Lil Baby is inspiring fans to keep grinding by revealing what he used to make for his shows in 2017.
The Atlanta rapper has come a long way since his low 4-figure performance deals back in the day. Now, with three back-to-back No. 1 albums certified Platinum or higher, Lil Baby’s net worth has grown exponentially, but he wasn’t an overnight success.
Taking to Instagram to give fans an incredibly intimate look at his previous earnings, the rapper shared a spreadsheet showing a list of cities he was paid to perform in 2017, with the payout ranging from $2,500 to $5,000. In the caption, Lil Baby wrote, “Stay Down Keep Grinding,” reassuring fans that their hard work will eventually pay off.
Baby is reportedly making at least six figures per show today, and that’s a huge jump in just six years. The unorthodox post garnered a lot of attention from fans who were not only impressed with the rapper’s growth but inspired by it. “Lil baby is solid for this post!! Hard work and dedication is the right move in every aspect of life,” one fan commented on the post. Another equally inspired commenter chimed, “Ngl that’s motivational frfr.”
One fan championed the post as an example of what fans want to see more of from hip-hop artists. “These what rappers need to start doing instead of flexin,” they commented. Meanwhile, some fans brought attention to the fact that what the rapper made altogether was still a pretty decent payday, especially so early in his career. “2k-5k a show is pretty good for an upcoming artist,” one fan wrote. Another said, “10 shows for 40 bands is still [cool] slow grind better than no grind.”
The shows ranged from June to October 2017 before the release of his first mixtape to chart on Billboard in December of that year. Too Hard, the rapper’s fourth release of the same year and his overall career, entered the Billboard 200, where it peaked at No. 80 and charted for 47 weeks. Fast forward to his latest album in October 2022, It’s All Me, which became his third album, joint or solo, to debut at No. 1 on the chart and is in its 57th consecutive frame this week.
What do you think about Lil Baby’s post revealing what he used to make for his performances and encouraging fans to keep working? Should other rappers follow suit with these inspirational spiels?
