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- #YMCMB_2
- YMCMBIt appears YMCMB and Cash Money is out to sign everything and anything. Goon rappers, post-prison rappers, veteran rappers, Canadian rappers, rock singers, producers, pop stars, dogs, cats, chairs so on and so forth. Recently, during an interview with Sway of MTV News, Birdman announced his interest in scooping up the Chicago new blood, Chief Keef. These continuous announcements that are occurring on a weekly basis have turned both fans and critics confused and iffy. <p>In the past, signings of acts outside of the label’s concentrated genre (in this case, hip-hop) has resulted with mix outcomes—remember Victoria Beckham on Roc-a-Fella? Even aside from genre-weaving troubles, too many sailors and boats in a navy can easily collapse like the Spanish Armada. Whether these continuous signings can result in both musical and commercial success is yet to be known, but just to get a clearer sense of who’s currently on the Young Money Cash Money Billionaire’s roster, <em>XXL</em> broke down a list of artists signed to the coveted label right now. —<em>XXL Staff</em> (<a href="https://twitter.com/#!/XXLSTAFF">@XXLStaff</a>) </p>
- Mr. Bangladesh
- T-Lopez<strong>T-LOPEZ</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2009<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAYS</strong>: "We Cash Money, we're about dollars, yuens, wons, euros, pesos...signing a Spanish act was meant to be." </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: The Mexican-American actress/singer is working on an English album, as well as a Spanish album. If all goes well, this could ignite something Jigga failed to accomplish (remember Roc La Familia?). Joven Dinero doesn't sound too bad for a Latin-driven imprint. </p> <p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Four clapping-induced hand rubs.</p>
- T-Streets<strong>T-STREETS</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2006<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0 </p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAYS</strong>: "He's around. I think." </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: He dropped a mixtape, right? </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: No hand rubs. </p>
- Mystikal<strong>MYSTIKAL</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2011<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0 </p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: “I think he’s a special talent like a Busta Rhymes or a Drake or a Wayne. He can’t be duplicated. His style is original. We’re going to put out some visuals on him, his album is coming in May and we’re going to roll.” (During an interview with XXLMag.com.) </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: The former No Limit soldier known for his rapid-fire flow will serve another term in prison, hopefully when he gets out, there'll be more music-related news than highlights on his legal issues. </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: For now? None. </p>
- Shanell<strong>SHANELL</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2006<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 2 (Shut Up N Listen, A Taste Of Shanell aka SNL)</p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) THINKS</strong>: "Let me just count my money during her video shoot, haven't had a chance this week." </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: After dropping mixtapes, and making guest appearances (including Lil Wayne's "Prom Queen"), the former dancer turned singer have yet to release an official album </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Three light hand rubs. </p>
- Mack Maine<strong>MACK MAINE</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2005<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: "You fuck with it nephew?" [As he presents him with a new Bentley.] </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: As president of Young Money Entertainment, Maine has been active more on the business end than unleashing musical outputs. With a net worth of <a href="http://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/rappers/mack-maine-net-worth/">11 million dollars</a>, it appears music doesn't necessarily have to be his lane of interest. His supposed debut <em>Maine 4 President </em> might come, but it doesn't seem like it'll need to at this point. </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Ten appreciative hand rubs. </p>
- Tyga<h2>"Get Loose"</h2>"Smoke 'til I can't see nothing, call it gas mask/She gon' need a white flag when a nigga murder that ass."
- Short Dawg<strong>SHORT DAWG</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2009<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0 </p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAYS</strong>: “Yeah…we’re…family…” [<em>Quietly strays away from the conversation</em>.] </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: He’s making cameos in videos of label mates, dropping solo mixtapes, and supposedly ghostwriting for Bow Wow. </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Single hand rub.</p>
- Savvy<strong>SAVVY</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2011<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>SLIM SAYS</strong>: “Savvy is a special group. They work hard; we work hard. We saw their energy and felt their passion.” (During the press conference announcing the signing of the group.) </p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: The unisex pop group’s looking to attack the pop charts with bubbly personas they’ve been flexing on the <em>Glee</em>-like teenage TV series <em>The Wannabes</em>—about a group of high school students who want to be pop stars. Yay! They must be thrilled to become label mates with Gudda Gudda, Lil Twist and DJ Khaled. <p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Three lighthearted, Disney Channel-friendly hand rubs. </p>
- Busta Rhymes<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/32065933?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="620" height="390" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><strong>BUSTA RHYMES</strong></p><p><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO CASH MONEY</strong>: 2011</p><p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: “You legendary first of all, but what we have to do today ain’t got nothing to do with what you did yesterday. I’m looking at new music, the talent always been there…” (While announcing Busta Rhyme’s signing online via Derick G.)</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: It certainly posed as a head scratcher to some, and a non-singing Chris Brown-assisted first single “Why Stop Now” certainly failed to ante up much excitement. Just looking back at Busta’s track record, we’re guessing it’ll be a one-album deal. </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Six mild hand rubs.</p>
