Music artists have been selling off their music catalogs for millions. There are many reasons behind this trend, say experts. Older artists who are no longer bringing in money from touring might opt to use the catalog money as their retirement income. Other artists want millions upfront rather than waiting for future sales, plays, and sampling residuals.

By selling their catalogs, these artists get an instant payout.

Hip-hop artists have jumped on the bandwagon, but artist Slim Thug encourages them not to do so.

Slim Thug gained mainstream attention for contributing to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, “Still Tippin’.” In July 2005, he released his debut album, “Already Platinum,” which reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart. He has remained active through the decades. His most recent album ins 2023’s “Where Dreams Are Made.”

According to Slim Thug, selling off a music catalog is a bad business move.

“What other business in the world do you have to sell your business to make money?” he asked in a recent video posted to the Purple central YouTube channel.

“Do I sell the Chick-fil-A to my mother and then say you know like, here you can have this? Just give me a chick, and you can own all the Chick-fil-A’s…even though you’re gonna sell a million of them every day, and it was all my idea and my recipe…I’m gonna give you my business and then let you give me Crumbs,” he continued.

He said rappers are more focused on instant money instead of long-term wealth.

“You may own a Rolls Royce if you don’t own your masters, you ain’t a real boss cause you needed to go get a loan from somebody. You ain’t a real baller,” he stressed.

He also noted that he feels rappers are selling off Black culture.

“Stop selling out, man. Stop selling out. Stop letting other people own our culture, man. This is our Black gold, man; this is our Black gold,” he said in a fatwa, or warning, to his fellow hip-hop artists.

The latest rapper to cash in is Nelly, who announced he sold half of the song catalog, including hits like “Hot in Herre” and “Dilemma,” for a whopping $50 million.

He has partnered with investment firm HarbourView Equity Partners for the purchase of “select recorded assets” from the early 2000s, Fox Business reported. 

Nelly, 48, said in a statement, according to Variety, “As artists, we put our heart and soul into each track, and there comes a time when you consider preservation of that artistry. My music is my legacy which I want to last beyond me, continuing to make my existing fans happy while reaching new generations and new audiences.”

In January 2023, music mogul Dr. Dre sold his catalog for $200 million. Variety reported the former N.W.A. member and mega-producer sold his catalog and artist royalties to Shamrock Holdings for “well above $200 million.” The acquisition included his first two solo albums,1992’s “The Chronic” and 1999’s “2001.” The acquisition extended to his share of music released under the Aftermath/Interscope joint venture with Top Dawg Entertainment.

In 2020, according to TMZ, Lil Wayne sold his masters to Universal Music Group for over $100 million. The deal not only included his music but also included music from his Young Money label and its artists Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga. Under the deal, Universal now owns the rights to every Drake record from 2010’s album “Thank Me Later” to 2018’s “Scorpion” and songs like “God’s Plan,” as well as Nicki Minaj’s CD “The Pinkprint” and Tyga’s 2012 album “Careless World: Rise of the Last King.”

In September 2022, entertainment company Influence Media acquired Future’s publishing catalog for an estimated $75 million. The acquisition includes 612 tracks released between 2004 and 2020, like “Mask Off” and Drake collaborations “Jumpman” and “Life Is Good,” Complex reported.

Hip-hop veteran Chuck D also sold his portion of Public Enemy’s masters for an undisclosed amount. And in 2020, Wu-Tang member and producer Rza sold 50 percent of his Wu-Tang and solo catalogs to music IP investment and song management firm Hipgnosis Songs, according to Variety.

When an artist or songwriter sells their publishing catalog, they’re basically selling the rights to the songs they’ve created.

It’s not just rappers doing so. International megastar Shakira sold her extensive catalog, featuring almost 150 songs, to Hipgnosis Songs Fund Ltd. Pop superstar Justin Timberlake sold his publishing rights to Hipgnosis Songs as well, One37pm reported.

R&B singer John Legend sold his publishing catalog and his royalty rights to BMG and the investment firm KKR for an undisclosed amount, Bloomberg reported. The deal covers all the music Legend wrote from late 2004 through early 2021; this includes hits like “Ordinary People,” “Green Light,” “All of Me,” and his 2014 Grammy and Oscar-winning track with Common, “Glory.” 

Veteran rock stars Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, and Neil Young have also sold their catalogs for hundreds of millions.

Photo, Clockwise Left to Right: Nelly attends the iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre, May 27, 2021, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)/Slim Thug, YouTube screenshot from music video “Drifting,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNY75IxBuog/Hip-hop recording artist Future attends the 3rd Annual Diamond Ball at Cipriani Wall Street on Sept. 14, 2017, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)/Dr. Dre attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating the opening of the “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty” exhibition on May 1, 2023, in New York. Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)