Birdman Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is Birdman’s net worth?

With a net worth of $150 million, Birdman is an American rapper, record executive, CEO, and entrepreneur. It’s important not to confuse him with NBA player Christopher “Birdman” Anderson. Birdman gained fame and wealth as the CEO and founder of Cash Money Records, a label he co-founded with his brother Ronald “Slim” Williams in 1991. The label is home to prominent artists like Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Blueface. Also recognized as Bryan “Baby” Williams, he declared in 2023 his plans to change his name back to Brooks from Williams.

Early Life

Bryan Christopher Brooks was born on February 15, 1969, in New Orleans, Louisiana. His parents, Johnnie Williams and Gladys Brooks, took nearly a month to decide on his name. Due to Williams not signing the birth certificate, Bryan adopted his mother’s surname. He has three siblings: Kim, Ronald, and Ray. The family resided in an apartment above his father’s bar. When Birdman was five, his mother fell ill and passed away in 1975. After her death, Birdman and his siblings spent several years with their uncle in British Columbia, Canada.

Upon returning to New Orleans, the Brooks children entered foster care for two years. Their father, upon discovering this, pursued legal action to regain custody. After a protracted legal struggle in the 1970s, Birdman ultimately lived with his father, Johnnie, and stepmother, Patricia. During this period, he changed his surname to Williams. Birdman and his stepmother resided in the Magnolia Projects in New Orleans, where he and his stepbrother, Eldrick Wise, engaged in robberies and heroin sales. At 16, they were both arrested. When they reached 18, both were sentenced to three years in a correctional facility, with Williams serving 18 months before being acquitted of all charges.

Cash Money Records

After Birdman was released from prison, he and his brother Ronald “Slim” Williams began to pay attention to the rising “bounce” sub-genre of hip-hop, which was gaining traction in New Orleans nightclubs.

Wanting to take advantage of this movement, the brothers established their own record label in 1991, naming it Cash Money Records. Neither had prior experience in the music industry or in running a record label, nor did they possess a recording studio or artists. However, they did manage to secure approximately $100,000 in startup funds, which may have (allegedly) come from drug money supplied by their half-brother Terrence, the founder of a notorious drug crew known as the Hot Boys.

Choosing the name “Cash Money Records” was a nod to the recently prevalent themes of wealth and cash flow.

of the released film “New Jack City,” featuring Wesley Snipes as a wealthy gangster from New York City who leads a crew known as the “Cash Money Brothers.”

Shortly after, the duo traveled throughout Louisiana, attending various nightclubs in search of artists to sign for their newly established label. The first talent they recruited was a rapper named Kilo G, whose horrorcore album “The Sleepwalker” in 1992 marked Cash Money’s inaugural project. Birdman and Slim persistently sought fresh talent to join their roster. Eventually, Birdman successfully persuaded his friend, DJ Mannie Fresh, to take on the role of in-house producer for Cash Money.

By the mid-1990s, Cash Money evolved into one of the most famous independent record labels in the South. In 1995, Birdman met Dwayne Carter, a local 12-year-old rapper, and brought him into the Cash Money fold. This young artist is more widely recognized as Lil’ Wayne.

However, despite achieving regional success, Cash Money encountered several challenges. Notably, artists Kilo G, Pimp Daddy, and Yella were all tragically murdered during the 1990s. In their quest for success, Birdman and his brother Slim brought in Turk and Juvenile to establish a new group named Hot Boys, which eventually also featured Lil Wayne and B.G.; this development became a pivotal moment for Cash Money.

Through relentless effort and talent, Cash Money Records signed numerous additional artists from 1994 to 1997. Remarkably, their albums sold between 25,000 and 50,000 copies each without the backing of a distribution or promotional deal from any major label. The debut album from the Hot Boys sold an impressive 300,000 copies within just two months.

Universal Records Deal

By 1998, Cash Money Records attracted attention from various record companies eager to establish a partnership or acquire the label.

The timing was advantageous, as Sony and Universal Music were engaged in fierce competition for market share. Cash Money ultimately opted to partner with Universal Music Group, which extended a $30 million contract to Ronald and Birdman. This deal provided the brothers with $3 million upfront and ensured $1.5 million for each album. In a groundbreaking move, upon signing with Universal, Cash Money successfully negotiated to retain ownership of their masters—a privilege that even The Beatles never had! Consequently, instead of earning mere fractions of a penny per record sold, the company would receive several dollars of profit per unit.

In return, Universal charged a straightforward 7% distribution fee for Cash Money albums and singles, without any ownership stake in the label. Meanwhile, as Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, and Drake rose to fame in the following years, Universal rapidly grew to be more than double the size of its two closest competitors combined.

The overall value of the deal with Universal reached $30 million.

More Success

That same year, Birdman ventured into rapping, collaborating with DJ Mannie Fresh to form the group Big Tymers. They debuted with the album How Ya Luv That? in 1998, later releasing I Got That Work and Hood Rich. During this period, B.G. and Juvenile left Cash Money, prompting Birdman to focus on his solo career. In November 2002, he unveiled his major-label debut simply titled Birdman, which peaked at #24 on the Billboard 200.

