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Brian "Baby" Williams (born February 15 , 1969 ) also known as '''The Birdman''' and '''#1 Stunna,''' is an eminent entertainment mogul and entrepreneur, including being a Record Executive , producer, performer and Rapper . Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Williams and his brother, Ronald Williams, own the hip-hop label Cash Money Records . Under the moniker Baby, Williams recorded a number of albums with Producer Mannie Fresh as The Big Tymers and performed as one of his own label's most prominent solo acts after the departures of Juvenile , B.G. , and Turk . Williams and his brother Ronald founded Cash Money Records in 1991 . The brothers noticed how the crowds reacted to the local music and hoped a foray into the rap music scene would prove lucrative. The label quickly signed local acts Pimp Daddy and three-man crew U.N.L.V. Around this time, Williams reconnected with a local DJ, Byron "Mannie Fresh" Thomas , who had returned from California to look for production work. Mannie immediately became the Cash Money in-house producer and is noted for producing nearly all of Cash Money's songs. Williams also befriended a young Christopher "B.G." Dorsey , and signed the young rapper to his label in the mid-90's. Pairing B.G. with another young artist, Lil Wayne , the label released their group effort, "True Story". The label achieved more commercial success when Williams signed on noted local rapper Juvenile and New-Comers and Turk . Juvenile, B.G., Lil' Wayne and Turk in turn formed the quarter supergroup Hot Boys and began touring. Bullet soon left the label, but Williams managed to continue developing his stable of artists and proved himself to be a savvy businessman when he inked a distribution deal with Universal records, worth over $30 million (which, among other things, allowed Cash Money to retain control of their master recordings). Cash Money Records subsequently grew in leaps and bounds with a succession of hits that included Juvenile's ''Ha'', ''Back That Azz Up'' and B.G.'s ''Bling Bling''. The Big Tymers (which consisted of Williams and Manny Fresh rapping) were formed as well, primarily because Manny had produced a prodigious number of tracks and the label did not want them to go to waste. Controversy arose within the label when several artists, including Juvenile , questioned Williams about their financial situation, which had apparently remained fairly stagnant while the label enjoyed huge success. Charges were raised that Baby was defrauding his artists and using their proceeds to fund the label as well as his own lavish spending habits. Around the same time, more sinister rumours emerged about Williams; on B.G.'s song ''Made Man'', Williams (as rapper Baby) bragged about "putting the nigga to sleep" and "putting change in his feet," alluding to long-running rumours of his connection to distributing Heroin and playing a role in the death of U.N.L.V's Albert "Yella Boi" Thomas. Thomas had previously angered Williams by putting bullet holes in some of the executive's prized vehicles. The other major rumour was that the wealthy Williams actively fostered both B.G. and Turk's heroin Addiction in order to keep them in check and attached to the label. Following continued questions of fraud in 2001 , Juvenile, B.G. and Turk all left the label, leaving Cash Money with just Lil' Wayne and the Big Tymers . In response, which he admitted in interviews was out of self-preservation, the millionaire Williams adopted the "Birdman" moniker and began taking rap more seriously, releasing several platinum-selling albums with the Big Tymers. His own solo album was extremely profitable as well, as "Birdman Volume 1" subsequently went gold. In 2003 , Juvenile returned to the label for one final album. That same year, the already-wealthy Williams renewed the label's deal with Universal, this time for $100 million dollars. Williams has been known for flaunting his wealth, including wearing large amounts of flashy jewelry, designer clothes and driving exotic customized automobiles (his car fleet numbers around 30). He has signed an unprecedented five endorsement and product label contracts with various companies, including a partnership with shoemaker Lugz and endorsements for Sean John Clothing Limited, Jacob the Jeweler, and Aire Watch Co. USA. His contract with Lugz has allowed them to release six different lines of footwear, under the branch "Birdman - Lugz". These shoes have sold seven million pairs since their release in 2004 , earning the Birdman more than $80 million alone. Of the rappers who once toured with Cash Money, also worth noting is Young Buck who rapped in a group called Head Bussa and is now a member of 50 Cent 's G-Unit after losing a deal with AfterShock Records from Southern Maryland. Williams currently resides in a gated community in a portion of New Orleans known as EastOver. He came out with the single "Neck of the Woods" featuring his surrogate son Lil' Wayne in 2005 . Wayne is now President of Cash Money, while Williams remains owner and CEO. Birdman's net worth is estimated at $355 million and growing. DISCOGRAPHY Albums
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