Mystikal signs to Cash Money

    In an interview with XXL, Birdman talked about signing fast rapping artist Mystikal to Cash Money Records, and how he was happy signing a home town hero to the label. He also stated that he thinks he can help the rapper reach huge levels of fame given his original talent:

"Just to be able to work with Mystical, I'll tell him I appreciate the opportunity," Birdman says of the union. "All he's been through and him being from the town and what we been through together, it means a lot to me, what we're doing, building the brand and the team. I'm super excited, the team is super excited. 2012 we're gonna let it go, we have a lot of great music on him. I want him to be bigger than he's ever been. I have a lot of great music on him, we know it's a lot of work. He knows it's a lot f work. We're gonna go hard. It's perfect timing for him and for us to be able to work with him," continues Baby. "We're just excited. I didn't even look at the past. I didn't think about what we went through. That shit's so far behind us. We're trying to provide for the team and the family. I think he's a special talent like a Busta Rhymes or a Drake or a Wayne. He can't be duplicated. His style is original. We gonna put out some visuals on him, his album is coming in May and we gonna roll." (XXL)

This interview comes just after the announcement of Mystikals signing which was just announced December 13, in which Mystikal said how the signing made him "feel like a rapper again":

"It has been a truly long time since I have felt like a rapper and with this signing, and partnership, Birdman and Slim have given me my life as a rapper back. I am ready to go. I am going to put my red Superman drawers, cape and boots on and go! This is a huge moment for me and I am truly excited to be with Cash Money Records."

Cashmoney has stayed busy in recent days, with the announcement of bringing hip hop heavyweight Busta Rhymes to the label as well and stressed that he likes to give his artist their independence to do their own thing:

Whatever they bring to the table, whatever their vision is, [my role is] just to back it up and let them be the artist that they want to be and we support what they want to do," Birdman said in an interview. "We never was [the type] to try to tell no [artist] how to do music, that's not what we're about. We like to let an artist be an artist and we support what they want to do." (MTV)