How Much Are Rappers Selling Their Catalogs ForTM?
From Dr. Dre to Lil Wayne, and the estate of the late Juice WRLD, here are all of the rappers who have sold their catalogs for a hefty price tag.
Complex Original
Image via Complex Original
There comes a point in every veteran artist’s career—after the hit records and the accolades—when they ask what comes next. Some artists start tech companies or venture into media. But for many seasoned artists right now, what’s next is selling their catalogs. For years, popular artists like Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, and Bob Marley have sold their catalogs for multimillions, and now the rap world is following suit. Over the last few years, rappers have been cashing in on their legendary output. From Dr. Dre to the estate of the late Juice WRLD, here are all of the rappers who have sold their catalogs for a hefty price tag.
Dr. Dre
Image via Getty / Theo Wargo
Price tag: ~$200 million
Music included in the deal: a share of his royalties from N.W.A., a share of his producer royalties, and two of his solo albums.
In January 2023, reps close to Dr. Dre confirmed to Variety that the rap mogul was selling his catalog and artist royalties to Shamrock Holdings for “well above $200 million.” Dr. Dre became a star as a member of hardcore rap group N.W.A. before enjoying a successful solo career as both a performing artist and producer. The acquisition includes his first two solo albums, 1992’s The Chronic and 1999’s 2001. It also includes his share of N.W.A.’s royalties as well as his producer and writer’s royalties. The acquisition will additionally extend to his share of music released under the Aftermath/Interscope joint venture with Top Dawg Entertainment, including Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN. and To Pimp a Butterfly.
Lil Wayne
Image via Getty / Michael Tran
Price tag: over $100 million
Music included in deal: All of his music, plus Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga’s catalogs under Young Money
In December 2020, TMZ confirmed that Lil Wayne sold his masters to Universal Music Group for over $100 million. (The acquisition was discovered in court documents related to a dispute with his ex-manager.) Wayne’s catalog, which dates back to the late ’90s, is definitely substantial in its own right, but the deal also included music from his Young Money label and its biggest signees Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga. That means Universal owns the rights to every Drake record from 2010’s Thank Me Later to 2018’s Scorpion and songs like “God’s Plan,” as well as Nicki’s The Pinkprint and Tyga’s 2012 album Careless World: Rise of the Last King.
Juice WRLD
Image via Getty / Steve Jennings
Price tag: Nine figures
Music included in deal: All of his released catalog and “hundreds” of unreleased songs
Juice WRLD was a leader of the SoundCloud rap era and made genre-defying, vulnerable music that defined a generation of music listeners, and on Feb. 3, nearly four years after his death, Billboard confirmed that Opus Music Group had acquired a majority stake of the Chicago rapper’s catalog in early 2022 for nine figures. Opus did not disclose the exact dollar amount, but the deal includes all of Juice WRLD’s catalog, meaning songs like “Lucid Dreams” and “All Girls Are the Same,” as well as projects like Death Race for Love, are included in the acquisition. Furthermore, Opus now owns 90 percent of Juice’s interest in master recording income and 90 percent of his share of publishing ownership.
Future
Image via Getty / Jason Koerner
Price tag: $75 million
Music included in deal: All music he released between 2004 and 2020
Last September, it was announced that New York–based entertainment company Influence Media had acquired Future’s iconic publishing catalog for an estimated $75 million. The eight-figure acquisition includes 612 tracks released between 2004 and 2020 like “Mask Off” and Drake collaborations “Jumpman” and “Life Is Good.” Responding to news of the acquisition, Future said in a brief statement, “My music is my art, and these songs represent some of the most precious artwork of my career.”
Metro Boomin
Image via Getty / Craig Barritt
Price tag: $70 million
Music included in deal: top-charting singles such as Migos’ “Bad and Boujee,” The Weeknd’s “Heartless,” 21 Savage’s “Bank Account,” “Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1” by Kanye West, “Jumpman” by Drake and Future, and more
On March 7, it was revealed that Atlanta producer Metro Boomin sold a percentage of his legendary catalog to Shamrock Capital for $70 million. Metro is largely credited for defining the trap sound of Atlanta with thundering bass and sinister instrumentation. His catalog includes some of the biggest songs of the last decade like Migos’ “Bad and Boujee” and Future and Drake’s “Jumpman.” His deal with Shamrock follows the company’s previous acquisitions of Dr. Dre’s and Taylor Swift’s music catalogs. On March 9, Metro wrote on Twitter that he still owns “the masters to all my albums and always will.”
Chuck D
Image via Getty / Scott Dudelson
Price tag: amount undisclosed
Music included in deal: His share of Public Enemy’s entire 300-plus-song catalog.
Public Enemy co-founder Chuck D announced last September that he had sold a majority stake of his music catalog to Reach Music Publishing for an undisclosed amount. The deal includes more than 300 songs released by the influential group that kick-started a wave of politically and socially conscious music in hip-hop, including “Fight the Power,” “Bring the Noise,” and “Shut Em Down.” Reach Music Publishing also acquired 100 percent of Chuck D’s writer’s royalties and 50 percent of his copyright interest and global administration rights.
