Birdman: Birdbrain or Businessman?

By now you’ve probably heard the story. A few months ago, Bryan “Birdman” Williams tweeted about purchasing a one of a kind Maybach Exelero coupe for a whopping $8 million. Blog forums were filled of comments which condemned the Cash Money CEO for hardly ever being in the news concerning any philanthropic efforts, but instead for highlighting Gucci shopping sprees and a massive car collection which already includes a $1.5 million dollar Maybach Landaulet and a $2 million dollar Bugatti Veyron . . .whatever the heck that is.

Now, it’s been reported that Birdman has not yet paid for the newest pricey toy.  And because it has ended up in the media where everyone gets to share their opinions simply because, well, we all have one, there’s a new spin on the comments being posted. For many, it seems he should be ashamed for boasting about it before actually buying it. . . .

Hmmm . . . so let me get this straight: He was a birdbrain for wanting to buy it in the first place and now he’s a birdbrain for not going through with it just because he already talked it up?

First of all, why the big shock from a guy who’s been telling us he was the “#1 Stunna” since back in the day? Maybe he’s halted his plans to purchase for business reasons. After all, anyone who could name themselves “Birdman” and still be listed by Forbes as having a net worth of at least $100 million gets my vote for some type of business sense.

Let’s say Birdman weighed his options, investments, upcoming business transactions and simply changed his mind. I mean, could a brother do that without being made a mockery of? Maybe he wants to save up more cash money before he buys the car or maybe he’s decided to lay off the purchase all together.  Either way, what’s wrong with that?

This notion of buying something we really can’t afford is a problem we see extremely too often in America and especially within the Black community.  Once we open our mouths about something we want to “save face” by going through with it, whether the choice is beneficial or not.  But, where does this sense of obligation come from? Why do we even care so much? What’s the deal with breaking our backs to prove something to other broke folks?

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It’s easy to judge folks in the limelight, but those people were once you and I. If you aren’t superior with money management skills when you have little to no money, you don’t necessarily become better because you have more money.  You actually make the same bad decisions you would have before; They’ve just intensified to include more expensive stuff.  This is why every other month we here about celebrities foreclosing on homes (and yes, I know Birdman has done that too in the past) or going to jail for tax evasion.

But, here’s a little food for thought: How much worse is it when we buy a $200 Coach bag knowing we’re already living paycheck to paycheck and our car is one green light from junk yard heaven?  Even if Birdman did purchase the car at a ridiculous $8 million, that’s 8% of his reported $100 million dollar net worth.  How much is $200 of your net worth? I’ll wait while you do the math. . . .

Birdman’s business manager, Vernon Brown, told Forbes that “[Birdman] never risks more than he has in his pocket, and he wouldn’t even think of risking anything in his bank account.” I think that’s more than most of us can say.  Birdman is no birdbrain. I never thought I’d say this, but he actually sounds like quite the businessman to me. He stated his vision and made his wishes known. Now, he’s behind the scenes doing what he needs to do to make sure the purchase doesn’t cost him everything.  Let’s just take a lesson out of his book for once. When we open ourselves up, we can actually learn something.

Until Next Time,

 

Seek Wisdom, Find Wealth & Be Blessed