Jay-Z performs onstage during the “On the Run II” Tour at NRG Stadium on Sept. 15, 2018 in Houston, Texas.
Kevin Winter/PW18/Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment
Billboard Boxscore has been tracking touring data and ranking the top live acts around the world across various musical genres since the mid-1980s. We’ve already run down the biggest live artists in country and Latin music, and now it’s time to present the 20 highest grossing rappers in the Boxscore archives.
Hip-hop was still in its adolescence when Boxscore charts started in the mid-’80s. But in the nearly 40 years since, rap has exploded, becoming a (or the) dominant force in popular music. What began in a community rec room of a Bronx apartment complex has graduated to theaters, arenas and stadiums.
This list is based on global figures reported to Billboard Boxscore as of Nov. 2. Final numbers are based on headline engagements only – no festivals – plus 50% of any co-headline grosses.
That last part is important. As in the studio, collaboration has been key on the road for the rappers on our list and beyond. From Jay-Z and Kanye West to Eminem and 50 Cent, hip-hop acts have co-headlined in various arrangements over the last few decades, using one another’s shared star power to sell out venues worldwide.
A note about eligibility for this list: We’re including rap artists who have charted on Billboard’s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. That means that artists who rap instead of sing, but don’t fall within the genre of hip-hop, are excluded. For acts that have straddled the line, we’ve made splits — tours supporting pop or alternative albums for Post Malone or Machine Gun Kelly don’t count toward their totals.
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Nicki Minaj
Image Credit: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for TIDAL Gross: $26.9 million
Attendance: 472K
Total Shows Reported: 42
First Reported Show(s): $491K at Hordern Pavilion in Sydney, Australia, on May 16, 2012
Biggest Reported Show(s): $1.4 million at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on July 26, 2015
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Chance the Rapper
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images Gross: $28.1 million
Attendance: 577K
Total Shows Reported: 64
First Reported Show(s): $18K at Club Soda in Montreal, Quebec, on Nov. 3, 2013
Biggest Reported Show(s): $2.2 million at U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago on Sept. 24, 2016
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$uicideboy$
Image Credit: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Coachella Gross: $32.3 million
Attendance: 423K
Total Shows Reported: 60
First Reported Show(s): $83K at Palladium in Hollywood, Calif., on Nov. 11, 2017
Biggest Reported Show(s): $1.4 million at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., On Oct. 31-Nov. 1, 2022
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Beastie Boys
Image Credit: David Redfern/Redferns Gross: $36.1 million
Attendance: 1.2 million
Total Shows Reported: 148
First Reported Show(s): $31K at Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, Ariz., on Feb. 10, 1987
Biggest Reported Show(s): $3.4 million at Robert F. Kenedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, D.C., on June 13-14, 1998
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Future
Image Credit: Prince Williams/Wireimage Gross: $44.7 million
Attendance: 838K
Total Shows Reported: 73
First Reported Show(s): $23K at Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio, on May 27, 2014
Biggest Reported Show(s): $1.9 million at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Mich., on Jan. 29, 2023
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Lil Baby
Image Credit: Rich Fury/GI for Visible Gross: $45.1 million
Attendance: 705K
Total Shows Reported: 61
First Reported Show(s): $105K at Express Live! in Columbus, Ohio, on Dec. 29, 2018
Biggest Reported Show(s): $1.7 million at American Airlines Center in Dallas on July 29, 2023
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Wiz Khalifa
Image Credit: Brian Rasic/WireImage Gross: $45.2 million
Attendance: 2 million
Total Shows Reported: 226
First Reported Show(s): $18K at 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., on March 28, 2010
Biggest Reported Show(s): $670K at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colo., on April 22, 2023
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Tyler, the Creator
Image Credit: Erika Goldring/WireImage Gross: $56.8 million
Attendance: 812K
Total Shows Reported: 108
