How Much Money Do Rappers Make? Everything You Need To Know About Rapper Money In 2024

If you want to go into the rap business, you’ll undoubtedly want to exactly how much time you can make once you’ve established a name. It takes time and talent to become a rapper, but it is possible to make a living doing so.

If you have some quality compositions to sell and regular appearances, you may turn your songs and rhyming talents into a lucrative career.

how much do rappers make

What Is the Most Profitable Way for a Rapper to Make Some money?

Rappers in America earn an average of $77,000 a year. It’s typical for a beginning rapper to earn less as they begin building a following and getting their songs out there. While it may not be as much as rapping superstars, many novice rappers may expect to earn around $30 per hour for part-time work.

As a rookie rapper, your earnings will be determined by how much effort and time you can devote to the job. This is also determined by your audience and how well your song is accepted. This article will look at the typical rap musician income and how you may start your own music industry and convert your hobby into a career.

According to Simply Hired, rappers and hip-hop music artists may earn slightly more than $77,000 per year on average. This is the median salary, including those like Jay-Z who makes almost $900 million per year and those just beginning out.

Furthermore, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the median hourly wage for all musical artists is about $30.39. Working full-time for this amount, even at the low end of the spectrum, can help you make an excellent livable wage. The majority of the new rappers start part-time, but it’s a great place to start.

A rapper performs in front of a small crowd.
A rookie rapper performs in front of a small crowd.

Professional rappers and big names will make more money than new rappers. However, with strenuous effort and the appropriate promotion, individuals may make a decent living in the process. This may evolve into a full-time job for you, allowing you to follow your passion full-time.

However, there are some positive and negative aspects. The best part is that there has never been a better moment to earn some money as a rapper than now. The sad fact is that if you’d instead be the next great thing in rap music, the chances are still stacked against you.

If we go back only 15 years, making a career as a rapper was a very different story. All of your music would be burned into a CD and you’d only be able to generate money via hand-to-hand sales, where you’d stroll about your town selling your CD to individuals in your neighborhood.

You’d have to send your CD to significant companies and hope that an agency somewhere spotted potential in your music if you wanted to grow more significant than that. If you were lucky, you could make some money from a few gigs here and there, but if you wanted to get noticed, you’d have to obtain a gig in a major city perhaps at a rap battle event.

However, bear in mind that Rap Music had only recently been widespread in the United States, so if you lived elsewhere on the planet, this was much more out of reach.

But it does not mean it will be easy, and all of these advantages come at a cost: much competition. You must look at the complete package, not just the music.

Here are the five most crucial things a rapper should keep in mind if he wishes to make a decent living:

The 5 most important things a rapper should remember if he wants to make a living as a rapper
The 5 most important things a rapper should remember: Beats, Social Media, Appearance, Visuals, and Materials.

Beats

You can’t just use any beat and expect to get away with it. It would help if you ideally had your own beats so you don’t be sued for copyright when you publish them, and so you can play the music using high-quality WAV beats rather than MP3s stolen from YouTube.

This may necessitate some investment in purchasing beats from producers or dedicating time to learning how to generate beats yourself.

Social media

You’ll almost certainly have to handle all of this on your own and you’ll need to update it as frequently as possible to keep people engaged. You’ll also have to be cautious about what you say and how you say it because others will monitor your every move for something they can use to witch hunt you if you step out of line.

Appearance

Because there is a greater emphasis on artists’ looks now than there has ever been, you will need to ensure that you “look the part,” or at the very least that you have a “look” that people will recognize. This isn’t anything a musician should be concerned about, but it is, sadly, in today’s world.

Visuals

The same goes for your videos, as it does for your appearance. People now want you to include videos or ‘bar videos,’ which must consist of content in order to gain shares and likes.

Keep in mind that this will all cost money, so you’ll almost certainly have to invest some of your own money before you get a satisfactory return on your investment.

Material

You will be required to generate original material. Something needs to be done about it. It doesn’t matter if it’s the rhymes, the flow, the arrangement, or the content, or anything at all. One of these components, or a combination of these elements, must stand out. Instead of imitating what others are doing, aim to offer something new to the genre.

A studio recording session with a seasoned rapper.
A studio recording session with a seasoned rapper.

As you can undoubtedly understand from these five reasons, it will not only necessitate some initial investment, but it will also necessitate a great deal of hard effort if you are serious about taking it seriously.

Yes, it is feasible to make a livelihood as a rapper, and it is more possible than it has ever been. However, it will almost certainly be a full-time job.

If you already have a job, you’ll be working a lot of late evenings and early mornings with few days off. And if you’re jobless, you’ll need to go to work on your objectives as soon as possible to start making money.

After you’ve established the basics of your company, you may begin looking for revenue-generating gigs. And once you’ve built up a sizable fan base, try selling some goods to see how well it sells. If rap fights are your thing, you may also apply because it is a fantastic platform for marketing, possibly the greatest in the business.

Rappers gathered in a closed room to battle.
Rappers gathered in a closed room to battle.

But keep in mind that rap fights may both make and break musicians. As a result, you’ll need to be cautious about what others can learn about you and ensure that you’re capable of battling, as it’s not the same as merely rhyming.

