At the beginning 1998, every major record label the world made the trek from New York City to New Orleans seeking out the infamous Williams brothers. Even if Cash Money had sold a few hundred thousand albums independently, most labels sought to sign them to a standard rookie deal. That deal typically involved a small cash advance, plus a 50/50 split of all profits earned on albums sales. Also, the record label would maintain ownership of any current and future master copies of albums and publishing rights.
You can imagine the shock each major label executive felt when they heard what the Williams brothers were demanding.
Birdman and Slim wanted an 80/20 pressing and distribution deal, plus a multi-million dollar cash advance. This was nothing short of unprecedented for an unsigned indie label. A pressing & distribution deal meant that Cash Money would continue finance their own albums and therefore maintain ownership of all their masters, royalties and publishing. Essentially they were looking for a company that would finance their entire label with millions of dollars, in exchange for a measly 20% cut of the profits made only when a consumer physically purchased an album. To say this was unheard of, is a massive understatement. As Russel Simmons explained at the time, this was the kind of deal an artist like Madonna or Michael Jackson is lucky to get after a decade being on top of the charts.
maaan dese nikkas bring back so many memories
my pops had the all white Burban wit the tvs through dat bytch
is BG at?
