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Young Money: What Happened to Lil Wayne’s Record Label Artists?

Young Money’s launch roster included Drake, Nicki Minaj, Tyga and Jae Millz. The artists later took different paths, and the historical lineup is not a current contract list.
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Young Money’s best-known artists—Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga—became major solo stars, while other members took less visible paths that included leaving, releasing music independently or working in other roles. The label was established in 2005 as Lil Wayne’s imprint under Cash Money; its historical launch roster is not a reliable list of who is contracted to it today.

What was Young Money, and who was in its original collective?

Young Money Entertainment was established in 2005 as an imprint of Cash Money Records. The label’s historical account identifies Lil Wayne as CEO and Mack Maine as president, and says they led a talent search. It names ten artists in the launch-era collective, who were also described as signed solo artists: Mack Maine, Drake, Nicki Minaj, Jae Millz, Tyga, Shanell, Gudda Gudda, Lil Chuckee, Lil Twist and T-Streetz. Young Money’s About Us page is a history of the label, not a current contract roster.

How did Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga become the most visible members?

The label’s account marks 2009 as a defining early period, pointing to Drake’s So Far Gone EP and the collective album We Are Young Money, which it calls the group’s debut album. Drake, Minaj and Tyga went on to become the collective’s most visible solo stars. That contrast between breakout visibility and the rest of the roster is part of the story, but it does not mean every less-famous member stopped making music.

What happened to Jae Millz?

Jae Millz gave a first-person explanation for leaving. In a 2018 interview, he said he did not see a plan for his album and decided to move on for practical reasons. He described the label’s attention shifting toward Drake, Nicki Minaj and Tyga as their careers rose, and characterized his departure as a business decision rather than a personal one. That is Millz’s account of his own experience, not proof that every other artist left for the same reason. Read the interview.

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Where did other Young Money artists go?

The later careers of the less prominent members were varied. A 2023 retrospective reported several examples, but it is a dated snapshot rather than a complete or current roster audit:

  • Jae Millz: continued making music under Potent Dept.
  • Kidd Kidd: founded RLLNR Entertainment.
  • Austin Mahone: continued releasing music after his Young Money period.

The same retrospective noted other music and executive activity among former or associated artists. These examples show why “disappeared” is too broad a description, but they should not be read as confirmation of anyone’s activity or contract status after the report’s April 2023 publication. See the 2023 retrospective.

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Is Young Money still active, and who is on the label now?

“Who’s on Young Money?” can mean either who appeared in its historical collective or who currently has a recording contract there. Those are different questions. Universal Music Group and Republic Records currently list Young Money among Republic’s ventures, and Republic’s artist listings include Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj. The corporate pages do not establish the exact current label role or contract status of every artist named in Young Money’s historical roster. Universal Music Group’s Republic overview and Republic’s About page provide the current corporate context.

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What did the Cash Money dispute change?

Young Money’s business relationship with Cash Money also changed. A 2017 complaint concerning Young Money, Cash Money, Aspire Music Group and Drake made allegations about contracts, accounting and profit shares; those claims in a filed pleading should not be treated as court findings. In 2018, Pitchfork reported that Young Money was no longer a joint business venture with Cash Money following Lil Wayne’s settlement. The report does not make the historical roster a current list of artists under contract. Read the 2017 complaint and Pitchfork’s 2018 report.

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