First Reported Show(s): $28K at Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio, on March 12, 2013
Biggest Reported Show(s): $2.9 million at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y., on March 13-14, 2022
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Travis Scott
Image Credit: Erika Goldring/WireImage Gross: $65.9 million
Attendance: 910K
Total Shows Reported: 78
First Reported Show(s): $42K at The Fonda Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 15, 2015
Biggest Reported Show(s): $3.2 million at O2 Arena in London on Aug. 6-7, 2022
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Snoop Dogg
Image Credit: Roberto Ricciuti/Redferns Gross: $73.7 million
Attendance: 2.6 million
Total Shows Reported: 343
First Reported Show(s): $21K at Cane’s in San Diego on Dec. 9, 2000
Biggest Reported Show(s): $2.9 million at Tacoma Dome in Tacoma, Wash., on Dec. 16-17, 2022
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50 Cent
Image Credit: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic Gross: $81.7 million
Attendance: 1.9 million
Total Shows Reported: 174
First Reported Show(s): $153K at Constant Center in Norfolk, Va., on Feb. 15, 2003
Biggest Reported Show(s): $3.1 million at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Aug. 9-10, 2023
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J. Cole
Image Credit: Scott Dudelson/Getty Images Gross: $91.7 million
Attendance: 1.4 million
Total Shows Reported: 146
First Reported Show(s): $9K at Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio, on Nov. 3, 2010
Biggest Reported Show(s): $2.3 million at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Aug. 24-25, 2018
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Lil Wayne
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/WireImage Gross: $111.7 million
Attendance: 2 million
Total Shows Reported: 234
First Reported Show(s): $18K at House of Blues in New Orleans on Sept. 17, 2004
Biggest Reported Show(s): $2.2 million at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y., on March 27-28, 2011
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Black Eyed Peas
Image Credit: Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images Gross: $119.4 million
Attendance: 2 million
Total Shows Reported: 193
First Reported Show(s): $17K at Toad’s Place in New Haven, Conn., on Feb. 15, 2001
Biggest Reported Show(s): $4.8 million at O2 Arena in London on May 5-6 and 27-28, 2010
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Eminem
Image Credit: Sal Idriss/Redferns Gross: $151.7 million
Attendance: 2.3 million
Total Shows Reported: 103
First Reported Show(s): $19K at The Odeon in Cleveland on April 8, 1999
Biggest Reported Show(s): $10.4 million at Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Australia, on Dec. 2 and 4, 2011
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Kanye West
Image Credit: Taylor Hill/Getty Images Gross: $161.2 million
Attendance: 2.3 million
Total Shows Reported: 240
First Reported Show(s): $61K at House of Blues in Chicago on Feb. 11, 2004
Biggest Reported Show(s): $8.3 million at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif. on Oct. 25-27 and Nov. 1-3, 2016
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Kendrick Lamar
Image Credit: Jason Koerner/GI Gross: $164.5 million
Attendance: 1.7 million
Total Shows Reported: 142
First Reported Show(s): $26K at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on March 27, 2012
Biggest Reported Show(s): $8.1 million at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sept. 14-17, 2022
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Post Malone
Image Credit: Paras Griffin/WireImage Gross: $245.7 million
Attendance: 3.4 million
Total Shows Reported: 225
First Reported Show(s): $16K at Emo’s in Austin, Texas, on Sept. 20, 2016
Biggest Reported Show(s): $5.3 million at the O2 Arena in London on May 4 and 6-7, 2023
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Jay-Z
Image Credit: Neil Lupin/Redferns via Getty Images Gross: $430.5 million
Attendance: 7.4 million
Total Shows Reported: 402
First Reported Show(s): $205K at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on July 27, 2001
Biggest Reported Show(s): $7.4 million at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., on Sept. 28-Oct. 1 and Oct. 3-6, 2012
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Drake
Image Credit: Prince Williams/Wireimage Gross: $472.9 million
Attendance: 3.9 million
Total Shows Reported: 304
First Reported Show(s): $191K at Bryce Jordan Center in University Park, Penn., on April 9, 2010
Biggest Reported Show(s): $13.5 million at the O2 Arena in London on April 1-2, 4-5, 8-9 and 11, 2019