Show Business: The 10 Most Expensive Rap Videos Ever Made
Virtually all music entertainers with plans of having a lasting career in the music business have already accepted the fact that their image plays a major part in how successful they become. And as we know, one of the main components of the lives of many hip-hop, R&B, and pop music artists is their lavish lifestyle, and they flaunt this lifestyle through their music videos and, in recent years, on social media. While some artists genuinely own Hollywood mansions, supercars, and high-priced jewelry they wear, others such as Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson, Cash Money Records founder Birdman, Maybach Music founder Rick Ross, and rapper Lil’ Kim have been known to rent these possessions for music videos and to appear rich. However, some music artists have spent millions to make their music videos attractive. Here are the 10 most expensive rap videos ever made.
10 Victory – P. Diddy Ft. Notorious B.I.G ($2.7 Million)
In the 1990s and into the 2000s, P. Diddy and his record company, Bad Boy Record Label, were one of the most dominant names in the world of rap and hip-hop. He was responsible for the rise of the Notorious B.I.G, arguably the most immortalized and renowned figure in the history of rap. But if there’s one thing about Diddy that has propelled his net worth to $900 million is his entrepreneurial genius. Like most other successful celebrity entrepreneurs, he understands that in order to make money, you need to spend money. So when the music video for the song Victory came out in 1998, featuring Biggie Smalls and Busta Rhymes, he didn’t hesitate to spend $2.7 million, according to Hip Hop Wired. The video included scenes with a police chase and even a cameo from Hollywood actors Dennis Hopper and Danny DeVito.
9 2 Legit To Quit – MC Hammer ($2.5 Million)
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Some rappers understand the importance of a catchy hook and also the need to keep a song’s playtime to a certain limit so that their fans won’t get bored. There’s no doubting the fact that MC Hammer’s 2 Legit 2 Quit took the 1990s by storm and has remained a legit classic to this day – no pun intended. Consider it a mini-film, not only because of the extreme length of the music video but also because of the numerous acting cameos from high-profile celebrities such as the late James Brown, Danny Glover, Henry Winkler, actor/entrepreneur Mark Wahlberg, and rapper/actress Queen Latifah. It cost $2.5 million for the video which would equate to $4.3 million today.
8 What’s It Gonna Be? – Janet Jackson & Busta Rhymes ($2.4 Million)
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Busta Rhymes has been known throughout his career as a rap artist to have some of the hottest collaborations. He especially excelled with club bangers and has featured on tracks with top-tier artists such as Missy Elliot, Mariah Carey, Nas, Pharrell Williams, and the flamboyant P. Diddy. However, his most expensive video collaboration was with the singer/actress Janet Jackson in 1999 with the release of What’s It Gonna Be?! Categorized as one of the most expensive videos of all time by Financial Insider, the futuristic video cost $2.4 million to produce.
7 Miami – Will Smith ($2 Million)
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From Bad Boys, Bad Boys 2, and Bad Boys for Life in which he and Martin Lawrence reprised their roles as rule-bending buddy cops, Will Smith has seemed to have a fixation with Miami. The former rapper even named one of his 1998 songs Miami, from his 1997 album, Big Willie Style, which sold 9 million copies in the United States. As with almost anything else Will does, the video was extravagant, featuring exotic beach locations, a private jet, luxurious cars, a speedboat, and a huge cast of extras for the many party scenes throughout the video. There was even a clip of the beautiful Eva Mendes lip-synching the Spanish line of the chorus. Altogether, the video cost roughly $2 million.
6 She’s A B**** – Missy Elliot ($1.3 Million)
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Missy Elliot is another female rap artist who is known for her unique and completely out-of-the-box style. Her eccentric personality is what set her apart from every other artist in the music industry, but it also cost her a pretty penny when it came to some of her music projects. According to Hypefresh, the iconic video featured a black background with a futuristic theme, requiring advanced lighting technology to be flown in from Germany to fulfill the vision she had in mind. Despite having done collaborations with some of history’s brightest talents like Beyoncé, Keyshia Cole, Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, and the female rapping pioneer Lil’ Kim, She’s A Bitch maintains its title of being one of her most expensive videos at $2 million.
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5 Here Comes The Hammer – MC Hammer ($1.3 Million)
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With his previous video on the list at close to 15 minutes, MC Hammer did it again with the 1991 release of Here Comes The Hammer, this time reaching close to nine minutes. After the international success of his hit single, U Can’t Touch This, Hammer was able to convince his record company at the time to invest millions in his idea, hence the elaborate videos featuring entire scenes like that of a movie. The video for the song came from Hammer’s 1990 album, Please Hammer, Don’t Hurt ‘Em, which sold 14.5 million copies worldwide within a year, making it the first hip-hop album to go diamond. Albeit, Here Comes The Hammer became his second most expensive video produced, costing $1.3 million, which today would be worth well over $2.4 million.
4 Ready Or Not – The Fugees ($1.3 Million)
Consisting of Wyclef Jean, Lauren Hill, and Pras Michel, the favorite hip-hop trio of the 1990s went by the name, The Fugees. The group became renowned after the release of their second album, The Score, which peaked at Number 1 on the US Billboard 200 chart and is considered one the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. One of their most praised songs from the album, Ready or Not, became popular not only because of its captivating rhythm, but also the blockbuster video for the song, which featured war scenes, helicopters, motorbike chases, jet skis, and submarines. The dramatic scenes cost a total of $1.3 million.
3 Stronger – Kanye West ($1.2 Million)
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Similar to his fashion style, Kanye West has a tendency to be larger than life and intentionally has the same effect on everything he does. Bred into the music industry alongside legends such as Jay-Z, over the years Kanye West has proved to be an adaptable, individualistic, unpredictable rap artist and entrepreneur who now has a net worth of $6.6 billion, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Kanye’s style is known to attract a great deal of attention, and he did just that with the release of the Stronger video from his 2007 album, Graduation. Ye edited much of the video himself and went well over the budget, spending $1.2 million in the process.
2 Touch The Sky – Kanye West ft. Lupe Fiasco (1 Million)
Around the mid-to-late 2000s, Kanye West was a force to be reckoned with in the entertainment industry. With a sound unlike any other rappers in his era, Ye carved his own lane by incorporating a fusion of soulful, funky, daft punk, hip-hop, and pop-inspired beats. One of his most acclaimed songs during that time was Touch The Sky featuring Lupe Fiasco. But there’s a story behind the video that even features the Canadian actress/model, Pamela Anderson. According to BJ Booth, Kanye scrapped the original video that was paid for by Def Jam and opted to pay close to $1 million to shoot a second video. Money definitely talks in the music business.
1 God’s Plan – Drake ($996,631.90)
From his formerly-owned YOLO Estate to his multi-million-dollar clothing brand, OVO, Drake has continually raised the bar in his career as a rapper and as an entrepreneur. At 35 years old, he has a net worth of $350 million and counting! The Canadian rapper’s best-selling album was Views, released in 2016, which sold close to 8 million copies. However, it was his 2018 album, Scorpion, that featured the song God’s Plan, for which he shot a video costing approximately $996,631.90. He literally made a video about giving away the budget money for the video, which was a heart-warming gesture in the sight of his fans. Drake has also collaborated with possibly every commercially successful artist, including Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Meek Mill, The Big Boss Rick Ross, actress, singer, and entrepreneur Rihanna, Young Money’s Lil’ Wayne, and scores of other music artists.
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Sources: Celebrity Net Worth, Hypefresh, Financial Insider, Hip Hop Wired
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