Kendrick Lamar Net Worth

Kendrick Lamar’s net worth is $33 million. The Grammy-killing rapper’s net worth comes mainly from concert tours, with endorsements, album sales, YouTube views and investment income bringing up the rear.

Kendrick Lamar dominated the Grammy nominations on 12/6/15. The singer has earned $68 million from concert tours. An estimated $5 million comes from product endorsements, including a lucrative deal with Reebok. Lamar has also earned $3 million from album sales and another $3 million from YouTube ad revenue. That’s a total of $79 million in lifetime earnings for Lamar. Investments add an estimated $3.7 million. Taxes and expenses chop $50 million out of that, leaving a Lamar Kendrick net worth of $33 million.

Kendrick Lamar Net Worth Facts

Kendrick Lamar’s net worth of $33 million is about 8 times smaller than Taylor Swift’s net worth of $251 million. Kanye West’s net worth of $62 million is almost twice as big as the Kendrick Lamar net worth pile. Rappers with net worths that dwarf Lamar’s are Jay Z with $514 million and Dr. Dre with $745 million. Kendrick Lamar’s net worth is four times bigger than Wiz Khalifa’s $8.4 million dollar fortune. It’s 485 times bigger than the typical American household’s net worth of $68,000.

Also see: Jay Z Net Worth

Kendrick Lamar Net Worth Through Time

Kendrick Lamar’s net worth has grown steadily since he hit the music scene in 2010. The table below shows how the rapper’s wealth has mounted through the years. For data on how it got that way, see the breakout on the singer’s net worth below the table.

Also see: Lil Wayne Net Worth

Lamar’s earnings power has its roots in truth. On 12/29/15, Lamar described seeing his first murder in an interview with NPR.  Lamar said he saw a drug dealer get shot right in front of his apartment building. The rapper says music saved him from that life. You can listen to the full interview below.

Where Does Kendrick Lamar’s Net Worth Come From?

Most of Kendrick Lamar’s $33 million dollar net worth comes from concert tours. Endorsements, album sales and YouTube views are distant contenders. The full Kendrick Lamar net worth story is broken out below.

Kendrick Lamar Net Worth and Concerts

Concerts make up the bulk of the Kendrick Lamar net worth total with $68 million in earnings since 2010. People are often surprised to learn that album sales and other income sources typically lag far behind concert revenue in the earnings game. Analysts estimate that big name recording artists often keep about 85% of the revenue from concert ticket sales.

Kendrick Lamar has given about 400 live performances since 2010. We don’t have exact box office data for those 400 shows. However, best-guessed estimates based on comparable performers like The Game, Wiz Khalifa, Kanye West and Drake give us a probable average take of $200,000 per show. Lamar most likely keeps 85% of that or $170,000. That gives the singer $68 million in total concert earnings.

Kendrick Lamar Net Worth and Product Endorsements

Product endorsement deals pump an estimated $5 million into the Kendrick Lamar net worth sum. Lamar’s biggest endorsement deal to date is a high power sneaker deal with Reebok. Lamar also signed a lucrative deal with Beats by Dre. Those and other deals add up to an estimated yearly earnings of $1 million from product endorsement contracts.

Also see: Dr. Dre Net Worth

Album Sales and Kendrick Lamar Net Worth

Album sales make up a relatively small slice of the Kendrick Lamar net worth pie. Lamar has sold 2.2 million albums to date with a total revenue of $24 million. Even the biggest stars keep only a small percentage of album sale revenue. Industry experts place Lamar’s cut at 11.1% of all album sales dollars. That puts $2.7 million in album sales into Kendrick Lamar’s net worth. That’s only 4% of the money Lamar earns from concerts.

Kendrick Lamar Singles

Singles sales add in even less money. Lamar has had several hit singles, including Swimming Pools, Poetic Justice and King Kunta. He’s also featured in Taylor Swift’s Bad Blood, which sold over 6 million copies worldwide. That said, the rapper has earned only an estimated $340,000 to date from sales of singles.

YouTube and Kendrick Lamar Net Worth

Singers these days often make more money from YouTube ad revenue than from album sales. Kendrick Lamar is no exception. $3 million of the Kendrick Lamar net worth sum comes from YouTube earnings. Lamar’s YouTube Vevo channel has 397,666,576 views. Analysts estimate that 1,000 YouTube views pays about $7.60. That gives Lamar $3,022,266 in YouTube revenue.

Also see: Drake Net Worth

Other Kendrick Lamar Net Worth Factors

A common mistake with figuring a star’s net worth is to add up all the income and call it good. This approach ignores important factors like expenses, taxes and investments. Kendrick Lamar’s net worth almost certainly includes all three.

Lamar is in a 39.6% federal tax bracket. As a resident of California, the rapper tacks on another 13.3% in state taxes. Applying that to his annual income since 2011 gives a whopping $42 million dollar lifetime tax bill.

Expenses likely chop another 10% from Kendrick Lamar’s net worth. That includes cost of living, but also agent fees, staff, travel and other expenses.

Finally, Kendrick Lamar is not an idiot. He wouldn’t just keep his money in a mattress or a bank account. The star most likely invests his money. Figuring on a conservative 6% investment income every year adds $3.7 million into the Kendrick Lamar net worth total.

Sources:

BandsinTown.com