Lil Wayne Net Worth

Not many Hip-Hop artists made as much money as Lil’ Wayne throughout the 2010s. He’s right up there with the likes of Kanye West, Drake, and Eminem. True, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, and P-Diddy might have made more because of brand deals, record company ownership, and endorsements. 

But, for making money off rap song sales alone between 2010 and 2020, not many can hold a candle or a glass of Cristal to Lil Weezy himself. If you want to know about the Lil Wayne net worth number and how much money Lil Wayne has made in his career, there are many things to take into consideration.

He seemingly went from a Dirty South rapper to a megastar overnight. But the journey is never that simple. Some call him the King of Auto-Tune. Others call him Lil Baby, President Carter, and Weezyana. But the truth is that Lil Wayne is one of the most influential rappers in recent history.

How Much is Lil Wayne Worth?

Lil Wayne’s net worth is $170 million, which makes him one of the richest rappers in history. It’s all about the Benjamins, cash, skrilla, bank, greenbacks, cheddar, coin, dough, and so forth. Sometimes, it’s even about the music, but not always.

Modern-day Hip-Hop is about image more than ever before. Thanks largely to the social media and Instagram age. Looking the part is sometimes more important than playing the part. As the old expression goes, fake it until you make it. 

Jay-Z might very well be the richest rapper of all time, with a net worth currently exceeding $2.5 billion. But, he has been around for almost 30 years and made the majority of his money via Roc-A-Fella records and numerous other business ventures. So, let’s take a deeper look at the net worth of Lil Wayne to see how he made his vast fortune.

How Many Albums and Singles Did Lil Wayne Sell?

When you break Lil Wayne’s career down, he’s been one of the hardest-working people in the music industry over the past 20 years. He first started rapping at the tender age of 14 years old as part of a rap group called Hot Boys. At the time of writing, Lil Wayne is 40 years old and has been rapping for a quarter of a century. He’s been in the record industry for more than two-thirds of his life.

During his tenure, Lil Weezy has sold over 21.5 million albums. He’s reported to have sold over 120 million units in total. That number combines album sales and 70 million digital song downloads in the US alone. The vast majority of his album sales were in the US. Although 200,000 of those are from the United Kingdom, which is one of his largest fanbases outside America. 

Albums 

Lil Wayne’s biggest-selling album to date was his 2008 Tha Carter III LP which sold almost 6.3m copies globally. Between his first studio album, Tha Block is Hot, in 1999, up and his most recent album release, Funeral, in 2020, Lil Wayne has made 13 studio albums. 

Let’s take a look at the Top 10 selling Lil Wayne albums of all time because that’s how the lion’s share of his net worth was made.

Top-10 Selling Lil Wayne Albums of All Time

1  Tha Carter III (2008) – Sold: 6.295 million.

2 Tha Carter IV (2011) – Sold: 5.11 million.

3 I Am Not A Human Being II (2013) – Sold: 2.04 million.

4 Tha Carter II (2005) – Sold: 2 million.

5 Tha Carter (2004) – Sold: 1.06 million.

6 Tha Carter V (2018) – Sold: 1 million.

7 Rebirth (2010) – Sold 1 million.

8 Tha Block Is Hot (1999) – Sold: 1 million.

9 I Am Not A Human Being (2010) – Sold: 500,000.

10 Like Father Like Son (2006) – Sold: 500,000.

Lil Wayne’s Record-Breaking Hits Career

Did you know that Lil Wayne holds the record of having over 100 songs on the Billboard charts in the US? He broke the previous record held by Elvis Presley way back in 2012. At the time of writing, he is still in that position. 

Lil Wayne has reportedly released 285 singles over his 25-year career, and that includes a further 19 promotional singles. It’s safe to say that Weezy is one of the most industrious musical artists in history. Right up there with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

A fun fact about Lil Wayne’s illustrious and legendary musical output…

He recorded a mind-blowing 53 songs in a single night in the studio. Who knows how many songs he recorded every year at the peak of his career and creativity? When once asked by a reporter how many unreleased songs he had in his vault, he scoffed at her suggestion of 80 and then 200. It might be a Prince thing. We will only find out how much music he has in his coffers after he dies. 

Selling His Masters to Universal Music

The vast majority of Lil Wayne’s net worth came from selling his masters for $100 million to Universal Music in June 2020. As part of the deal, the back catalogs of Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga were sold. All those under the name of Young Money were sold, alongside Lil Wayne’s entire discography.

Lifestyle and Purchases 

Lil Weezy might work hard, but apparently, he plays and spends even harder. If you’ve happened to catch one of Wayne’s MTV Cribs appearances, you will already know he has a penchant for Bugatti sports cars. 

The Lil Wayne net worth figures include several super-luxury cars and houses, as is to be expected. And, as you might imagine, the most he has spent over the past decade has been on real estate, which is an appreciating asset. 

My father once said, “Invest in land because God’s not making anymore.” Obviously, my dad knows nothing about the artificially created Deira Island projects in Dubai, and the United Arab Emeritus (UEA). But that’s another story for another time. 

Lil Wayne Real Estate Purchases

Over the years, Weezy has made some very smart and lucrative real estate portfolio investments. Back in 2009, he bought a gargantuan 20,957 sq. ft. Miami waterfront mansion for around $11.6 million. Although, he reportedly spent a further $5 million on the renovation. 

