Cash Money Records Signs Luis Armando as First Artist in New Latin Division

Luis Armando is makin’ (cash) money moves…

Cash Money Records has officially announced the creation of a Latin music division with the launch of the Puerto Rican emerging artist.

Luis Armando

Cash Money was founded by brothers Bryan “Birdman” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams in 1992. The new Latin division is a joint venture with Taste Music Group and major label support from Republic Records and Universal Music Latin.

“Urban Latin music is taking a similar course as we saw with Hip Hop during the 80s and 90s as it grew, evolved and fought to be accepted in the mainstream,” says Slim.

“It’s not just reggaeton anymore, it’s now evolving its subgenres (such as Latin Trap) and making them popular culture. At Cash Money we saw all that from the start in Hip Hop and we’re excited to adapt our lessons in helping develop Latin talent that also stands grounded in the Hip Hop world from day 1. With the guidance of various long-time Latin music experts such as Carlos Rivas, who is Cash Money’s Latin A&R, as well as our counterparts at Republic and Universal Latin we’re excited to venture into this new space as a label.”

As one of Hip-Hop’s reputable record labels, Cash Money has been home to some of the industry’s biggest names including DrakeLil’ Wayne, and Nicki Minaj. Now, the label believes it can transfer its know-how to the Latin market.

“Slim and Baby have the ability to spot talent like no other, they’ve proven that for many years,” Vernon Brown, Cash Money’s long-time attorney, and business manager, tells Billboard. “There’s a big confidence and commitment behind anything they touch. I think the ability to now bring Latin artists and see the merge is only going to be a positive result for any artist.”

Luis Armando, who was raised in Ohio, is the label’s first-ever recording Latin artist, making his debut with “Chica Mala” in collaboration with reggaeton veteran Ñengo Flow.

“We want our artists to be consistent, talented, and ready to work,” Slim says. “Someone who has that passion and drive and a vision of how great they want to be. If they’ve got that attitude, we’ll give it a shot. We believe in the new talents. Luis Armando is our first, but we’re excited to discover and help develop more talent as we move forward.”

The melodic urban fusions with tropical rhythms heard in “Chica Mala” puts Armando’s fresh musical proposal in the forefront.

Milian Makes Cameo Appearance in Birdman’s “Tapout” Video

If you’ve missed Christina Milian on The Voice, don’t worry… She’ll be back for the live rounds soon. But in the meantime, check her out in her latest cameo…

The 31-year-old Afro-Cuban American singer appears in Birdman’s new video “Tapout.”

Christina Milian & Paris Hilton

It’s the first single off of the Cash Money Records co-founder’s soon-to-be-released album Rich Gang: Flashy Lifestyle; and it features Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Mack Maine and Future,

Along with Birdman’s collaborators, the five-minute clip features appearances by Milian,  Paris Hilton and Kimora Lee Simmons as thieves posing as waitresses in a glamorous cocktail party out to pull off a heist in the ritzy mansion event venue.

In classic cat burglar style, Hilton and Milian successfully manage to break into the safe where all the cash and jewels are stashed. As they are about to escape, the rich owner and the cops get on their trail, capturing Milian but not Hilton, who easily walks away with the loot, giving Milian a knowing wink, revealing that the capture is a clever distraction.

Lozada’s Next Big Project: Writing

It’s time to add another title to Basketball Wives star and entrepreneur Evelyn Lozada’s resume: author.

The Puerto Rican beauty, the fiancée of NFL star Chad Ochocinco, has signed a six-figure deal with Cash Money Content to develop literary and feature film projects, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Lozada’s first writing project is The Wives Association, a series of books to be co-authored by novelist and former Law & Order: Criminal Intent scribe Courtney Parker. The series will be loosely based on the New York native’s life, using the alter ego Eve Inez-Landon to fictionalize the true stories she’s learned from years of experience dating pro athletes.

“The stories that you hear—what goes on in these relationships, and just being in that circle—I decided to let everyone experience a piece of it for themselves by writing this series of juicy novels,” says Lozada, who co-owns Dulce, a shoe boutique in Coral Gables, Florida.

Cash Money Content—the book publishing arm of record label Cash Money Records, founded by brothers Bryan “Baby” Williams and Ronald “Slim” Williams—hopes to develop film projects based on the books.

“By partnering with Baby and Cash Money Content, we have the potential to turn these ‘novels’ into a full-fledged brand,” explains Lozada. “Everything Baby and CMC touches turns to gold, and our brands together will be magical.”