Are we finally ready to accept that rappers today are way richer than those in the 90s

[Awesome Wells]

Someone like Polo G would look at Method mans bank account from the 90’s like “that’s it nikka ? “

Dude's mother just had to take out a loan for $20K to get him out of lockup.

She doesn't have access to that in any account?

 

[Awesome Wells]

Is it true that DMX was given $1 million just to record Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood in a month?

And it's interesting you mentioned artists back then being rich even without major hits. I know Gang Starr had a lot of money and they didn't even earn a gold album until Moment of Truth. But at the same time, wasn't Q-Tip still living with his mother after The Low End Theory came out? I don't know how much money Tribe was making back then.

Yeah. Lyor gave X a million dollar bonus just to record another album in 30 days, lol. But this is back when the music industry was doing like $22B a year, in revenue. The highest it's ever been.

It's true, people who weren't around back then, see rappers flashing money online and think it means something. A lot of the rappers in the 90's owned all of their publishing. So they didn't even have to sell crazy records to get rich off one album. Tribe had a really shytty deal with Jive, where they were getting sued left and right for samples, and Jive wasn't even helping them to clear stuff or with the legal fees. And then the group had to pay mad money in back-royalties to a lot of the original artists they used for the first album. So they went into The Low End Theory in serious debt. This is right around when the Biz situation happened and all those older artists started coming after rappers for 100% of the publishing for the songs. Tip said they had to tour and do other stuff to make back the money they lost in those lawsuits.

 

[OHSNAP!]

Old heads get so when they have to deal with reality.

face it, all these dudes like 20-25 and probably spend more in jewelry than what them 90 rappers were saving up. Someone like Polo G would look at Method mans bank account from the 90’s like “that’s it nikka ? Damn “

Money invested so smartly
Ten years later: "will suck dikk n balls for loaf of bread"

 

[Mike the Executioner]

Yeah. Lyor gave X a million dollar bonus just to record another album in 30 days, lol. But this is back when the music industry was doing like $22B a year, in revenue. The highest it's ever been.

It's true, people who weren't around back then, see rappers flashing money online and think it means something. A lot of the rappers in the 90's owned all of their publishing. So they didn't even have to sell crazy records to get rich off one album. Tribe had a really shytty deal with Jive, where they were getting sued left and right for samples, and Jive wasn't even helping them to clear stuff or with the legal fees. And then the group had to pay mad money in back-royalties to a lot of the original artists they used for the first album. So they went into The Low End Theory in serious debt. This is right around when the Biz situation happened and all those older artists started coming after rappers for 100% of the publishing for the songs. Tip said they had to tour and do other stuff to make back the money they lost in those lawsuits.

And they were still able to make The Low End Theory in spite of everything they were going through.

What was going on with Nas before It Was Written came out? He had money from Illmatic, but apparently, he wasn't responsible with it and he didn't have anything to wear for the Source Awards? According to him, he was arrested hours before the awards and he showed up in the same clothes they arrested him in.

 

[Awesome Wells]

And they were still able to make The Low End Theory in spite of everything they were going through.

What was going on with Nas before It Was Written came out? He had money from Illmatic, but apparently, he wasn't responsible with it and he didn't have anything to wear for the Source Awards? According to him, he was arrested hours before the awards and he showed up in the same clothes they arrested him in.

They kinda had to, lol.

I remember Phife saying that they group didn't make a penny off of "Can I Kick It" because Lou Reed said he wanted everything made on the record or he would sue to get it taken off the shelves. That's how crazy those older artists went at them for the money.

Stoute said Nas wasn't getting "the kind of money" he should've had because the producers on Illmatic ate his whole budget up, lol. Nas always said he blew all of his money back then. He was only 20 when it dropped, so I can see that happening. The album did like 165,000 by the second week, and that's when he said he became a millionaire. Which goes to how much you could make back then, without even selling a lot.

 

[Piff Perkins]

I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding of rap money in here, and perhaps some bias where people feel they must "defend" 90s rappers because they prefer that music over today's music. But here are the facts. Most rappers in the 90s were cash poor and lived off advances They were trapped in terrible deals that largely made album sales irrelevant for them. They didn't tour. They didn't get many promotional deals. They certainly had enough money to buy a nice apartment in NY/LA, buy a car, etc...but overall MOST rappers weren't making money like that.

Today...guess what...most rappers aren't making much money either. But I would argue that the rappers who are popping today - Drake, Cole, Kendrick, Travis, Cardi, NBA Youngboy, Lil Baby, Future, Gunna, etc - have made far more money than the rappers who were popping the most in the 90s and early 00s on average. The show money Drake/Cole/Kendrick touch put them ahead of everyone in the 90s. The show money NBA Youngboy commands trumps the show money Hov was making in 2000 for instance. Rappers today have more revenue options than 90s rappers and it's not close. Even a 360 deal isn't stopping Lil Baby from making obscene money.

I'd also argue that b and c level rappers make more money today than back then. Consider someone like Schoolboy Q, who lives in Calabasas. Or Freddie Gibbs, who also lives in Calabasas. Or ASAP Ferg, who lives comfortable. Think of a 90s rapper who compares to them success wise and you're looking at an artist who again, had a nice apartment in LA somewhere but that's it.

