Cash Money head honcho Birdman has had an interesting couple of weeks since his appearance on hip-hop radio show The Breakfast Club. There to talk with hosts DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha God and Angela Yee about his upcoming projects, Birdman wasn’t in the mood to play nice, telling the hosts, “All three of y’all stop playing with my name. Stop playing with my fuckin’ name… When my name comes up, respect it.” All this before the interview had even started.
It quickly went down hill from there. Birdman continued to act hostile – especially towards Charlamagne Tha God who he’s known to have beef with – before declaring, “I ain’t got no more talking,” and stormed out of the studio after less than two minutes.
The video quickly went viral, Young Thug got involved and stood up for Birdman before social media went into meltdown. People began quoting Birdman’s hilarious sayings from the interviews, including “Put some respect on my name,” and, “Are y’all finished, or are y’all done?” while #Respek began trending on Twitter as countless memes and gifs of Birdman began doing the rounds.
Not one to let a good business opportunity go astray, Birdman jumped on the chance and immediately had t-shirts made-up featuring his quotes ready to purchase via the Cash Money website just days after the exchange. He continued to capitalise on the controversy by granting an interview with Hot 97’s Ebro and co-host Laura Stylez at his Miami home. During the interview he revealed he finds the memes and jokes about his situation funny and that he believed Charlamagne Tha God had been disrespecting him behind closed doors. He also revealed he’s unsure why Rick Ross has beef with him and that his trouble with Lil Wayne is “more of a misunderstanding than a money issue.” I especially find it funny that he calls Wayne his son.
Of course all this controversy isn’t in vein. Like Jay Z, Birdman isn’t “a businessman, but a business, man.” He’s currently readying the release of his final album, Ms. Gladys, as well as a Rich Gang‘s sophomore album Rich Gang 2: The Lifestyle, so it makes sense he’s keeping himself in the public eye. That’s set to continue with Birdman dropping new single Respek today. As you can imagine, the single addresses the issue of respect and how Birdman believes he deserves the respect of others in the rap game. While not a huge Birdman fan, Respek isn’t as bad as I’d imagined. While his lyrics are as simple as ever, Birdman flows well over the typical trap beat with just enough charm to get me grooving along.
Ms. Gladys is set to drop June 24 with Rich Gang’s Rich Gang 2: The Lifestyle soon after.
Image: MusicTimes