Ever since he broke into the music scene in 2017, rapper, Lil Baby has enjoyed a type of meteoric rise that most musicians can only dream of. With his first two albums reaching the No. 3 and No. 1 spots on the Billboard Top 200 respectively and selling three million copies combined, Baby has stunned the entire world and has many media organizations running out of superlatives with which to describe his feats.
The young rapper remains calm and collected though with his eye firmly on the price which is to make an impact with his music and make a few bucks for himself in the process. Even since he was born, Baby has been a natural hustler and it is that mentality that has also helped him succeed in the music industry. With millions of albums sales and several concerts under his belt, the rapper has been able to build up a net worth estimate at $4 million.
How Lil Baby Achieved his $4 Million Net Worth
His First Two Albums have Sold about Three Million Copies Combined
Lil Baby’s impressive net worth is majorly due to album sales. The Atlanta native dropped his very first album, Harder than Ever, in May 2018. It had two tracks, Southside and Yes Indeed, and featured collaborations with the likes of Young Thug, Offset, and Lil Uzi Vert. The album sold about 71,000 copies in its first week but by the second week, dropped to 45,000. It further slid to 37,000 and 34,000 in its 3rd and 4th weeks respectively. Overall, the album would sell about one million copies in the United States alone as well as an additional 40,000 in Canada.
Baby’s second studio album, My Turn, even performed better than his first. The five-track album featured hits such as All In, The Bigger Picture, Waoh, Sum 2 Prove, and Emotionally Scared and was dropped in February 2020. The songs received favourable–to-mixed reviews from the critics but commercially, it was an outright hit. It sold about 197,000 copies in the first week that it was released and would later accumulate a total sales of 2 million copies hence a double-platinum certification from the RIAA.
On the charts, My Turn also performed marvellously well. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, the first time that Baby would achieve such a feat. It also topped the Billboard Top Rap Albums as well as the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. The album also charted in several countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, New Zealand, Sweden, and Switzerland.
To date, Lil Baby has sold not less than 3 million records combined. Going by the average price of one record, which is $8.99, it means that he has made about $24 million in total. Of course, a portion of this would have gone to the record label and the digital record stores while Baby would retain the remainder.
Lil Baby has Embarked on Back to Back Tours Since the Beginning of his Career
One of the most lucrative ways of earning money as a musician is through touring and Lil Baby’s net worth has benefitted from this fact. Since he commenced his career, he has performed at several concerts. He has also toured regularly. For instance, in 2019, the rapper embarked on two lengthy tours namely The New Generation Tour as well as The Harder Than Ever Tour.
The New Generation Tour spanned March to April 2019 and saw the award-winning rapper perform 25 different shows in cities such as Las Vegas, San Francisco, Houston, Denver, Oklahoma City, Kansas City, Chicago, Milwaukee, New York, Pittsburgh, and North Carolina. He then fittingly ended it with a stop in his beloved Georgia on the 20th of April 2019.
Lil Baby did not by any means go alone on the tour. He also had other supporting acts such as fellow rappers Jordan Hollywood, Marlo, Rylo Rodriguez, and 42Dugg. The gross of the tour was not made available but it will have run into 8-figures thanks to ticket sales as well as revenue generated from the merchandise.
Another lucrative tour that has helped shore up Lil Baby’s net worth is the Harder Than Ever Tour. The tour featured artists such as Kollision, YK Osiris, and 24 Heavy and spanned 35 dates across the months of August and September 2019. Stops included the cities of Denver, San Diego, Houston, Philadelphia, New York City, Norfolk, Dallas, Phoenix, Detroit, Cleveland, and Boston.
It hasn’t been all smooth sailing on tour for Lil Baby though as he has had to contend with some issues. During his concert in Birmingham, Alabama, there was some sort of altercation, and gunfire erupted by the side of the stage. This forced the rapper to hastily retreat to safety as his fans did likewise. One person was injured in the incident and was hospitalized.
At this point it’s safe to say I want 100k for a feature ????
— Lil Baby (@lilbaby4PF) June 26, 2020
He Gets Paid About $100K to Feature on One Song
Another lucrative source of wealth for Lil Baby is money earned through featuring on other people’s songs. Given that he is one of the hottest rappers in the game right now, everyone wants him to feature on their song. Between 2017 and 2020, the Atlanta native has featured in about 35 songs including Check – Chief, Usain Bolt – David Pablo, Got it Right – Popa Band, Change – Lou Kane, Dope Boyz – HG Nya Banx, Sold Out Dates – Gunna, Tootsies – Gucci Mane, Down Like That – KSI, On The Road – Post Malone, Highest in the Room – Travis Scott, I Do It – Lil Wayne, Life is Good remix – Future, Pardon – T.I., and Fake Love – 1K.
These features don’t come cheap and Baby gets tens of thousands of dollars just to spit one verse on a track. In July 2020, he upped the ante by tweeting that he wouldn’t feature on a song unless he was offered at least $100,000. His record label, Quality Control Music, also chimed in with their opinion and urged him to take the price to as much as $200,000 for one song.
Sources of Lil Baby’s Net Worth
- Album Sales – $24 Million est
- Concerts/Tours – N/A
- Features – $100,000
The Rapper Made Money from Gambling and Drugs Prior to Finding Fame as a Musician.
Lil Baby may be rolling in millions these days but he wasn’t hurting for cash before his music fame. This was not because he was born with the proverbial silver spoon or trust fund but due to his own efforts. Having witnessed the struggle that his mom was going through to raise him and his sisters, the young boy knew that he had to hustle too and he took to the streets.
