Cash Money Sues Tidal Over Lil Wayne’s ‘FWA’ Album
UPDATE: A Tidal rep says that the planned Cash Money lawsuit against Tidal never went through. “No Cash Money lawsuit was ever served and therefore it was dismissed before it was ever started,” the rep tells Rolling Stone.
Bryan “Birdman” Williams’ Cash Money Records is suing Jay Z’s streaming venture Tidal for $50 million, claiming that the artist-owned service has no right to host Lil Wayne’s Free Weezy Album, which arrived exclusively on the platform on July 4th, TMZ reports.
According to the suit, Cash Money owns the exclusive rights to Wayne’s music and the rapper’s contract stipulates that he cannot license his music to anyone else. Tidal, however, has disputed this claim, saying Weezy offered FWA exclusively to the service in exchange for a stake in the company.
Representatives for Tidal and Williams did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
In June, upon the release of his single “Glory,” a Tidal rep confirmed to Rolling Stone that Lil Wayne had joined other top-tier musicians as a part owner of the service.
The Cash Money lawsuit, however, calls Tidal’s partnership with Lil Wayne “a desperate and illegal attempt to save their struggling streaming service.” The suit even bashes the rapper and FWA, saying the LP received “tepid reviews” and could hurt Cash Money’s attempts to push the rapper’s music.
News of the Cash Money lawsuit remarkably comes only hours after Jimmy Carlton Winfrey, an associate of Birdman and rapper Young Thug, was indicted by the State of Georgia for shooting at Lil Wayne’s tour buses in April. The 30-count indictment opens by identifying Winfrey, Young Thug, Birdman and Wayne as Blood gang members, and goes on to detail the growing schism between Wayne and Birdman.
Despite a lengthy and successful relationship, Wayne and Birdman have been feuding since the former took to Twitter late last year and blasted Cash Money for refusing to release The Carter V. In January, Lil Wayne sued Cash Money for $51 million, hoping to also end his contract with the label and gain joint rights to the music he released through his Young Money imprint.