Bryan Christopher Williams ( Brooks; February 15, 1969), better known by his stage names Baby or Birdman, is an American rapper and record executive. He is the co-founder and public face of Cash Money Records, which he co-founded with his older brother Ronald "Slim" Williams in 1992. Birdman released his eponymous debut album in 2002, and has went on to release four solo studio albums in total. Aside from his solo career, he is also a member of the hip-hop duo Big Tymers along with producer Mannie Fresh, as well as the supergroup Cash Money Millionaires.
Along with his solo work and numerous releases with the Big Tymers, Birdman has released a collaboration album and numerous tracks with fellow rapper and protégé Lil Wayne, whom he discovered and took under his wing at age twelve. As the figurehead of Cash Money Records, Birdman has been central to the careers and commercial success of Wayne, as well as future signees including Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga. Many artists were signed in conjunction with Lil Wayne's Young Money Entertainment (branded as "YMCMB"), a label which ran as an imprint of Cash Money from its formation in 2005 until 2018. Birdman has also founded Rich Gang in 2014, a loose-knit collective composed of core signees of Cash Money, which also included then-upcoming Southern rappers Young Thug and Rich Homie Quan.
Early life
Birdman was born Bryan Christopher Brooks on February 15, 1969, at Charity Hospital in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Johnnie Williams and Gladys Brooks. Williams did not sign the birth certificate, which led to Bryan initially taking his mother's surname. For almost a month after his birth, he did not have a given first name and was simply referred to as "Baby", a nickname he retains to this day. As a small child, Brooks and his family lived on top of a bar owned by his father. His mother, Gladys, was shot and killed when he was two years old. After their mother's death, Birdman and his siblings Kim, Ronald and Ray were taken in by their uncle and spent two years living in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada, followed by two years in foster care upon their return to New Orleans. After Johnnie learned that they were in the foster home, a long legal battle took place in the mid-'70s which eventually ended with Johnnie and his wife Patricia gaining full custody of the children and Bryan's name changing to Bryan Williams. He and his siblings moved in with Johnnie and Patricia and lived in the Magnolia Projects in Central City in the 3rd ward of Uptown New Orleans, where Bryan developed a close friendship with his step-brother, Eldrick Wise. While living in the Magnolia, Williams and Wise soon began committing robberies and sold heroin together before both getting arrested at the age of 16. At 18, both were again arrested for drug possession and sentenced to three years in Elayn Hunt Correctional Center. Williams served 18 months before he was acquitted of all charges.