The second annual Forbes Hip Hop Cash Princes list is here.
Migos
This Atlanta-area trio—made up of Quavious “Quavo” Marshall, his nephew Kirshnik “Takeoff” Ball and his cousin Kiari “Offset” Cephus—has yet to release its debut album, but has already spawned more hits than some hip-hop acts do in a lifetime. Singles “Versace,” “Fight Night” and “Handsome and Wealthy” have all appeared on Billboard’s singles charts. Says Quavo: “Whatever makes your head nod, that’s want we want to give you.
Rae Sremmurd
Brothers Aaquil “Slim Jimmy” and Khalif “Swae Lee” Brown burst onto the charts with two of 2014’s biggest songs, “No Flex Zone” and “No Type,” both of which went platinum. They released debut album, Sremmlife, in January 2015, and will be supporting Nicki Minaj on tour this summer. Says Swae: “A ‘no flex zone’ is an area where a lot of people can be themselves, live their life, get their money.”
DJ Mustard
The Los Angeles native–real name: Dijon McFarlane–brought his distinctive dancefloor-ready rap to the radio, charting more singles on Billboard’s Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts than any other producer in 2014. A frequent collaborator with fellow Cash Prince YG, the 24-year-old’s production also features on Tyga’s “Rack City,” 2 Chainz’ “I’m Different,” and Cash Prince Ty Dolla Sign’s “Paranoid.” Asked to use one word to attribute his success, Mustard told FORBES: “Blessed.”
Young Thug
Though the business side of Atlanta native’s early career has been a quagmire of disputed label and management deals—involving the likes of Birdman’s Cash Money, Gucci Mane’s 1017 Brick Squad Records and Lyor Cohen’s 300 Entertainment—the rapper is one of hip-hop’s most promising youngsters. After collaborating with the likes of Kanye West and Drake, there’s reason to believe his unique music will one day propel him into the ranks of Hip-Hop’s Cash Kings.
Nipsey Hussle
Born Ermias Asghedom, indie rapper made $100,000 in a day by selling 1,000 copies of mixtape Crenshaw for $100 apiece from a pop-up store in his native Los Angeles, plowing profits into his label, All Money In No Money Out. Jay Z bought 100 copies. For his next act, Hussle, 29, is selling just 100 copies of new recordMailbox Money for $1,000 each. The high school dropout says he’s made over $60,000 so far from limited editions that come with keepsakes and fan experiences. “I want to put my cash register in the part of the process that can’t go digital,” Hussle told FORBES.
Iggy Azalea
Though her claims that she’s “the realest” have been called into question by hip-hop aficionados, there’s no doubting the Australian rapper’s commercial success. In addition to her appearance on Ariana Grande’s smash “Problem,” Azalea has enjoyed strong sales of her own with hit single “Fancy,” which moved 4 million units in the U.S. alone. That’s part of the reason that Azalea has been averaging over $75,000 per stop on the road.
Ty Dolla Sign
The California native barely makes the age cutoff for this year’s list—he turns 30 in April—but deserves the honor as much as anyone. After gaining major recognition by writing and producing fellow Cash Prince YG’s “Toot It and Boot It,” he teamed up with Atlantic Records and Wiz Khalifa’s Taylor Gang Records to release the EP Beach House, which debuted at No. 51 on the Billboard charts. He’s working on a full-length debut, Free TC.
YG
Gangster-rap may have declined precipitously since the mid-1990s, but YG doesn’t seem to have gotten the memo. The 25-year-old Compton native is reviving the Bloods-Crips narratives that once dominated hip-hop (see his consonant-shifting song “Bicken Back Being Bool”), getting a musical assist from producer DJ Mustard. Audiences are eating it up: last year’s My Krazy Life debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard charts with first-week sales of 61,000.
PartyNextDoor
Signed to Drake’s OVO sound, 21-year-old rapper and singer Jahron Brathwaite has only put out two full-length releases as PartyNextDoor in 2013 and 2014. His unique mix of smooth late night drugs-and-sex music has helped him bubble up slowly, playing sold out dates in the U.S. and producing 3 tracks on Drake’s recent If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late.
Kid Ink
Heavily tattooed rapper turned his promising mixtape career into a major label deal with RCA in 2013. His ensuing album, My Own Lane—which sold 50,000 units its opening week to earn the No. 3 spot on the Billboard charts—featured a who’s-who of Cash Princes list-members and alums, including DJ Mustard, Tyga, French Montana, Meek Mill and Wale.
Methodology
Any hip-hop act under age 30 as of March 31st, 2015 is eligible for consideration for the Cash Princes list, as long as he or she hasn’t already appeared on a Cash Kings or Princes list. This year’s list was selected by a panel of expert judges including Cash Princes alum Tyga, Cash Kings alum DJ Khaled, Hot 97 Morning Show host Peter Rosenberg, Forbes staff writer Natalie Robehmed and senior editor Zack O’Malley Greenburg.
Mike Will Made It
Since producing for Southern rappers 2 Chainz, Future and Gucci Mane, Atlanta’s Michael Williams strutted into the mainstream with eight songs on Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz. His protégés, Rae Sremmurd, are signed to his Ear Drummer Records, an Interscope imprint. “When I do music I don’t think about urban music, pop or country, I just think about a good song,” Williams, 26, told Forbes
Hit-Boy
The 27-year-old producer’s résumé includes fan favorites from Kendrick Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle” to A$AP Rocky’s “1 Train,” as well as platinum singles for the likes of Lil Wayne, Beyoncé, Jay Z and Kanye West. He got his start on a production deal with Kanye West’s G.O.O.D Music in 2011, then launched his own Interscope imprint, Hits Since ’87. Drake gave Hit-Boy, real name Chauncey Hollis Jr., a lyrical nod last year: “I should probably sign to Hit-Boy because I got all the hits, boy.”