Very interesting special that should air on MTV soon and really shows Baby as a person. They follow him as he plans Cash Money's Grammy Party as well as meets with artists and studio personel. Lil Wayne, Drake, Nicki Minaj, DJ Khaled and more all make apperances. CMR is basically set-up like most mob families. Birdman is to John Gotti as Suga Slim is to Carlo Gambino. Meaning, Birdman is the flashy one but Slim is the one who is really calling all the shots. People in the know have known this for years and Birdman says it here also.
My favorite part is when Birdman says that he doesn't like loud music because he's trying to conserve his ears (I'm the exact same way). They also show his children and his son Brian is poised to be the next head of CMR.
Going through my video library I came across this *ahem* interesting piece of footage that forgot I had. This is the only posted footage of Lil Wayne kissing Baby aka Birdman on the mouth and happened on a May 2002 episode of BET Rap City. Now they say their kiss is mafia-inspired, but you be the judge. I have when they kissed on 106 & Park that same month somewhere also. Tell me I don't have the most interesting YouTube channel of vintage footage...don't worry I'll wait
FREE LITO! Who didn't see this coming? Star's going clean off on Birdman and CMR over the BMF beat and I'm suprised it took this long. I've said numerous times that Star woud NEVER release an album on CMR because he's never been on CMR's radar. This isn't the first time he's vented his frustration with CMR. He's doe it previously on "Rap Music Ruined My Life" back in 2006 (which wasn't released until 2007's Starlito's Way 2) and his Hollywood Divorce starstyle, recorded the same year and finally released on his The Tenn-A-Keyan mixtape with DJ Crisis in 2007 also.
It's crazy that Birdman's put out 4 albums since Star signed in 2004 and Star's only been featured on TWO Cash Money songs in that same timeframe ( "We Gangsta" on 5 * Stunna and "No More" on Like Father, Like Son). It's not like All-Star wasn't putting out dope mixtapes. When Birdman recently spoke on all the upcoming CMR relases and Star wasn't mention I knew it was a wrap for him. I could write a book and a epic HBO series rivaling The Wire if I told the whole behind-the-scenes story of All-Star, Yo Gotti & Cash Money Records that I witnessed first-hand the last 6 years. It would be the 2K version of Cadillac Records lol.
All-Star says it's not a "diss" song...but what else can you call it with lines like:
"Like father like son, meet the stepson / interfering with my dreams, Inception"
"Had a Lex and a Luger like the dude that made the beat/ And I got some homeboys that probably wanna shoot at Baby" "Too much pride to **** ride so I'm fighting for my rights" "Maybe cause I ain't a Blood, yeah I get it huh / But they wasn't rocking bandannas when I met them" "I sound a little bitter / well its cause I got lost in the system and they found some little n****s"
"I don't want to whine about my woes with a record label, I want progress. A heightened awareness is what I felt like bringing about, because I believe people ask me about my situation most frequently. I don't have the answers. I do know what's real, and that's my desire to move forward as professional rap artist.
I don't even have to know why things turned so sour, I just want my release to be signed off on..."
My friend brought over your mixtape , No Ceilings, the other day and I gave it a listen. I have to say I was impressed. You clearly are a talented rapper with an excellent ability to ride beats, clever wordplay and smart punchlines.
Still one thing about the mixtape disturbed me. Your constant references to the Blood gang and soo woops seem like something a 15 year old kid might be saying, not a veteran rapper who has been in the game for more than 10 years.
I realize that many people in poor neighborhoods join gangs because of peer pressure, the threat of other gangs, for a way to make money and for a sense of family. Still, you have been a professional rapper earning money since you were 14. What reason did you have for joining the Bloods? It seems that you are claiming the Bloods to increase your street credibility and help your record sales.
After the Derrion Albert beating, we see the negative effects gangs have on African American youth. Everyday, gang violence leads to teenagers in the hood getting stabbed, shot or jumped. As the “Best Rapper Alive,” when you start bigging up a gang it makes it seem cool to your young fans. These young fans who use your slang, dress like you dress and idolize you, now want to be in a gang like you.
I know you don’t think you’re a role model. Still your record label, BET and urban and pop radio are constantly marketing your music to children between the ages of 10 and 14. When they play you Lollipop single on BET, the kids who watch you buy your album and mixtapes and get to hear all your Blood gang propaganda.
Hopefully, your time in jail will give you time to reflect about your actions. Gang violence is a big problem for young black males. In L.A. two thirds of all youth killings are gang related. Gang members are 60 times more likely to be killed than non gang members.
Being in the Bloods might be cool for you, but for the thousands of kids in the hood who join, it is a deadly choice, that far to often leads them to jail or the morgue.
Please, for the sake of your impressionable fans and the image of African Americans across the world, stop promoting the Bloods. You are a very clever young man with more power than you may know.
I never understood why Wayne & Birdman waited til they were millionaires to start claiming Bloods 5 years ago. If that isn't a joke I don't know what is
