When Do Rappers Go On Tour

When do rappers go on tour is probably a question I get most from fans. They also wonder why some rappers tour longer than others, and why some rappers don’t even tour at all (mostly Soundcloud and Youtube rappers). I will get into all of that inside of this article in order to enlighten you all on how touring works for a rap artist.

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When Do Rappers Go On Tour?

Rappers go on tour after they drop their album. It’s an effort to push more recognition of the album, so fans can go out and buy it, and they also go on tour in efforts to make more money. There are several ways rappers make money on tour:

Ticket Sales (Also known as back-end money)
Upfront Money To Perform
V.I.P. Experiences For Fans (paid online with ticket sale)
Selling Merchandise
Selling New Music (Exclusive music to download at concert)
Night Club Hosting
Music Seminar Panelist
Music Seminar Featured Artist
Autograph Signing Events

As you can see touring is very lucrative for a rap artist, and not touring will take away about 75% of his/her income. Keep in mind that this is not only exclusive to signed artists, there are many independent and underground rappers that also benefit from getting paid on tour this way.

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How Long Do Rappers Stay On Tour?

Rappers could stay on tour for a couple of months. It all depends on how many cities they’ve book to do a tour on. It really varies from artist to artist according to their bookings.

However, there are veteran rappers who actually tour for a year, due to the fact that their records don’t sell as much as new artists or artists that are at the height of their music careers. This is only natural because the newer and younger you are, the more records you are going to sell.

The awful thing about rap music is that it’s a young person genre, meaning that younger artists rule and dominate rap music. This is not the same for any other genre of music! In any other genre of music the older you are the more cherished and legendary you are. older artists in other genres of music make the most money from touring and music sales.

What Merchandise Do Rappers Sell On Tour?

Rappers sell a variety of merchandise that makes them money on tour. This is after testing what sells and what doesn’t. On tour rappers sell a few items including:

Tees (T-Shirts)
Hats
Posters
Memorabilia
Track Suites (Gucci Mane – Delantic clothing line)
Belts
Shoes (Spray painted custom)

The items that sell the most for rappers is are t-shirts. Your see fans in a rapper’s t-shirt than any other form of merchandise. it’s actually the cheapest to make and the most profitable.

What Do Rappers Eat While On Tour?

Rappers diets are pretty bad in general. I’ve been to studios where we were eating nothing but pizza, wings, Chinese food and McDonald. On tour it’s pretty much the same thing, fast food galore. The reason for this is that rappers want something quick and easy to eat. The majority of rappers don’t spend money on having a personal chef traveling with them on tour.

And to be honest, from my experience the few that do hire a personal chef to go on tour with them, have the chef make them unhealthy fatty foods. Most of the rapper that eat healthy in my experience are the Muslim rappers.

There are a few Muslim and vegan rappers that I’ve been on tour with, and they don’t eat any junk food or sometimes any meat. If you’re an up and coming rapper about to go on tour remember that your health is wealth. Eat healthy and your body will thank you for it.

How Much Money Do Rappers Make From Touring?

How much rappers make on tour depends on how many dates they are booked for, the types of events they attend for pay, and the amount of merchandise they sell. It all varies on the rapper’s ability to hustle and make money on tour. Some make more than others because they hustle harder.

On average I’ve seen independent underground rappers make from $40,000 on the low end, and over eighty five million dollars on the high end of things. Touring money is what you make of it, and you get out of it what you sow into it. You have to grind in order to make good money.

The Most Successful Rap Tours

The most successful rap tour of all time is listed below. Keep in mind that no rap tour has ever grossed more than a hundred million! Rap music indeed is the most popular music today, according to Soundscan, but no rapper has been able to crack the one hundred million gross profit mark on tour. The most successful tour of all time is by Ed Sheeran with 775 million plus gross profit.

The Pink Print Tour. (2015) Nicki Minaj’s tour – Gross: $22 million from 38 shows

Damn Tour. (2017-2018) Kendrick Lamar’s tour – Gross: More than $62.7 million from 62 shows

Summer Sixteen Tour. (2016) Drake and Future’s Tour – Gross: $84.3 million from 54 shows

Glow In The Dark Tour. (2008) Kanye West’s Tour – Gross: $30.8 million

I Am Music Tour. 2008-2009 Lil’ Wayne’s Tour – Gross: $42 million

Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em Tour. Mc Hammer’s Tour – Gross: $26.3 million

Watch The Thrown. Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Tour – Gross: $75.6 million

No Way Out Tour. P. Diddy and Bad Boy Ent. Tour – Gross: $16 million

Hard Knock Life Tour – Rocafella, Murder Inc, Ruff Ryders Tour – Gross: $18 million

Up In Smoke Tour – Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Warren G, Nate Dogg, Eminem’s Tour – Gross: $22.2 million

Fresh Fest – Kurtis Blow, Run-DMC, Whodini, The Fat Boys, Newcleus &the Dynamic Breakers, New York City Breakers, Turbo and Ozone – Gross: $3.5 million

Which Rapper’s Don’t Tour?

The rappers who do not tour are mostly rappers that are unknown, or rappers that have some popularity but are known as Soundcloud/Youtube rappers. These types of rappers have no ambition or aspiration to go oon tour, but rather make money from streaming, views, and likes on social media platforms.

Believe it or not these types of rappers that are successful on social media platforms are making a lot of money. Some show their faces but the majority of them don’t. They like making money quietly and under the radar and it’s working for them.

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