There are two sides to the music business: the music and the business. You can be great at the former and not benefit financially if you aren’t on top of the latter. Apparently, Sir Mix-A-Lot understood the assignment from the get-go.
“‘Baby Got Back’ has made a lot of money, bro,” Sir Mix-A-Lot said when DJ Vlad asked how much he’s made from the hit.
The Seattle rapper talks about how artists who own their publishing sometimes fail to leverage it by declining requests to use their songs. However, he does the opposite.
“Why own your publishing if you’re not willing to leverage it? Some people own publishing and just sit around and say no to every single opportunity. But the reason you own publishing is because, later in your career, you can still monetize those tracks.”
He later added, “It’s definitely made over a 100 million dollars. I can tell you that. I mean, I just look at my lifestyle and where it’s been since 1992, and it hasn’t fallen off.”
Artists such as Nicki Minaj and Drake, among others, have gotten the blessing from Mix-A-Lot, which, in turn, has extended the life of the ’92 smash.
Oftentimes, we hear about artists making labels millions of dollars, only to see pennies from it—or, at worst, owe the label money. It’s like a breath of fresh air when you hear of a rapper enjoying the fruits of his or her labor years after the fact.
Salute to Sir Mix-A-Lot!
WATCH FULL VIDEO BELOW