That would be enough to keep you going and you may be able to follow your dream of making a livelihood via rapping. If that doesn’t work out. don’t let anything stop you from making music and rapping.

Rap music should be about having fun while making it, not about making money. Make sure you enjoy what you’re doing, and the money will follow as a bonus.

How Long Does It Take for a Rapper to Make a Good Living?

Your skill will determine your earnings, the amount of time you can dedicate to your performance, and how quickly people become aware of you. Some rappers want to sign deals right away, while others are OK with a few concerts and minor sales each year.

The majority of young rappers will do this on the side. This enables them to expand their following and company while working part-time.

Making a mixtape, establishing a social media presence, and advertising for a few gigs help them grow a side hustle until it takes off. Your rap songs may only earn you a few thousand dollars a year at first.

You’ll acquire more jobs and be able to charge more for your services as time goes on. This allows you to make a full-time living from your skills and bring you close to, if not above, the national average. Even if you don’t want to be an international celebrity, you may make a solid living as a rap musician if you take the correct measures.

What Does a New Rapper Get Paid?

You may start your journey as a rapper and earn more money overall by doing a few things and producing the mixtape we mentioned. These are some of them:

Don’t let your music go for a buck

This may appear strange, but your music is your most powerful tool. This is one of the essential tools for growing your audience and fan following.

Rather than attempting to sell the song to a tiny fan audience as a newcomer, you may utilize the music to broaden your reach and build your fan base in the early stages. It is preferable to use your own material for promotional purposes while growing your business rather than worrying about selling it afterward.

Increase the size of your audience

By exposing yourself to various platforms, you can expand the size of your audience.
By exposing yourself to various platforms, you can expand the size of your audience.

The larger your audience the greater you’re earning potential. To expand your audience, use your talent and other intriguing aspects of yourself.

For example, if you can rap and are humorous, get on Social media and other online media sites and show off your funny side to get even more followers.

In the music industry, numbers equal money so figure out how to reach out to more individuals who are interested in your music.

Make music that is appropriate for your target audience

As you begin to build your own following, make sure you’re creating music that appeals to them as well Yes. you would like to be a rapper but you must also ensure that the subjects and types of rap music you create will appeal to your target audience.

It’s good to try out just a few different things at first to see what sticks. As your audience grows, experiment with a couple of different styles to discover which ones your audience responds to the best. Then you can utilize it as a springboard to grow your fan base and make more money as a new rapper.

Marketing

Your best buddy is marketing. You must devote time to market yourself as you expand your audience, learn new techniques to compose and play music and get your reputation out there. If no one knows who you are, no one will employ you for concerts or buy your songs.

Consider alternative ways to reach out to potential consumers, or team up with someone who knows how to sell music and have them do it for you.

A rapper records a live performance for social media sharing.
A rapper records a live performance for social media sharing.

Is it true that rappers make much money?

Yes, you can build a profession out of whatever you’re genuinely passionate about, as long as it makes you joyful and motivates you to succeed. One thing that genuinely crushes my heart and irritates me is why in this sort of sector, especially the arts in all forms, it is claimed that you cannot make money or get a real job out of it in the long term.

In my opinion, if you have talent and present it to the world in a way that is truly unique and different you can undoubtedly make a respectable living from it. However, the government wants you to work for them and pay for them, even though the money should be heading into subsidies research to make struggling artists gain recognition as the A-list.

We do not have enough money or people to help turn this into a better environment where you can make a better living and accomplish something you like in the long run.

But by all means, if you genuinely want to rap or create music as a coping mechanism a way to let our thoughts and feelings out talk to people, reach out to people, and send out a message which might change the world, keep and do what you love and what you’re good at. Because there will always be people who will try to break your hope in the industry.

But don’t ever give up! If you desire something in life you must produce and seek out opportunities.

Highest Paid Rapper of 2021

The richest and highest-paid rapper in 2021 is Kanye West, an American rapper, singer, businessman, fashion designer, and record producer. The 43-year-old rapper’s current net worth today is said to be $1.8 billion.

He officially became a billionaire back in 2020, with a net worth of $1.3 billion, which has continued to grow more and more each day. Most of the rapper’s wealth is linked to his Yeezy apparel brand which was estimated to have pulled around $1.7 billion in sales back in 2020, while his music catalog is worth $110 million.

The rapper has other assets from his other business ventures and a couple more dollars in cash and stocks. He also owns a small part of his ex-wife’s Skims Shapewear line that contributes to his growing net worth.

His success on both the business side and the music industry is constantly growing and progressing, which makes it harder for other rappers to keep up.

Conclusion

A novice rapper may need to devote some time to learning about their craft and developing a reputation. In the beginning, their pay is often low.

Even if a rapper does not become an international celebrity they can earn a solid living over time averaging and over $77,000 per year.

You might become a full-time artist in no time if you put in the effort and sell yourself well.

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About Maggie Holding

Hello! My name is Maggie and I am a proud Editor/Author for PlayTheTunes. Coming From South Carolina, USA, my whole life I've sang and played the guitar and flute! I love music with a passion, and am ecstatic to help others in their own music journey!