Only ones eating back then was CEO nikkas you named. Birdman,P,JD and Puff were on another level. The OP is talking about B and C level guys like 42 Dugg and EST Gee walking around with 50k in their pockets at any given moment with over 100k in ice on. Top tier rappers like Migos,Lil Baby, Da Baby,Durk,Moneybagg can command 150-250k for a show now.
Ice Cube was literally living with his mom when he left NWA.
Breh, you do realize that these rappers who were being cheated out of their money in the 90's walked around with money, rocked ice, and had cars right? How are you a fan of the Hot Boys and not see this? Walking around with five figures on you and posing on IG is nothing different from rappers stunting in the 90's.
You're in here talking about CO'S were the only ones eating in the 90's. Do you know how many rappers doubled as CEO'S in the 90's. A lot of them were label owners with real artists under them that were successful. And it wasn't that they HAD to be CEO's to make any real money. It was because in the 90's, there was so much money in rap music that if you were a hot artist, the label just gave you a label just because. Busta had a label. Mase had a label. Individual members of Bone had a label.
And you talking about Cube living with his moms as if his story stopped with him leaving NWA. Cube had a string of successful albums in the 90's that set him up for other avenues of wealth.