The Rise of a Young Legend: CashMoneyAP & Cash Gang Records

Producergrind had the privilege of linking up with one of the industry’s top type beat, entrepreneurial producers, CashMoneyAP, where we discuss his humble beginnings, ultimate come up story, success in selling beats online, and signing a publishing deal. 

Originally from Guadeloupe – a small French island located in the Caribbean - CashMoneyAP took up mixing beats in high school as a hobby, with no real expectations of making it big. With little opportunity to promote or monetize his talent in his small hometown, he started off simply by remaking his favorite beats by artists such as Waka Flocka, and posting them to YouTube. Before long was creating his own original beats that were catching ears all over the widely used platform. To gain more exposure, he began uploading free, original beats to his channel and blew up in no time, with well-known artists even reaching out to him requesting more beats. He also took advantage of the “type beat” marketing strategy, in which he would title each video with names of rappers he hoped would record over his production. Before long, he had placements with artists such as Migos, Chief Keef, and Young Thug. 

Once CashMoneyAP was able to maintain a steady income solely from selling his beats online, he decided to drop out of school to focus all his time and energy on producing, and it paid off. Although he believes YouTube is now becoming oversaturated with free beats, and has decided to mostly focus on industry production, he still stays present in the YouTube community. After learning that up-and- coming rappers such as Lil Tjay and Polo G had used his free beats placed on YouTube, he decided it would be wise to continue to keep his channel current, in order to connect with rising producers before they hit it big. Fast-forward to 2020 and CashMoneyAp now has a massive following, with 700k+ followers, and his videos totaling over 178 million views. 

Now that the young legend has found real success in his career, he stresses the importance of having a solid team around him to help manage his finances and responsibly conduct his business. Once signing to Universal in 2016, he began to receive enough support and guidance that finally allowed him to focus solely on creating his music. 

To take his career to the next level, CashMoneyAP began signing his own producers to Cash Gang Records, including Kai, TIG, Kio, Alecto, ReadyMade, and Mook. While the ultimate goal is to get each of them industry placements, he continues to have them build their online presence and following, as he knows from experience that exposure is crucial. 

After spending several years attempting to perfect his craft and start generating income, his best advice to aspiring producers is to stay patient and keep going - no matter how much adversity and obstacles come your way. He also explains that after years of keeping himself hidden behind the screen, that he was finally able to come out of his shell and show more face. He suggests other new artists do the same, as it helps them to better connect with their audience and build their brand. While he admits that the road to success is neither a short nor smooth one, he assures a strong work ethic and refusal to give up will eventually pay off.