By Hardcore Critic
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
“He’s rich, why does he rap?” This is among the many questions some hip hop fans ask about Birdman. Fifteen years ago, the same questions were asked about Diddy. There are many who feel executives as rich as Birdman and Diddy should stick to making money and leave the microphone alone. Despite his 1990s success, Diddy always made it clear he rapped for fun and not as a lyricists.
Now that Cash Money Records has become the top record label in the game, their history is well-known. Birdman was wealthy years before he was known in the public eye. From a local standpoint, Birdman and his brother, Slim, were heroes, as their record label was the first to provide an outlet for New Orleans artists. As a result, the brothers were rich well before they were known.
While they were rich, they were set for life when Universal Records offered them a $30 million deal, providing a distribution deal for the label. It was then when Birdman, primarily known as Baby, launched his career, as a rapper. Creating notable songs, most notably, “Still Fly,” in 2002, Birdman’s music served as another outlet for the Cash Money artists, used as a promotional vehicle. There are many hip hop fans who, still, classify Birdman as someone who attempts to be a strong lyricist, however, the Cash Money mogul has yet to try to deliver mind-blowing lyrics.
Popular Power 105.1 personality, Charlamagne The God spoke on this, calling Birdman wack, acknowledging his lack of effort, but not allowing it to be an excuse. Birdman is richer than most people ever dream to be, he owns more cars, houses, and businesses than many who wear suits and ties. Despite this, Birdman still raps and does not deliver lyrics to make people think about anything aside from making money. But, in a world driven by the profit margin, does anything else matter?
