DEC-HH50-Daily-Facts-31days BET Hip Hop 50 Daily Facts

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DAILY HIP HOP FACTS

50 Cent teamed up with right guard deodorant to launch Pure 50 RGX Body Spray, has a line of condoms called Magic Sticks and owned a stack in vitamin water.

DEC 1

Pure 50 RGX Body Spray

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Rapper and reality star Flava Flav opened a chicken restaurant in Iowa called Flav's Fried Chicken.

Flav's Fried Chicken

DEC 2

Drake is also an entrepreneur, having launched a successful lifestyle blog called October’s Very Own (OVO).

October’s Very Own (OVO)

DEC 3

The 50 Cent vs. Kanye West sales battle, when the former’s third album, Curtis, was pitted against the latter’s Graduation in 2007, is often viewed as a win for conscious hip hop. With Kanye outselling 50 by 300,000 units, people look at it as the moment when hip hop began shifting away from the gangsta rap movement that had been dominating the airwaves for most of the 2010s. But if you ignore the wider, cultural impact of this sales battle, and just look at the business side, this was an incredibly savvy by both rappers who were smart enough to manufacture this rivalry in order to leverage their opposing fan bases and score huge first week sales numbers. 50 was on the downhill on his career and there’s no way Curtis would have sold that much if he didn’t engage in this sales battle. On the other hand, Kanye was notching up win after win, and Graduation put him over the top as the best rapper of 2007, earning him his biggest first week sales numbers ever, when it sold close to a million units in one week.

50 Vs Kanye album Sales Battle

DEC 4

In 2005, Chamillionaire scored one of the biggest hits of the year when the Krayzie Bone-featured “Ridin'” hit number one on the Billboard pop charts, and became a smash single around the world. So when he stepped back from the music world a few years later, most rap fans assumed that the Houston-born rapper was off chilling somewhere, reaping the proceeds of “Ridin'”. But Chamilionaire has been keeping very busy over the past decade, just not in music. He’s been spending most of his time, learning from tech entrepreneurs, like Mark Suster, and investing in start-ups. Chamillionaire’s investment in Suster’s Maker Studios was later acquired by The Walt Disney Company, which earned him a reported payout of $20 million. Since then, he’s been appointed as an entrepreneur in residence at Upfront Ventures, the largest early-stage fund raised in L.A.

Chamillionaire The Business Tycoon

DEC 5

Rick Ross’ most lasting legacy will always be when he launched Maybach Music Group in 2009. Over the years, the label has featured a diverse roster of rappers, from Meek Mill and Gunplay to Wale and Stalley, with Ross acting as the player-coach and evolving into becoming one of the best music executives in the game. Now, a decade plus since the label’s launch, MMG is still one of the biggest names in hip hop.

MAYBACH MUISC GROUP

DEC 6

Chance the Rapper received $500,000 from Apple to put his third mixtape, Coloring Book, on their streaming service exclusively for two weeks. Coloring Book was also the first mixtape to chart on the Billboard 200 based solely on streams, peaking at number eight, and it also won Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards, making it the first streaming-only project to ever win the award.

CHANCE THE RAPPER

DEC 7

Since launching Strange Music in 2000, Tech N9ne and Travis O'Guin have grown their company to become the number one independent record label in the world. With multiple albums being dropped every year since their start, Strange Music has expanded into film and video production, radio, merchandising, and of course, putting on some of the best live shows in music. In 2015, Tech N9ne was featured on Forbes’ Cash Kings feature, when the publication estimated he pulled in $7.5 million the previous year, beating out major label rappers like 50 Cent and Rick Ross.

Strange Music Label

DEC 8

Big, heavyweight, and covered in patches and flare, Avirex’s premium leather flight jackets became part of the hip-hop fashion lexicon partly for their utility, and partly for their aesthetic appeal. They were built to last, kept you warm, styled well with hoodies and jeans, and best of all, looked expensive.

Cash Money-Universal Records deal

DEC 17

Cross Colours, one of the first Black-owned hip-hop brands, began when its founder noticed young men wearing jeans four to five sizes too big. Visiting New York from California, Carl Jones realized he could cater to the demand for baggy denim. He started producing baggy jeans with smaller waists so that wearers could forego big belts. A size 36 would fit a 32 waist Jones and his colleagues single handedly changed the market for young men from fitted to baggy. Black artists and celebrities like TLC, Snoop Dogg, Muhammad Ali, Jamie Foxx, Magic Johnson and Stevie Wonder repped the brand. It made $100 million in its first four years.

