Lil Wayne reportedly sold Nicki Minaj and Drake masters to Universal Music Group.
Earlier this week, a lawsuit filed by Lil Wayne’s former manager, Ronald Sweeney, detailed several business transactions involving the Young Money frontman, including a claim that Wayne sold his Masters to Universal Music Group back in June of this year. The deal, which was allegedly worth $100 million, sparked headlines over the price point and the prospect of Wayne turning over his rights to his own music. Now, more details have emerged that clarify the deal a bit further.
According to Music Business Worldwide, Wayne sold the entire Young Money catalogue, including the work of Drake, Tyga, and Nicki Minaj.
It isn’t yet clear which of Drake’s albums were included in this enormous deal. Most of his past projects have been released under Young Money, with the exception of his last album, Scorpion, which dropped in 2018. Nicki Minaj has released almost all of her body of work under the label as well, including her most recent project, Queen. This means that if these claims are correct, universal may now own the rights to all of Nicki’s and Drake’s biggest hits, and possibly even Minaj’s future drops. It is hard to say if Wayne is trying to disassociate himself from the Young Money Crew or if he is just taking on less responsibility at this stage in his career and enjoying the large cash payout.
Lil Wayne has more to worry about than his record company these days, however, considering he is now facing a gun charge that could land him behind bars for as long as ten years. Because Wayne has a felony on his record, he could be handed the maximum penalty for an incident that occurred in 2019 when he was found to be in possession of a firearm after his private jet was searched by federal authorities.
Let’s hope Lil Wayne’s legal team can get him out of this one and he can go back to focusing on the music.
