NEW YORK, N.Y., Nov. 20, 2009—It’s back to school for Cash Money CEOs and co-founders Ronald “Slim†Williams, brother Bryan “Birdman†Williams and their latest hit artist Jay Sean.
The principals behind the historic, New Orleans-based hip-hop label will take part in “Where Do I Sign?,†Pace University School of Law Professor Vernon J. Brown’s Entertainment Law class on the White Plains, N.Y., campus Monday evening, Nov. 23, from 6-8 p.m. A limited number of seats are available for the media and public.
“The goal is to give my entertainment law students practical knowledge in working with their clients and interacting with label executives,†Brown explains. “What artists expect from their attorneys and what they should expect from their clients. The class is like Inside the Actor’s Studio for lawyers, offering practical advice for the way things actually work in the real world.â€
Brown has invited a number of his clients to address his class over the past four years, with the discussions focusing on how resolving legal issues has shaped the individual artists’ and label executives’ careers, with an extensive question-and-answer session. “My long-range goal is to give a similar class to junior high school and high school students, to make them aware of other careers that exist in the entertainment world other than as performers,†he says.
The Williams recently marked the 10th anniversary of their distribution deal with Universal Music Group for their groundbreaking label, which over the years has produced hit albums by Lil Wayne, Drake, Jay Sean, Juvenile, B.G., Turk, Big Tymers, Mannie Fresh, Hot Boys and Baby/Birdman, two of Bryan Williams’ hip-hop alter egos. Jay Sean is the label’s latest success, with a chart-topping single in “Down†and his U.S. debut album, All or Nothing, hitting stores on Monday (11/23).
Brown, who has been Cash Money’s business manager and attorney for 14 years and one of the industry’s leading business managers for more than two decades, is a graduate of City College of New York, a licensed Certified Public Accountant who earned his law degree from Pace University, where he has taught Entertainment Law for the past four years. As Chairman/CEO of V. Brown & Company, he represents clients in all areas of entertainment, including fashion (supermodels Jessica Stam, Marisa Miller, Miranda Kerr, Coco Rocha), sports (Allan Houston, Charlie Ward, Ty Law, Michael Redd, Clinton Portis and Dwight Freeney), recording artists (Notorious B.I.G., Erykah Badu, Brian McKnight, Ne-Yo), film producers, performers (Steve-O) and directors (Harold “Hype†Williams).
