It was reasonable to suspect that the rise of Internet Rap and the explosion of successful independent artists onto the scene, perhaps as a consequence of the influence and his album “Flower Boy” had on music and culture, signaled the end of the era of “titans” of Hip-Hop. Amidst the sea of new personalities and innovative approaches to the genre, one artist has stood out from the crowd and proved that speculation incorrect. Travis Scott is very much a titan of Hip-Hop, and if you aren’t already convinced this statement is true, you can now examine the proof for yourself, as  and many other outlets have broken down the earnings from his various collaborative ventures. It looks like Scott will be bringing in a total of about $100 million this year, and with McDonald’s, Nike, and a budding PS5 partnership plus an alcoholic beverage brand on the horizon, we can expect his earnings to grow substantially and consistently.

Scott’s marketing and partnerships highlight a shift in both the music industry and the corporate world as a whole. For a long time, artists have relied on their image and their music as their primary products, and corporations have relied on, well, their products. The brilliance of Scott’s strategy is that he is not just selling an image, and the brands he collaborates with aren’t just selling products. They are combining to sell lifestyle, and to sell mania. When it’s all said and done, both parties profit directly, and beyond that, Scott walks away with more listeners and recognition.

While this exact strategy on this exact scale only works with a significant amount of investment, artists can take inspiration from it and apply similar methods to their own work. A significant amount of Scott’s own creative vision has gone into each of these partnerships. To maintain one’s creative integrity and unique appeal in their marketing tactics and business ventures, no matter the magnitude, is something that should be achievable, and we are excited to see what the next generation of superstars have in store (pun intended) for us in the future.

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