Birdman Reveals How He Inspired Drake & Nicki Minaj

Baby, what is going on?

I'm good, dog. How you feeling, man?

Feeling good. Enjoying it. The movie was great. The movie was great. We're here, we we we just watched the screen for Apple Music. Uh uh your executive produced a film a documentary that's a three-part the second second part's coming out, we just saw the first part. And that started with the music business through the hot boy era, the bling bling era. All the way up to Carter, Dream and Wayne sold his first million the first week. That's when that one end. I love stories first about I mean that that that brings up the dad, it just brings up the dad story. Talk to me about like your dad when you were growing up.

My pops was a hustler, straight out the military. He was all about some money. My pops was like my everything. You know what I mean? Cuz my mom passed out such a young age, so he was like my mom and my dad. So he was like my everything to me.

My favorite part was the part when he said that you were going to be a millionaire. And he said you were like you were like seven years old. Why did you put that part in the movie? What when he said you How did that even come up?

Well, he used to store that in me like if he could do it again he'll be a millionaire. And he always told me I was him again. Once I got the music business and I got my first million dollars, um I realized that one wasn't enough. And I got that when I was really like 17 years old. I had my first million at 15. So, about the time I got 17, I got my first million in the music business. And um that's when I realized, I had a million dollars in the bank. That's when I realized, I really need a hundred of them. So, I needed I knew one wasn't enough.

My other second favorite part was the cars. You have been interested in cars for I mean since the beginning.

I was interested in cars and houses cuz we never had nothing. So, for me, we used to watch Lil TVs. I'm really infatuated with TVs. I have to have big ass TVs, TVs in every room, in the bathroom. Um and I never understood

You had a big TV in the bathroom?

Everywhere. Everywhere. All on the wall, everywhere. I just have them everywhere. I just didn't understand why we had to have one car. Why? Who said we had to have one house?

I I got inspired. I was like, that you just you made me want to be a hustler, you know what I mean? And I felt like that's what the movie does and your dad was a hustle in in the most in the best ways. Tell me about the hustle of putting cash money together, the record label together. What was that hustle like? Was it simple to just go out there and happen?

Oh, no. Been incarcerated and going back and forth to jail made me see that you know, it gotta be another way of life where I could still make a lot of money. And as I got a little older, I realized I got to do something right to try to live long and don't have to be in the penitentiary all my life or get killed in the street. So, and once I got into the music business, I just was a savage. I had to have it.

And you work with people like Drake, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne. Well, tell me something that they've like brought to you, that they have inspired you with. What what what have they given to you?

I think we inspired them. And they saw our grind and took it and put it into their grind like consistency. I think Nicki, Drake and also Wayne, cuz he come from under the umbrella, the consistent, there's take consistency. Plus the ability to be talented, but the consistent of being able to keep doing it and how long you want to do it and it's very rare, bro. You can count on one hand how many real artists is that we have. You got a billion rappers but how many real artists is, you know, no disrespect. Everybody do what they do, but it's only it's levels to this shit. And it's not too many. You could count on one hand how many really on that type of level.

Right. I heard that from the greats. I've heard all of them say there is that level. And what what makes them like that level? I mean, Drake is on that level. What makes him on that level?

Talent. Talent. Talent, know how, um just the upbringing. They come up under the umbrella and he took it and man, Drake used to talk all the time about him being a hundred million dollar man when Wayne was getting a hundred million dollars. So, um that was always his ambition to be real big in the game. And he stayed focused, stayed focused and dedicated and took the sacrifices to be that person and that's why he is him and Nicki.

If you had to give us anything on I just on out like what keeps what keeps you motivated? What keeps you going and consistency? You said the word consistency a lot of times. What is that?

Um, I really love I love what comes with in the music and I love what I do. And my drive for loving music has never changed. And helping young talent like the Jack Queens and the the Ninos and the and the Young Thug, you know, so, my drive for the game never changed.

The movie was great. The movie was great. Were you involved heavily in in the storytelling?

I I did the whole storytelling. I I wanted other people to tell the story and I just wanted to speak. I didn't want to tell my story. I wanted other people to tell it so I think it'll be more acceptance hearing it from other people. Right. Than just hearing it from myself.

Thank you so much, baby, for hanging out with me, man. The story was amazing. You're a great storyteller. I mean, your team to put that together was phenomenal.

Man, Clifton did a great job and shout out to my man, Larry Jackson. Thank y'all very much. Peace.

There it is.