(ThyBlackMan.com) I started “Your Favorite Rapper is Poor“ to answer one simple often incredibly complicated question: Just how much money do rappers really have?
Given the lengths that a rapper will go to in order to look rich, it can be nearly impossible to figure out the difference between owned and rented Bentleys, between guys who are truly making money and guys who are just spending their advances. But Time and time again though there’s been one thing capable of stripping away the smoke and mirrors and revealing the true size of your favorite rapper’s bank account: child support trials.
Only in a child support trial is the equation reversed and rappers are incentived to minimize their cash flow – “No your honor, that $100K Lambo isn’t an asset, I’m only renting it!” – and the latest reveal is Chief Keef, who a recent trail revealed is making approximately $13K a month, $2600 of which will now go towards child support. Huh….well then.
For the record, I know there’s a faction of people out there already typing hate mail, most notably this guy, so let me be clear. $13K a month, or about $150K a year, is a lot of money, it’s certainly more money than I make. I don’t begrudge him a single dollar, and I’m genuinely happy that someone from one of the worst places in America has been able to turn music into a viable, high-paying career.
But even considering that he’s almost certainly hiding some of his money from the courts, and he’ll most likely make more once his headphones line drops, it’s not that much*, and I think that’s important for people to know. Literally every day I hear from aspiring rappers who think dropping out of school is their best shot at becoming a millionaire because, directly or indirectly, they look to rappers like Chief Keef. By contrast, your average orthodontist makes $200K a year, so if you really are all about that money, learning how to put braces on a teenager is a far smarter move than picking up a mic.
And yes, I know medical school isn’t exactly a route open to everyone, hell there isn’t a medical school in America that’d let me in. Just know that your odds of even making as much money as Chief Keef are about as good as winning the lottery, and hitting that upper financial echelon is like hitting the lottery twice.
I’m not trying to crush your dreams (except you, you should stop now), but I am trying to be one of the few people willing to have an honest and open discussion about how much money is really changing hands in this rap game. Someone going broke chasing a rap dream, that’s the shit I don’t like.
Courtesty of; http://www.refinedhype.com
Hopefully this story will open the eyes of those that believe that all rappers have achieved megasuccess. The only reason for rap in the beginning was the message. Then when it was discovered that there really is an audience and money could be made, all Hell broke loose. Rapping was a way to express all sorts of concerns whether it was personal, social, or racial, the topics could be announced. Then someone had to take to another level by introducing the gangta chronicles. Debates are still ongoing as to who was the best while losing focus on what has been lost as a result of unnecessary foolishness, which now has no bounds. All genders are affected and we have seen the focus go from bringing solutions to the table to people trying to achieve 15 minutes of fleeting fame. It takes alot of nerve to be successful in todays world but I am still hopeful that a new star shall appear within my lifetime that will not only show people the way to go, but would assist in making this world a better place than it is now. The days of unclad women and images of wealth in excess are over. Life is a grind that has to be faced one day at a time. People are realizing that some of the folks that seem to have it all are going through things that are life changing in negative ways. They can not seem to handle all that comes with the territory and are finding themselves to be mentally challenged. So when the meltdowns occur, were they really unexpected. I should think not……..Peace out, Papacool.