 

[Lhark]

I've already accepted it, it's probably because i'm younger though and grew up hearing artist get screwed by record labels. I also say that assuming there are more opportunities for rappers to make now than it was 20-30 years ago.

 

[Saysumthinfunnymike]

who has more money than

Dre
Hov
Master P
Birdman
Puffy
Em ...etc.


???

 

[JustCKing]

I've already accepted it, it's probably because i'm younger though and grew up hearing artist get screwed by record labels. I also say that assuming there are more opportunities for rappers to make now than it was 20-30 years ago.

What new opportunities are new rappers getting offered that rappers in the 90's weren't taking advantage of? Like I said, there were rappers who didn't even have Gold albums appearing in these big Sprite campaigns. Eve was a part of that whole Five Deadly Venoms Sprite campaign before her debut dropped. Angie Martinez was in the same commercial as was Amil. None of them had albums out. Common hadn't even gone Gold yet when he was in a Sprite commercial. Nas and AZ had their own Sprite commercial. Busta Rhymes was in several Mountain Dew commercials.

 

[Awesome Wells]

I think there's a fundamental misunderstanding of rap money in here, and perhaps some bias where people feel they must "defend" 90s rappers because they prefer that music over today's music. But here are the facts. Most rappers in the 90s were cash poor and lived off advances They were trapped in terrible deals that largely made album sales irrelevant for them. They didn't tour. They didn't get many promotional deals. They certainly had enough money to buy a nice apartment in NY/LA, buy a car, etc...but overall MOST rappers weren't making money like that.

Today...guess what...most rappers aren't making much money either. But I would argue that the rappers who are popping today - Drake, Cole, Kendrick, Travis, Cardi, NBA Youngboy, Lil Baby, Future, Gunna, etc - have made far more money than the rappers who were popping the most in the 90s and early 00s on average. The show money Drake/Cole/Kendrick touch put them ahead of everyone in the 90s. The show money NBA Youngboy commands trumps the show money Hov was making in 2000 for instance. Rappers today have more revenue options than 90s rappers and it's not close. Even a 360 deal isn't stopping Lil Baby from making obscene money.

I'd also argue that b and c level rappers make more money today than back then. Consider someone like Schoolboy Q, who lives in Calabasas. Or Freddie Gibbs, who also lives in Calabasas. Or ASAP Ferg, who lives comfortable. Think of a 90s rapper who compares to them success wise and you're looking at an artist who again, had a nice apartment in LA somewhere but that's it.

This is very inaccurate, bro, lol.

The advances in the 90's were nowhere near life-changing money. You made your money back then on the road and from album sales. The majority of the people you listed from the newer artists don’t even own their publishing. So getting money for them is a lot harder unless they sell astronomically. Which most of them don't. People have to stop looking at the videos and social media and start looking at their actual deals.

Comparing Jay to NBA Youngboy is wild. Jay was a part owner in a company that made over $100M in revenue from a tour he headlined in 1999. His joint venture with Def Jam was landing him close to $30M an album. No recouping, no cut going to anyone else but him, for his tours and merchandise. These dudes today aren't seeing any deals that are remotely close to how fruitful they were back then. This isn't about old music versus new music. It's about the times changing and an entire structure being less profitable today. These artists are trying to eat in an industry that's making 70% less than it was 20-21 years ago. They're not going to make more bread than the successful artists of that time because there's no bread for them to make. Especially under a 360 structure. Which is literally the idea.

It's common sense.

 

[Awesome Wells]

I've already accepted it, it's probably because i'm younger though and grew up hearing artist get screwed by record labels. I also say that assuming there are more opportunities for rappers to make now than it was 20-30 years ago.

They're getting even more screwed over today, and for way more money than back in the day. But most of them either don’t know it, or they won't say because it goes against what they've put out as their image. But in just listening to them speak, they don’t even know who owns their shyt, lol. They're just signing papers and doing whatever they're asked to do for that short bag today, not knowing what it really means in the long run. And judging from what's being said in this thread, a lot of other dudes would get caught up in that same shyt too. LOL!

 

[JustCKing]

The dumbest part about this thread is that the economy was in much better shape in the 90's than it is now. Someone who is earning more now would be less in the 90's than it would be by today's standards whereas someone earning the equivalent in the 90's would be more by today's standards. Biggie's $10 million in the 90's would be about $20 million by today's standards.

 

[ISO]

Dude's mother just had to take out a loan for $20K to get him out of lockup.

She doesn't have access to that in any account?

She gave him 100K on his birthday

 

[Awesome Wells]

She gave him 100K on his birthday

I always find it funny when people do mad extra shyt like that, but never seem to have any bread when it matters. That's why you can't believe most of the shyt you see these people doing in these videos. It's all for show and frontin'. $100K in "cash" for his birthday and you need a loan for 20 a few months later to get him out?

"You got 'flash now', but 'time will reveal' money", lol.

 

[ISO]

I always find it funny when people do mad extra shyt like that, but never seem to have any bread when it matters. That's why you can't believe most of the shyt you see these people doing in these videos. It's all for show and frontin'. $100K in "cash" for his birthday and you need a loan for 20 a few months later to get him out?

"You got 'flash now', but 'time will reveal' money", lol.

My fault I’m bugging it was 100K for his album release party

She’s actually his manager too