In a world where artists want to draw attention to their music, it seems it's getting harder and harder to do so these days. Whether it be a name drop on a song, a crazy beat that gets the people moving and dancing, getting a legend to feature on your song, or maybe even just getting somebody who's hot at the moment. All of these things can help, as long you get the people talking. Guest verses always seem to do the trick, is it the idea that outdoing somebody on their own song is so interesting? Or is it that the two artists on the track have a history of making fantastic music together (a case could be made for Eminem and 50 Cent, Jay-Z and Kanye, or even collaborations of artists fairly new to each other like J. Cole and Kendrick, choose your favorites) and just work well together? Whatever the case may be, here's a small list of rappers, and what they charge for a feature. (Quick note: all of these verse prices are rumored, not actually confirmed, although Kendrick and Jay Z's are said to be fact.)
Kendrick Lamar - $250,000 per verse (on average)
If you ask me, this is pretty fair for a Kendrick verse. Depending who you are this could be absolutely ridiculous or this could be pocket change, I suppose it depends who is asking. According to Kendrick's recent verse history (or history on verses ever, Big Sean, Eminem, Young Jeezy, etc.), this seems pretty fair, especially considering the attention your song will get just from having the NAME Kendrick Lamar on your song, and that's without people even hearing the song.
Lil Wayne - $100,000 per verse (supposedly)
This is pretty reasonable considering Lil Wayne was the biggest name in hip-hop (or almost all of music, arguably) between the years of 2008-2012, give or take a few years. You honestly couldn't go somewhere without hearing his name or music, you couldn't go to a blog without seeing a post about him, and no matter who was putting out a song during this period, it's almost as if, if your music was good enough or if anyone cared about what you did, you had a Wayne guest verse. And coming from someone who wasn't a huge Wayne fan or never really has been (me), I have to say it was kind of annoying. But I do have to respect the reception he's gotten from fans, and he does occasionally have the power to get me hooked on a song, whether it be his or someone else's. So is $100k worth it now? I couldn't honestly tell you, but at a certain point in time (2008-2012), you wouldn't be alone if you thought it was.
2 Chainz - $100,000 per verse (confirmed, 2 Chainz said in BBC Radio interview)
Okay, now this particular price I have to say is a bit much considering what you get. I'm not normally one to knock an artist or his music, but 100 G'S FOR A 2 CHAINZ VERSE?! If you've bought a 2 Chainz verse in the past, did you ever consider what you're actually getting when it comes down to it? Did you think to anticipate? I know this sounds like I'm knocking 2 Chainz and everything he stands for, but I must admit I have the upmost respect for 2 Chainz. Granted I'm not a regular listener to 2 Chainz' music, but in my opinion, with a 2 Chainz verse all you get is some energy and a hook added to your track (if Chainz were a half way decent man he'd at least write the hook for you). So depending the approach to this song, maybe 2 Chainz is the answer. That's probably not something you'll read ever again, but if your goal is to make a party banger with a catchy hook, who else to go to but the Chainz man? Money well spent (I suppose).
Jay-Z - $1,500,000 per verse
1.5 mil. for a Jay-Z verse. Honestly, I'm not sure how to feel about this. Die hard Jay-Z fans everywhere probably say that's about right, or it's "well deserved," but compared to some verses I personally had heard off of Magna Carta Holy Grail or Watch The Throne, I can't say I think this is worth it. To be honest, compared to ANY Jay-Z I've ever heard, I don't know if this is worth it. Coming from an ignorant Jay-Z listener, don't take my opinion seriously. I know he probably does deserve this payout for a verse (or not, because you know, phone deals, owning the Nets and a sports agency now), but I haven't heard anything that personally catches my ear enough to say he deserves this payout. Then again a lot of people say Reasonable Doubt is his best work, and I haven't heard any of that either. So he probably does deserve 1.5 million a verse, I would just expect him to go all "We Made It freestyle" on it with Jay Electronica every time out just for the sake of doing it.
So there's 4 rappers who have made their verse charges public. Now the reasoning for no other rappers talking about their charges remains to be seen (although I see no real consequence to making it public, besides maybe some fan hate/debate), but it certainly is an interesting topic of discussion. I myself would love to know the cost of Eminem, or maybe the cost of an old head like Rakim, Kool G Rap, or to see if a Snoop verse is worth it (anymore at least). If you have any knowledge on what other rappers charge for a verse, let me know in the comment section, Google+, or on twitter(@SuperNovaRover), and if you think it'd be worth it. I'd love to hear any other amounts, no matter how ridiculous or how much a good investment you think they may be!
No comments:
Post a Comment