In 2004, Lil’ Wayne launched Tha Carter, achieving both critical acclaim and commercial success, solidifying his status as Cash Money’s biggest artist. In 2005, Birdman released his second album, Fast Money, which debuted at number nine on the Billboard 200. The first collaborative album between Lil Wayne and Birdman, Like Father, Like Son, hit the shelves on Halloween 2006, peaking at number three on the Billboard 200. He followed this with the album “5 Star Stunna” in 2005 and his fourth studio album, “Priceless,” in 2009, which debuted at number 33 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Cash Money Records stands as the most commercially successful label in history.

With 50 million records sold, hip-hop music has seen Cash Money Records generate $100 million annually at its height.

Birdman, along with his brother, kicked off an oil and energy business named “Bronald Oil” in early 2010. The name “Bronald” combines Bryan, Birdman’s name, with Ronald, his brother’s name. Their plans involved exploring and developing oil resources in the Oklahoma Osage County and the U.S. Gulf Coast. Whether or not this venture succeeded in discovering oil remains uncertain.

Legal Issues

In Tennessee, Birdman was arrested in November 2007 for possession of nearly a pound of marijuana.

Birdman, Lil Wayne, and Cash Money Records faced a copyright infringement lawsuit in 2009 from Thomas Marasciullo, who alleged that his voice was utilized without consent. He recorded “Italian-styled spoken word recordings” for both rappers in 2006, with the lyrics reportedly appearing on tracks from their collaborative album Like Father, Like Son, along with Birdman’s 5 * Stunna.

In January 2015, Lil Wayne initiated a $51 million lawsuit against Birdman for his refusal to issue “The Carter V.” Court documents filed by Lil Wayne indicated mismanagement by Birdman and Cash Money regarding Young Money and unpaid dues. Furthermore, prosecutors claimed in July that Birdman and Young Thug had conspired to murder Lil Wayne, linking them to an April shooting. On July 16, Birdman responded with a $50 million lawsuit against Jay Z’s Tidal streaming service, contending that Cash Money Records held exclusive rights to Lil Wayne’s “Free Weezy Album.”

Personal Life

Birdman experienced the loss of his mother in 1975 due to illness. His step-brother, Eldrick Wise, was murdered in an unsolved case in 1991, and his father died in a car accident in 1996. Tragically, one of his younger sisters, Tamara, also lost her life in a car accident in 2006.

He has ten brothers and 12 sisters.

Birdman is the father of two biological children: Bryan Jr., born in 1997, and Bria, born in 1998. He began dating singer Toni Braxton in May 2016, with their engagement announcement occurring in 2018; however, they called it off in January 2019. Nevertheless, in April 2019, the pair confirmed they were still an item.

At his height, Birdman claimed to purchase 100 new cars every six months, often gifting the “old” ones to friends and family. He is frequently spotted wearing jewelry valued at several million dollars, featuring a 15-carat black diamond ring and matching earrings, along with a $500,000 grill on his teeth.

During Hurricane Katrina, Birdman incurred a loss of 20 houses and 50 cars, which included two Maybachs and four Ferraris.

Earnings Highlights

By the age of 22, Birdman had already achieved a net worth of $40 million.

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Birdman Career Earnings By Year
Year	Amount
2007	$12,000,000
2008	$10,000,000
2009	$9,000,000
2010	$10,000,000
2011	$15,000,000
2012	$20,000,000
2013	$21,000,000
2014	$24,000,000
2015	$18,000,000
2016	$18,000,000
2017	$20,000,000
2018	$20,000,000
2019	$20,000,000
Total:	$217,000,000

Sued by multiple current and former artists, Birdman faces legal action over unpaid royalties.

Real Estate

At the height of his wealth, Birdman possessed a $30 million condominium in Miami, alongside at least two other Miami properties (inclusive of a recording studio) and a sizable mansion in New Orleans. Presently, his real estate holdings are considerably fewer.

For many years, Birdman’s main residence was a sizable mansion located on Palm Island in Miami, which has a fascinating backstory. Hip hop producer Scott Storch purchased it for $10.5 million in 2006 but lost it to foreclosure a few years later after squandering what represented a peak $70 million fortune. Russell Weiner, the entrepreneur behind Rockstar energy drinks who amassed a multi-billion dollar fortune, acquired the property from a bank for $6.7 million in 2010. Just two years later, he resold it to Birdman for $14.5 million.

In January 2018, Birdman received an eviction threat from a bank regarding the 20,000-square-foot waterfront mansion. In response, he swiftly attempted to sell the property for an ambitious $20 million, encountering no buyers. He subsequently reduced the asking price to $16.9 million, then to $15 million, ultimately agreeing to a sale for $10.9 million in November 2019.

In December 2021, Birdman was sued by a Los Angeles homeowner for $114,000 in overdue rent regarding a Bel-Air mansion. Legal documents indicated that Birdman had originally committed to a monthly rent of $33,000 but had ceased payments at some point.

Birdman Quotes on Money

“The only moment I’ve known of being broke in my life occurred when I was born.” – Birdman

“I was born with nothing, but afterward, we awakened to the potential of making money.” – Birdman

“I lost 20 houses, 50 cars, and memories.” – Birdman reflecting on the devastation from Hurricane Katrina

“Put some respect on my name!” – Birdman