Celebrity Coverage
Birdman and Slim Williams will be honored at the YouTube Leaders and Legends Gala
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – FEBRUARY 2: Cash Money Records CEO Birdman together with label artists Mia X and Slim attend the Emline Ball at The Fillmore New Orleans on February 2, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo: Peter G. Forest/Getty Images)
In addition to the distinctions at this yr’s ESSENCE Cultural Festival, Birdman and his Cash Money Empire receive one other distinction on the occasion of their thirtieth anniversary.
Today, YouTube Music announced its second gala to coincide with Black Music Month, celebrating leading hip-hop executives, entrepreneurs, artists and creators who’ve made a huge effect on the music industry. This yr’s event will honor Southern hip hop icons Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams, founders of Cash Money Records.
The New Orleans-based brothers played a key role in popularizing Southern rap in the late Nineties and early 2000s. The label was home to a few of hip-hop’s biggest names, including Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Mannie Fresh and Juvenile.
“The Cash Money Records story is one for the history books,” Lyor Cohen, global director of music at YouTube, said in an announcement. “Leaders and Legends celebrates entrepreneurship and leadership in black music and culture, crediting them with embodying Birdman and Slim. They have defied the odds, catapulting some of rap and hip hop’s most iconic figures to stardom and breaking sales records in the process.”
“We are honored to honor the success and look forward to celebrating the music that continues to shape the label’s incredible legacy.”
“At YouTube, we’re committed to advancing culture, so it’s an honor to lead the way in celebrating Cash Money’s impact through Birdman and Slim,” said Tuma Basa, YouTube’s director of Black music and culture.
“As a platform with global reach and influence, it is our responsibility to recognize and elevate the history of Black pioneers in the industry and remind the world of the immeasurable impact that Black music has on culture around the world, and that is what Leaders and Legends is all about.”
The gala will happen on June 27 in Los Angeles and will feature star performances. You may see Birdman and the remainder of the Cash Money Millionaires live at the 2024 ESSENCE Cultural Festival from July 4-7! Tickets and more information can be found HERE.