- Lil Wayne<strong>LIL WAYNE</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 1995<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 13 (including EP and Hot Boyz releases)</p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: *Kiss*</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: The only artist from Cash Money's early days that’s still with the label, Weezy is the number-one reason for the label's continued relevancy, from his work as an artist to his ability to bring up-and-coming stars like Nicki Minaj and Drake to the team.</p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Infinite hand rubs. </p>
- Limp Bizkit<strong>LIMP BIZKIT</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2012<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0 </p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: “We’re looking to put an album out this year, but right now we’re dropping the single with him and Wayne, and we’re going to vibe from there. Fred’s all the way in—he understands what we’re about, hard work and dedication. To me, they’re one of the hardest workers in the business.” (During an interview with Billboard.)</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Fred Durst is part-time hip-hop, right? </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Six curious hand rubs. </p>
- Jae Millz<strong>JAE MILLZ</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2008<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0 </p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAYS</strong>: "Yeah...an album's coming..." [<em>Hands out a copy of Nicki's latest album to divert from the conversation.</em>] </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Believe it or not, an album from Millz is more likely than one from T-Streets (no shots).</p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Two tired hand rubs. </p>
- Israel Cruz<strong>ISRAEL CRUZ</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2011<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAY</strong>: “Who?”</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: “Who?”</p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Negative hand rub. </p>
- Chris Richardson<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/34542314" width="620" height="390" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><strong>CHRIS RICHARDSON</strong></p><p><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2012</p><p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0 </p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: “I think he’s a special talent, he’s definitely a sensational artist on our brand YMCMB, and he got a new video…what’s the name of that song? [Chris Richardson tells him the title] ‘In The Name of Love’ one of my favorite songs on the album…” (While announcing Chris Richardson’s signing online via Derick G) </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Uh, good luck? </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Five hopeful hand rubs.</p>
- Lil Twist<strong>LIL TWIST</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2010<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAY</strong>: “Well, it took Wayne until his 20s to peak...”</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Twist can have his lane: He's a young kid that girls like, who actually possesses some flow in his pint-sized body. His online numbers are great, with plenty of followers on Twitter, fans on Facebook and views on YouTube. But he hasn't been able to secure a release date on <em>Don't Get It Twisted</em> album, and though he seems to be in the second tier of focus on the label, whether and when the album drops is up in the air.</p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Five, but potentially seven hand rubs. </p>
- Glasses Malone<strong>GLASSES MALONE</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2007<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 1 </p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAYS</strong>: "I executive produced <em>Beach Cruiser</em>. And, yes, I put my name on everything..." </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Glasses was a much talked about West Coaster for some time in the middle of last decade, but his debut album, <em>Beach Cruiser</em>, was stuck in purgatory. When it finally arrived in 2011, though a solid release, the fanfare that once would have surrounded it no longer existed.</p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Two at-least-an-album's-out hand rubs. </p>
- Lil Chuckee<strong>LIL CHUCKEE</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2010<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>MACK MAINE SAYS</strong>: "To me Chuckee can be another Wayne, hopefully one day with time." (Said during an interview with MTV News.)</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Give him some time and an album will prosper. Soon. Hopefully. Someday. </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Six investment hand rubs. </p>
- Gudda Gudda<strong>GUDDA GUDDA</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2006<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0 </p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAYS</strong>: "We were moving Drake t-shirt boxes, and Nicki Minaj accessories last week. We're family!" </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Plenty more mixtapes to come, so hopefully he can be more than an extra on the next Young Money compilation. </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Five relaxed hand rubs. </p>
- Torion Sellers<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/32303397?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ff000d" width="620" height="390" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><strong>TORION SELLERS</strong></p><p><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2011</p><p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>LIL WAYNE SAYS</strong>: “I want to reveal the future. Not only the future of Young Money Cash Money, but the future…” (While announcing Torion’s signing online via Derick G) </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: After watching the footage, which showcases the young talent singing and dancing, we’re convinced he can become an asset to the label in the future. Will he stay drug free and straight minded is another concern. After all, Wayne didn’t have the best role model figures around him either. </p><p><strong>HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Six (possible) hand rubs.</p>
- DJ Khaled<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/39240171?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" width="620" height="390" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe><p><strong>DJ KHALED</strong></p><p><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2010</p><p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAYS</strong>: “Young Money Cash Money Billionaires We The Best Music Group. Say that five times fast.”</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: DJ Khaled had the song of the summer, and arguably the song of the year in 2011. He's looking to duplicate that success with some of the tracks from his upcoming album, <em>Kiss The Ring</em>.</p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Seven very intense hand rubs. </p>
