Cash Money Expands, Hits Pop Charts

By Ismael AbduSalaam

After a phenomenal year that saw the label release Lil Wayne’s blockbuster smash Tha Carter III, Cash Money Records is poised to move its success to the pop arena.



An integral part of this new direction is the 25 year-old, alternative singer/songwriter Kevin Rudolf, who this past summer hit the Billboard Pop Top 10 with the Lil Wayne assisted “Let It Rock.”



With support from Universal Republic Records CEO Monte Lipman, Slim explained that Cash Money’s primary 2009 focus is making the label a music fan’s one stop for quality Hip-Hop, Soul, Rock and Pop.



“Kevin Rudolf is about to roll out another great chapter of the Cash Money legacy,” he proposed. “Monte and Avery Lipman have proven time and time again they know how to break one of a kind artists like Kevin whose creativity is his greatest asset. We look forward to teaming up with their great staff to make Kevin a force to be reckoned with in rap, pop, rock and beyond.”



Despite Kevin Rudolf’s resume already including the names Justin Timberlake, David Banner, Nelly Furtado, and the Black Eyed Peas, Slim is aware that his label must discard the image heavy branding normally utilized to push Hip-Hop artists.



“It helps that Lil Wayne’s name appears on the label, too, but it also demonstrates the rapper’s crossover appeal. Rudolf’s sound is more akin to Justin Timberlake than anything street cred,” Williams recently told Variety Magazine. “[The rap and pop world] are much different. Rap and image go hand in hand; you have to make people know who the artist is. Pop and rock, get a hit record and you’re on.”



Kevin Rudolf’s debut album In the City is set for release on November 25.

allhiphop.com