wayne created Young Money Entertainment in 2005 as a Cash Money subsidiary and signed Drake and Minaj and designated the company “YMCMB” (Young Money Cash Money Billionaires).
This partnership produced a string of platinum hits, with Young Money’s roster dominating the 2000s and 2010s. By 2018, however, all three artists had moved on—Wayne took Young Money to Republic Records, while Drake and Minaj pursued new deals. Still, their Cash Money catalog continues to generate millions annually, solidifying the label’s financial foundation.
Birdman’s claims of generosity haven’t gone unchallenged. In 2015, Lil Wayne sued Cash Money for $51 million, alleging unpaid royalties and delays on Tha Carter V. Court documents revealed Drake and Minaj also claimed they were underpaid, with Wayne accusing Birdman of financial mismanagement. The lawsuit settled in 2018, with Wayne securing over $10 million and full control of Young Money.
Other artists, like Juvenile and Tyga, have echoed similar grievances, with Tyga once claiming Cash Money held him “hostage.” In 2019, Wayne accused Birdman of withholding critical financial records, further clouding the label’s reputation. Birdman, however, has pushed back, insisting in 2025 that “no other artists” made the kind of money his stars did, framing himself as a mentor who turned talent into millionaires.
The $2 billion claim lit up social media, with X posts from outlets like ComplexMusic and HipHopDX marveling at the figure. Users like mymixtapez called it “mind-blowing,” while CyranoKelevra shared the news in French, signaling global intrigue. Fans expressed awe, but some skepticism lingered, given Cash Money’s rocky history. The buzz underscores the trio’s enduring star power and Cash Money’s mythic status in hip-hop.