- Ace Hood<div style="background-color:#000000;width:520px;"><div style="padding:4px;"><iframe src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:video:mtv.com:764972/cp~vid%3D764972%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideo%3Amtv.com%3A764972" width="620" height="400" frameborder="0"></iframe><p style="text-align:left;background-color:#FFFFFF;padding:4px;margin-top:4px;margin-bottom:0px;font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:12px;">Get More: <a href="http://www.mtv.com/news/latest/music.jhtml" style="color:#439CD8;" target="_blank">Music News</a></p></div></div><p><strong>ACE HOOD</strong></p><p><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2012</p><p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0 </p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: “I think Ace Hood is a super star. I think he never got his superstardom yet.” (During an interview with MTV’s Sway, announcing the official union of YMCMB and We The Best.) </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Despite DJ Khaled’s consistent urge, strings of major label releases, and an appearance on the coveted XXL Freshman cover in 2009, the young rapper failed to acquire recognition on a national scale. </p><p><strong>HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Five hand rubs, forced by DJ Khaled. </p>
- Christina Milian<strong>CHRISTINA MILIAN</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2012<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAYS</strong>: “How did The-Dream let that go?” </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: She's the Social Media Correspondent for <em>The Voice</em>.</p><p><strong>HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Four hopeful hand rubs. </p>
- Kevin Rudolf<strong>KEVIN RUDOLF</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2008<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 2</p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) THINKS</strong>: "Hope Wayne's done with this rock and roll shit..."</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Though Rudolf, the label's first step outside of the hip-hop box, made a splash with his 2008 his Cash Money debut <em>Let It Rock</em>, he's shown no signs of duplicating that success in the four years since.</p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Five careless hand rubs. </p>
- Cory Gunz<strong>CORY GUNZ</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2010<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: “We got the chance to get the opportunity to work with him and we're looking forward [to] that. He a fire spitter. And he talented already.” (To MTV's Sucker Free shortly after the signing.)</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Cory is an undeniably talented wordsmith. But he hasn't proven his ability to craft songs, and his feature on Lil Wayne's “6 Foot 7 Foot” didn't propel him in the way it could (and maybe) should have. He had his own show on MTV called <em>Son of a Gun</em>, which could have increased his buzz, but it instead revealed a sometimes questionable work ethic. Now Cory is facing trouble with the law, and there's no word on his official YMCMB debut.</p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Three irritated hand rubs. </p>
- Cool & Dre<strong>COOL & DRE</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2010<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0 </p><p><strong>BABY (MIGHT) SAYS</strong>: “I won’t do y’all like Bangladesh. Trust me.” </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Despite signing papers with the label, the duo hasn’t landed too much production credits on the label’s recent releases. Maybe the unbearable album of Rebirth caused the limitation. </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Three Mannie-Fresh-dedicated hand rubs. </p>
- Jay Sean<strong>JAY SEAN</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2008<p><strong>NUMBER OF RELEASES</strong>: 1</p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: “We just trying do different things for the brand, just branching out so we can go further and do more.” (During an interview on BET's <em>106 & Park</em>.)</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: Jay Sean has shown a capability to make hits, with cuts like “Down” and “Hit The Lights” on his resume. His second Cash Money album is still in limbo, and whether he can recapture his previous musical magic remains to be seen. </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Six slow-motion hand rubs. </p>
- Bow Wow<strong>BOW WOW</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO CASH MONEY</strong>: 2009<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 0</p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: “Next to Wayne, I look at you like my son. If you not with JD, you with us.” (According to Bow Wow, told to <em>XXL</em>’s Executive Editor Jayson Rodriguez.) </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: It’s been two years since he signed with the label, but news of his official debut Underrated, has been delayed numerous times. Maybe Bow Wow can change the title of the album…to be less underrated? </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Six nonchalant hand rubs.</p>
- Nicki Minaj<strong>NICKI MINAJ</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2009 <p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 2</p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: “No female ever will be able to sell more records than her, have more singles than her, have more number one singles than her, have more awards—no more nothing.” (During an interview with Complex.com.)</p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: She’s been able to hold down her forte within the past two years, and her thriving career doesn’t seem like it’ll stop anytime soon. Can she top the previous greats? Cough Lauryn Hill! We’ll have to see, but she’s awfully getting close. </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Hand rubbing ‘til he bleeds. </p>
- Drake<strong>DRAKE</strong><strong>YEAR SIGNED TO YMCMB</strong>: 2009<p><strong>NUMBER OF OFFICIAL RELEASES</strong>: 2</p><p><strong>BABY SAYS</strong>: “Drake the homie so, we ride or die. Ain’t no second questions about that.” (During an interview with Power 106.) </p><p><strong><em>XXL</em> THINKS</strong>: In the past two years, unless you’ve been locked up or lived under a rock, you’ve come across Drake’s crooning someway, somehow. The Canadian actor turned rapper is already listed as one of the most influential rap artists of all time, and his legacy doesn’t seem to halt anytime soon. </p><p><strong>BIRDMAN HAND RUB SCALE</strong>: Hand rubbing ‘til his skin burns. </p>








