Birdman Reveals How Much Cash Money Earns Off Its Artists’ Masters [Video]

In an interview on the Where’s Wallo podcast Birdman says that many of his musical predecessors “got f***ed” in the music industry for not owning their masters.

via: Complex

“We license the music, I just started letting people sample my shit. So yeah, it’s a gang of ways you can make money with your masters,” Birdman said starting around the above interview’s 7:20 mark. “We generate $20-30 million a year just on our masters.”

It’s safe to say Cash Money doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to paying artists and handling contracts properly. Most notably the label’s crown jewel, Lil Wayne, was hindered at the height of his career because of a lawsuit against the label. Although the true nature of his dispute with Cash Money probably won’t be disclosed since they settled the lawsuit, Wayne’s friend, Rick Ross, took it upon himself to attack Birdman on the song “Idols Become Rivals” for the way Baby allegedly treated his artists:

Ross and Lil Wayne aren’t the only ones to take exception to Baby’s reported business practices. Former signees like Hot Boy Turk, Juvenile, and others have openly complained about not receiving the money they feel they were owed:

With this track record, it doesn’t seem like Birdman should be flaunting how much money he makes from owning the work of his former artists. Watch Wallo’s full interview with Baby up top.

Read the room Birdman.