It's June 04, 2024, 10:18:39 PM
Braggadocio and machismo notwithstanding, I think we can be pretty sure that most westcoast rappers can not really make a living from rapping alone these days. So, let us gossip and guess and try to separate the real from the wannabes.Let's recognise a few categories:1. Definitely lives off music past and present. Given their sales, honoraria, royalties, concerts and so on, this is the group that are top-tiers in terms of income from music so not counting other sources. I think Dre, Snoop, E-40 and Too $hort are either clearly or likely there. Cube is presumably very well-off, but perhaps not off music alone.2. Used to be able to live off music income. This is where we presumably find a considerable number of has-beens who are still active and those who have had a consistent presence but only very shortly or never were in the commercial top-ranks. This is probably where the DJ Quiks, Xzibits, Cypress Hills, Dogg Pounds, Liks and the like hang out.3. Sizeable music income but not enough to consistantly live off of. People who largely do guest features but whose own sales are either very small or who don't put out actual albums are presumably here. I suspect the vast majority of westcoast rappers are in this category somewhere.4. Occassional income but hardly if ever able to live off it. Also-rans and minor but long-time presences of the westcoast are probably here as are those who had a short-lived career and have since (all but) vanished. Knoc-turn'al, Short Khop, Lil' 1/2 Dead, Big Hutch...come out to play, please. 5. Definitely not raking in anything significant. Apart from most up-and-coming nobodies, we should be looking at people who have had very few releases, few features and rarely perform. Who goes here?Would this be an accurate list? Which other westcoast artists belong in which category? Responses please!
2. Used to be able to live off music income. This is where we presumably find a considerable number of has-beens who are still active and those who have had a consistent presence but only very shortly or never were in the commercial top-ranks. This is probably where the DJ Quiks, Xzibits, Cypress Hills, Dogg Pounds, Liks and the like hang out.
Quote from: Z the laidback Virus on May 10, 2017, 07:34:24 AM2. Used to be able to live off music income. This is where we presumably find a considerable number of has-beens who are still active and those who have had a consistent presence but only very shortly or never were in the commercial top-ranks. This is probably where the DJ Quiks, Xzibits, Cypress Hills, Dogg Pounds, Liks and the like hang out. I think you are GREATLY underestimating how much anyone of these guys makes and how much catalog music actually can get someone who either produced or wrote the record. It's not like music income is reserved exclusively to CD sales. Quik alone is going to be making some extremely good money, just off skill set, but let's save that for a moment. Let's talk about established catalog. Maybe Quik only has a gold album or two in terms of solo CD's and maybe a hit single here and there. He's also produced on Black Album, Chingy's debut, Tony Toni Tone, and numerous others. Every time those albums get bought, physical, digital, or whatever, he's making money off that. Every time those songs get played on the radio, he gets a check, and trust me, they get played a lot in the West Coast region alone. Every time, a video shows up on MTV Classic or one of those Comcast music channels, they get paid. They show up in a movie that gets played on HBO all the time? Paycheck. Instrumental gets played during some MTV clip show? Paycheck. Rapper decides to borrow his lyrics or sample the beat? Paycheck. Now, all these paychecks are money he'd make simply off catalog music being in rotation. If he slept all day and never left the house, he'd still be making that money. There are thousands of radio stations across the world that play hip-hop music. Menace II Society and Head of State get a lot of play on cable. Xzibit, Cypress Hill, Kurupt, they all have music that gets similar play. Now, you break into their current musical ventures. Quik is not just an artist. He can produce, mix, engineer. Those are skills that can command high dollar on the daily. He's working with the Dr. Dre's, Snoop's, Ice Cube's, Game's, and everybody else. Even if he were to break from that, if he were to on a lazy day, record one verse and make one beat, what do you think he could sell that for on the market to an artist? That would be some money. That's not even touching touring. Trust me. If these guys are good at managing money, they are all eating very well.
If an artist is somewhat well known he can already ask for several K for just a simple verse. Imagine the numbers if they actually had a hit once.