Lil Wayne is taking Young Money all the way to the bank.
Back in June, the rapper reportedly sold his masters to Universal Music Group as part of a deal valued in excess of $100 million.
The nine-figure price tag was revealed as part of a lawsuit brought on by Wayne’s former manager Ronald Sweeney. Now Music Business Worldwide has shared more details from the suit, which claims that the deal was for Young Money’s entire catalog of masters including Drake and Nicki Minaj.
The suit reads: “Plaintiffs are informed and believe… that, subsequent to [Sweeney’s] termination [as Wayne’s manager], specifically in or about June of 2020, Lil Wayne was able to sell the Young Money Masters to Universal Music Group for in excess of $100 Million.”
In addition to Wayne’s own catalog, the deal reportedly includes Drake’s hit albums such as Take Care, Nothing Was the Same, and Views, up until 2018’s Scorpion, his last project under Young Money/Cash Money. His latest records, including this year’s Dark Lane Demo Tapes, have been released on his own label, OVO Sound, under exclusive license to Republic Records. UMG reportedly now owns Drake’s pre-2018 catalog as part of the Young Money acquisition.
Nicki’s albums including Pink Friday, The Pinkprint, and Queen were released on Young Money/Cash Money and were also seemingly part of the deal. Her most recent single “Yikes,” released in February, is credited to Young Money/Cash Money.
Earlier this month, UMG announced its acquisition of Bob Dylan’s masters. The landmark deal, which includes Dylan’s entire songwriting catalog, is estimated at more than $300 million.
