The No Limit vs. Cash Money Verzuz showed the Hip Hop world just how significant both labels are to the culture—and, synonymously, the respect that Master P and Birdman, the two bosses respectively, have received. However, P gained his respect by showing love to his former artists as well as the Cash Money crew. Baby, on the other hand, demanded it by reminding everyone—as if we forgot—that he was the one who started the “stuntin’” culture (the first with diamonds in his teeth, face tats, among other things).
This isn’t the first time the tales of the two CEOs have been on full display. Let’s revisit when they both appeared on The Breakfast Club.
In 2016, Birdman initially went on the show to do an interview. However, the interview was short-lived—the shortest Breakfast Club interview ever, according to the staff—when the Cash Money CEO demanded that all three hosts “put some respek on his name.”
That moment ultimately led to Baby memes galore for “seven whole days (in my Toni Braxton voice),” or perhaps longer. Nobody was tripping over his Otis Redding/Aretha Franklin approach—the mispronunciation and misuse of American English were what stole the spotlight. But Baby said he was “tha number 1 Stunna,” not number one at grammar.
Nevertheless, when Baby started chin-checking, I immediately understood the angle. And it was my assumption that DJ Envy, Angela Yee, and Charlamagne understood it as well. When Lil Wayne filed a lawsuit against Baby and his imprint for unfair compensation practices, tons of artists, business partners, producers, landlords, and others came forward claiming they’d been shorted by the CMR co-founder too.
From that point, everybody—blogs, news outlets, and beyond—took Baby’s name through the ringer. Putting “respek” on his name was the last thing on people’s minds. I’d imagine it affected the Cash Money brand tremendously. Who wants to do business with a guy notoriously known for not paying? Keep in mind, CMR was once considered one of the most successful labels in Hip Hop, signing artists such as Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Tyga, while having a major star like Lil Wayne on the roster.
Fellow New Orleans native Master P, however, was able to get the same respect—he and Baby both demanded—on The Breakfast Club and Verzuz by requesting it in a much calmer manner. And of course, by giving it.
As most of us recall, P had to give Charlamagne a lecture on respect after the host acknowledged that his former signee, Mercedez, “had a fat a**.”
“Hold up, hold up, hold up—don’t talk about Mercedez like that,” P interrupted.
“It’s about respect, Charlamagne,” he later added.
P informed Charlamagne that he would not allow any woman associated with his clique, past or present, to be disrespected. In turn, he assured the same—even if it’s a “hooker.” Charlamagne apologized, respectfully.