E-40 signs a major label deal with Jive Records

DEC 9

This is just one of the many brilliant business moves that Nipsey Hussle made over his short, but highly impactful recording career. In 2013, when executives and artists were still trying to figure out the fast-changing landscape, Nipsey decided to take a stand for music being valuable again. Pressing only 1000 units of the Crenshaw Mixtape at a price of $100 - the reason he did so was because" He made tailored music for those who are listening. It’s not about stepping outside of what he is known for in hopes of new consumers buying his product.

Nipsey Hussle - Crenshaw Mixtape

DEC 10

There was a six-year gap between Nas’ eleventh album, Life is Good, and his 2018 Kanye-helmed Nasir, in that time he was out in the tech world making investments via his firm, Queensbridge Venture Partners. In 2018, it was estimated that Nas made $40 million after Amazon acquired one of his portfolio companies, Ring Inc., and more recently, Coinbase’s 2021 IPO could have netted the rapper over $100 million.

Nas The Tech Investor

DEC 11

Launched in the early ’90s under the name No Limit Record Shop, Master P’s independent record label was a burgeoning upstart based in Richmond, California. After relocating to his hometown, New Orleans, in 1995, P recruited a number of local rappers, including Mystikal, Mia X, Kane & Abel, Fiend, and Mr. Serv-On, and released a steady stream of music. It wasn't longer before major labels started to take notice of his hustle. One particular label, Priority Records, came knocking, and they were ready to negotiate on Master P’s terms. With all the leverage built up through his independent record sales, the No Limit boss was able to sign an unprecedented deal with Priority, one that gave him an 80-20 split as well as complete ownership over his masters.

Masta P 80-20 Deal

DEC 12

There was a moment where rappers were signing exclusive deals with streaming services, like Drake’s $19 million deal with Apple Music, Jay-Z decided to go acquire his own streaming services instead. After a few years of positioning Tidal as one of the premium streaming services in the game, competing with the likes of Spotify and Apple Music, Jay-Z sold the majority ownership to technology company, Square, for $297 million in cash and stock.

Jay-Z & Tidal

DEC 13

Founded in 1992 by Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, The D.O.C. and Dick Griffey, with financial backing from an imprisoned Michael “Harry-O” Harris, Death Row grew to become the hip hop label, only rivalled by Bad Boy Entertainment. During the label’s peak years between 1992-1996, they dropped: Dr. Dre’s The Chronic (3x platinum), Snoop Dogg’s Doggystyle (4x platinum), Tha Dogg Pound’ Dogg Food (2x platinum) and 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me (diamond). The tragic murder of Pac and Suge’s probation violation, along with Dre and Snoop leaving the label, all but ended what was the most important hip hop label of its time.

Death Row Records

DEC 14

Apple’s 2014 acquisition of Beats by Dr. Dre for $3 billion.

BEATS BY DR. DRE

DEC 15

Wu-Tang Clan dropped “Protect Ya Neck” on May 3, 1993, the underground buzz for the record was crazy and, sure enough, the record labels came knocking. But for RZA, the Clan’s de-facto leader, getting a standard record deal wasn't good enough. He didn't just want a record label to sign the Wu-Tang Clan as a group, but also one that would allow the individual members to be free agents and sign separate solo deals. It was unheard of at the time, and there wasn't any label who was willing to give them this option.

WU TANG DEAL WITH LOUD RECORDS

DEC 16

Jay decided to go the independent route after many rejections from labels, linking up with Damon Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke, to form their own independent label, Roc-A-Fella Records. They inked a distribution deal with Priority Records shortly after and released Reasonable Doubt on June 25, 1996. During a year that saw huge rap releases from 2Pac, Nas, Snoop Dogg and the Fugees, Reasonable Doubt was a modest commercial success, peaking at number 23 on the Billboard 200 and selling just 43,000 units in its first week. But the album’s second single, “Ain't No Nigga”, was a hit and created a lot of buzz for the upstart label. It wasn't long before Def Jam came calling and offered Roc-A-Fella a 50-50 partnership and distribution deal. Now, instead of being signed to a label, Jay-Z was officially partners with the number one hip hop label in the world. Over the years, under the Def Jam partnership, Roc-A-Fella would go on to release a number of critically acclaimed and multi platinum sellers from artists like Beanie Sigel, Cam’ron, Kanye, as well as Jay-Z.