You’d think he would have sold that a few years later for a massive profit. That’s because Miami real estate prices soared from 2010 to 2015. But he actually sold it at a loss. He sold the property for only $10m in 2017, even though it was valued at $18m in 2015. 

Once he sold the mansion, he proceeded to buy another Miami island home for $18m in 2018. He also owns a Californian mansion in the Hidden Hills that he reportedly paid $14.4m. As well as a 10,000 sq. ft. luxury New Orleans apartment that is home to a recording studio for just under $2m.

Lil Wayne’s Fleet of Luxury Cars

Like any self-respecting rapper with over $100m net worth, Lil Wayne has a fleet of luxury cars that takes some serious beating. And, boy, does he love showing them off on his Instagram page. Here is a list of Lil Wayne’s luxury car collection:

Lil Wayne Jewelry & Art Collection

Lil Wayne’s jewelry collection is legendary. He once bought a diamond-encrusted set of Beats Headphones for a cool $1 million. He’s got a collection of chunky rings, with each ring costing around $135,000. Wayne is routinely seen wearing several Cuban chains around his neck that cost a small fortune apiece. 

While most people dream of buying diamond rings, Weezy buys diamond-encrusted teeth. He has a dental grille that is covered in diamonds and apparently cost $150,000 to custom-make way back in 2009. One of his most treasured and expensive pieces of jewelry is a special made-to-order Chopard watch that cost more than $1m. It was a gift from his friend and business partner, Birdman. 

Alongside his massive selection of luxury jewelry, it’s believed that Lil Wayne also has a massive art collection. Some reports have stated that his art collection is worth more than $30 million, which is staggering. Appreciating assets like art are sound long-term investments that can make more money than investing in real estate or jewelry. As long as you are willing to wait many years to make a profit. 

How Much Does Lil Wayne Charge Per Show? 

Lil Wayne made the vast majority of his fortune via album sales and the selling of his and his artists’ back catalogs. However, he also has made ridiculous amounts of money from live shows. Doing live shows is one of the most lucrative ways for musicians and bands to make money. In some cases, newer artists make most of their money from live shows since physical record sales are not what they used to be. 

The rumors are that Lil Wayne charges approximately $600,000 per show. That makes him one of the highest-paid live performers in the world. Weezy is sometimes known for performing 50 shows per year. So, at that rate, he makes a fortune on concerts alone. His “Tha Carter II” tour between 2008 and 2009 reportedly made around $42 million. 

When Forbes created their highest-paid artist per concert list in 2018…

The figures were astounding. Here are the Top 5 highest paid music performers per show on average in 2018:

1  Tylor Swift – $4 million per show.

2  Beyoncé – $3.5 million per show.

3  Bruno Mars – $2.9 million per show.

4  Ed Sheeran – $2.4 million per show.

5  The Rolling Stones – $2. 2 million per show.

Sure, Lil Wayne is way behind Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. But, in the grand scheme of things, he is one of the highest-paid rappers of all time per show.

Highest Earning Rappers of the 2010s

When you take into consideration the highest-earning rappers of the decade from 2010 to 2020, Lil Wayne makes it to a respectable 10th. Considering that his competition is some of the biggest-selling rappers ever, it’s pretty impressive. Furthermore, most people on that list are essentially generational rappers from the 1990s who have maintained their status right up until today.

Here are the highest-earning rappers in the 2010s:

10 Lil Wayne – $170 million.

9  Usher – $180 million.

8  Pharrell Williams – $200.

7  Master P – $200.

6  Drake – $200.

5  Eminem – $230 million.

4  Dr. Dre – $500 million.

3  P-Diddy – $900 million.

2  Jay-Z – $1.3 billion.

1  Kanye West – $6.6 billion.

Interested in the Rich and Famous?

Well, you’ll need to know where they live. So, take a look at our comprehensive guides to the Celebrities that live in The Hamptons, the Biggest Celebrities Who Live in Miami, the Celebrities who live in Beverly Hills, the Celebrities that live in Nashville, Who Lives on Star Island Miami, or the 15 Biggest Celebrities who live in NYC in 2023.

Or, if you want to earn money like a rapper, then try one of these Careers That Make You Rich, or get one of the Jobs That Can Make You a Millionaire.

You may also want to know What Percentage of Americans Are Millionaires or exactly How Big is a Mansion?

Final Thoughts

Not many rappers or musical artists in history can match Lil Wayne’s net worth. True, we don’t know how much money these guys have made in their careers. Likewise, we have limited info on how much their investments have made. 

But one thing we do know is that Lil Wayne is right up there with the richest rappers of all time. He signed Drake and Nicki Minaj and then sold their discography and made even more cash. That’s how top Gs roll.

Weezy might have some serious luxury spending habits… 

But most of those things are appreciating assets. His real estate portfolio and jewelry collection, when cashed in, will surely make him a massive return. The same can’t be said about his luxury car fleet, But you’ve got to have some fun with your money. 

Considering that Lil Wayne came from an impoverished background in the hoods of New Orleans, Louisiana, his rags-to-riches story is to be admired. His story is an inspiration for other rappers coming from the ghetto. The American Dream is still alive and well in the record industry. However, as Weezy proves, you have to be talented and put in the work while making the right moves on a business level.

Until next time, may you always find success.