We always do it for Ms. Gladys!
With Lil Wayne and Drake formally branching off into their own business plans, Birdman has made amends with everyone the public believes he has beef with. Just last week, he confirmed that he’s working with Mannie Fresh again after resolving their issues, as well as having iconic New Orleans street rapper BG re-signed to Ca$h Money Records upon his release from prison.
However, during these revelations of making sure anyone he’s ever worked with got more than enough from his plate, the boss went to open up on the next generation of Ca$h Money and Rich Gang. That’s starting with Young Thug’s YSL Records, NBA YoungBoy’s Never Broke Again imprint and Future’s Freebandz label.
All three of those artists have been working with Birdman’s Rich Gang umbrella, including both HNDRXX and Thugga quietly being featured on tracks that were recently released over the summer.
Now, you’re asking yourself why am I bringing up Suge Knight if this is a Birdman story? Because, both legendary black moguls saw eye-to-eye, in efforts to help their respective communities and use their power to open doors for other young kings. The plan Birdman has with YSL, NBA and FBG, is for them to maintain ownership and maximize revenue beyond streaming numbers most will never see.
Days before 2pac passed, he and Big Suge worked on paperwork to allow for him to transition to the Makaveli imprint and gain 100% of his masters. This didn’t sit well with a few other artists on Death Row, who had helped build the label, which you can use your own imagination to guess who.
We never understood why anyone would believe Suge had anything to do with the death of 2pac. He was essentially blackballed from the music industry and had all his money taken away after he was sent back to prison in 1997.
However, what they didn’t take away was the name value he holds, still having merit in the present day. So, with Birdman, he’s looking out for these artists in creative freedom and ensuring they get to drop whenever they want.
Following NBA YoungBoy’s Sincerely, Kentrell album last month, Young Thug is up next weekend with the release of his long-awaited album, Punk. Look for details on the next Future album to emerge later this year, after his entire Instagram page got wiped out two weeks ago.