Roc-A Fella Records

DEC 18

Sean “Puffy” Combs started out as a hungry intern at Uptown Records, under the mentorship of Andre Harrell. But after the success of his acts, Jodeci and Mary J. Blige, Puffy’s ego got the better of him and he was fired by Harrell. Puffy went to Clive Davis, the founder of Arista Records, who agreed to back the young executive’s new venture – Bad Boy Records. With their first two artists – Craig Mack and The Notorious B.I.G. – Bad Boy quickly became a dominant force in hip hop. Their first single “Flava in Ya Ear” became a huge hit and peaked in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10, which was then followed by Biggie’s multiplatinum Ready to Die.

BAD BOY

DEC 19

After the break-up of Roc-A-Fella Records, Jay-Z was looking to build the next business venture that would be able to capture the same magic of his legendary label. A brief stint as Def Jam’s president let him know that if he wanted to disrupt the record industry, he had to start from scratch. So in 2009, Hov announced that he had split from Def Jam, the record label that had distributed his music for close to two decades, and partnered with Live Nation on a $150 million deal to start up Roc Nation, a hybrid record label, talent management agency and music publishing company.

ROC NATION

DEC 20

Mixtapes were largely a DJ-driven format, hosted and compiled by names like Kid Capri, Ron G, Doo Wop and DJ Clue. Granted, The Diplomats were technically the first to create artist-driven mixtapes, but the way 50 did it – taking rapper’s songs and making them entirely his own – took things to another level. Suddenly, mixtapes weren't just a bunch of freestyle compilations and DJ shout-outs – they became almost like street albums with strong promotional value. Everything about the G-Unit mixtapes – from the branding and packaging to the strong sense of melody and commercial songwriting – made 50 the hottest names on the streets, and eventually led to Eminem signing him.

50 CENT & MIXTAPES

DEC 21

Megan Thee Stallion has made a lot of smart money moves in just a short period of time. And she was able to do that thanks to diversifying her investments. August 2021, Megan Thee Stallion teamed up with Cash App in a much-publicized partnership. As AfroTech reported, this partnership involved the creation of instructional videos, giveaways, and more. October 19, 2021, Megan partnered with Popeye’s Chicken in a much-publicized partnership. As part of the deal, according to Billboard Magazine, she not only became a franchise owner, but she created her own proprietary sauce (Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce) and co-branded merchandise.

MEGAN THE STALLION

DEC 22

Supreme sells 50% stake to Carlyle Group (2017) – Private equity is rarely associated with hip-hop or streetwear culture. But Carlyle saw the value and claimed its stake. This valued Supreme as a billion-dollar company. I'm usually not one to celebrate valuations—which is why it didn't make the main list—but it stemmed from an actual sale, which makes it more real.

Supreme

DEC 23

Sold for 204 Million in Cash in 2007

SELLING OF ROCAWEAR

DEC 24

50 Cent signs $78 million underwear deal with FRIGO Revolution Wear.

FRIGO

DEC 25

Russell Simmons sells clothing brand Phat Farm for nearly $140 million.

Phat Farm

DEC 26

Diddy does a deal with Time Warner Cable for Revolt TV. the network that had over 25 million subscribers when it debuted in October thanks to a deal with Time Warner Cable, making it the second biggest launch in history.

Revolt TV

DEC 27

Ludacris’ business ventures include a record label, a liquor brand, a headphone line, and a restaurant.

Ludacris

DEC 28

T.I.’s Business Ventures- Grand Hustle Records, Grand Hustle Tech, which has made several investments in Atlanta-based startups, A.K.O.O. Clothing, Buy The Block, a venture and TV & Film Company Grand Hustle Productions.

T.I.’s Business Ventures

DEC 29

Donda Sports was founded by Kanye West and Justin Laboy in February 2022. The company is a sports marketing agency that aims to provide "holistic support to athletes during and beyond their sports career."

Donda Sports

DEC 30