Busta Rhymes Explains Cash Money/Google Music Deal

Just under two weeks ago, it was announced that Busta Rhymes signed to Cash Money. Now, new details about the New York rapper's latest deal, as well as info on his partnership with Google Music, have emerged.

"This was just another one of those moments that defines a significant turning point in my career, and in music and business," Busta said, according to Billboard. "It was just an amazing idea to have [Google] willing to partner up with the most powerful record company in music, which is Cash Money. Cash Money is a very unique, special home to be a part of, because they don't do shit conventionally, either. So it was just an ideal opportunity and something that's going to go down in the history books, because a deal like this has never been done before."

According to Chris Lighty, Busta's manager, the deal resulted in a four-album contract with Cash Money for physical distribution of the albums and a one album digital distribution deal with Google Music, which will be the sole online retailer of the fire-spitter's upcoming project, E.L.E. 2: End of the World.

"We're being promoted as one of the main acts with the launch," said Lighty of the partnership with Google Music, which is in its early stages. "[That wouldn't] happen at iTunes right now. Obviously, iTunes is number one. Google Music presented a viable option for Busta to grow his footprint and it seemed like the right partnership for us to do right now, given where Busta Rhymes' career is, to refresh him digitally."

Tim Quirk, head of global content programming at Android and Google, explained what the company saw in the 20-year rap vet. "When Busta Rhymes played us his new tracks, we saw an opportunity to do something unique with him and offer his music exclusively on Google Music," he said. "Busta's passion for the project allows us to work together and extend the reach of the partnership through other Google properties, such as YouTube, to offer creative features like 'Spit Like Busta,' a YouTube competition where users can upload their rendition of Busta's verse from 'Why Stop Now' for a chance to be spliced into its upcoming music video."

Busta's most recent single, "Why Stop Now," featuring Chris Brown, dropped earlier this month and, according to Lighty, has been "bigger than any of our iTunes sales or impressions that we've received in the past." The new signee is slated to drop E.L.E. 2: End of the World in the first quarter of 2012. —Adam Fleischer