The young Lil Baby got quite skilled in a dice game that is quite popular in Atlanta, known as cee-lo, and would often win tens of thousands of dollars off unsuspecting individuals. On one occasion, he was able to turn $60 into $100K relying almost on gambling. As the story goes, Baby had requested his two sisters as well as his mother to give him $20 apiece. They reluctantly did so and after a week, went snooping in his room and discovered wads of cash amounting to not less than $100k. The young man would later reveal to them that he bet $60 on 2k and had a winning streak which lasted all week long.
Apart from gambling, Lil Baby also dabbled into drug dealing at an early age and by the age of 16, was getting what he termed real money. With this, he bought a few cars as well as two condominiums which cost about $2000 per month. His drug dealing business eventually caught up with him and he was incarcerated multiple times. He was also sentenced to a two-year jail term at the age of 20. The prison time was pure misery for the young man and he knew that he had to make a change.
Baby remembered a mentor who had advised him to start rapping and upon release, immediately went in that direction. He released about four mixtapes in 2017 and at the end of that year, earned about $46.9k. The figure then jumped to $938.3k in 2018 aided by his well-received debut album, Harder than Ever. This upward trajectory also continued in 2019 ($1.7 million) and 2020 ($2.4 million) thanks to chart-topping albums and tours. It is now estimated that the rapper has earned about $7 million total in his career to date.
Lil Baby’s Net Worth Milestones
- 2017 – $46.9k
- 2018 – $938.3k
- 2019 – $1.7 million
- 2020 – $2.4 million
How Much Does Lil Baby Charge for a Show?
At the moment, the Atlanta-born rapper charges anything from $75k to $100k. This is certainly a big improvement from what it was when he was just starting out in the industry. As a newbie in 2016, Lil Baby had to perform at dingy venues for paltry checks of about $500 to $1000 each show.
Some of these venues didn’t even pay him at all and the matter was compounded by the fact that they didn’t even have the needed resources for his performances such as productions, pyrotechnics, screens, and DJ. It, therefore, fell to the rapper and his manager, Rashad, to do the background work for the show. Their efforts have now paid off as Baby is one of the most sought-after music acts in the world right now.
How Much Does The Rapper Make Each Year?
It is safe to assume that Baby makes not less than $2 million each year based on a study of the steady increase in his annual income. For his first year as a professional musician in 2017, he earned about $46.9k and by his second and third years of 2018 and 2019, this sum jumped to $938.3k and $1.7 million respectively. In 2020, the rapper still managed to top what he had made the previous year with $2.4. This was despite the coronavirus pandemic which severely limited the ability of musicians to organize concerts or perform at other public festivals. It, therefore, stands to reason that the rapper now earns not less than $2 million per annum.
How The Drip Harder Rapper Spends His Millions
He has Several Luxurious Cars as well as an Enviable Jewellery Collection
Rappers have never been shy about showing off their material possessions and Lil Baby is no different. The Drip Harder hitmaker has an insane car collection that features luxurious vehicles such as a Dodge Charger ($29.9k to $78k), a Chevrolet Corvette ($58k to $66k), and a Mercedes G. Wagon ($127k), etc. Additionally, in May 2019, Baby also showed some major love to his mom and two sisters on mother’s day. He purchased a brand new Mercedes Benz for his mother while for his two sisters, there was a Jeep Cherokee as well as a Mini Cooper.
The rapper’s show of affection for his loved ones does not stop at cars. He has bought several houses for them including one for his eldest son, Jason, and baby mama, Ayesha, as well as a house for his mother. The video of him purchasing a house for his mom was shown in the video for one of his songs titled Sum 2 Prove.
Another thing that Lil Baby loves splashing out cash on is jewelry. The rapper has an enviable collection of bling including a diamond-encrusted Lil Baby chain pedant (which cost $40k), a Zone 4 pendant (representing the neighbourhood he grew up), a 4PF pendant (representing his Four Pockets Full Label), a QC chain (worth $100k), and a Solid Foundation chain. There is also a Rolex watch, an AP watch (worth $55k), a Cuban-link bracelet, star rings, and earrings.
He has also Instituted a $150K Scholarship Fund at his Former High School
Even though he may have dropped out of school in the tenth grade, Lil Baby still recognizes the value of education. He is also well aware of the fact that there are brilliant students who come from poor homes and as such, can’t afford to go to college. It is this reality that motivated the rapper to set up a $150,000 scholarship fund at his former high school, the Booker T. Washington High School, in March 2020.
The program is aimed at helping high-flying students attend college and is done in collaboration with partners such as Rap Rotation, Quality Control Music, Wolfpack Global, and Motown Records. Baby plans to continue the scholarship on an annual basis and has stated that being able to come back to his old school and give back to the children means the entire world to him.
A Look at Some of Lil Baby’s Best Songs and Albums Till Date
Album – Harder Than Ever
Date of Release – May 2018
Highest position on the Billboard 200 – No. 3
Sales – 1 million
Album – My Turn
Date of Release – February 2020,
Highest position on the Billboard 200 – No. 1
Sales – 2 million
Song – Yes Indeed
Date of release – May 2018
Highest position on the Billboard Hot 100 – No.6
Sales – 5 million
Song – Drip Too Hard
Date of release – September 2018,
Highest position on the Billboard Hot 100 – No. 4
Sales – 7 million
Song – The Bigger Picture
Date of release – June 2020
Highest position on the Billboard Hot 100 – No.3
Sales – 500k
Song – Woah
Date of release – November 2019
Highest position on the Billboard Hot 100 – No. 15
Sales – 3 million
Song – Sum 2 Prove
Date of release – January 2020
Highest position on the Billboard Hot 100 – No. 16
Sales – 1 million
