Jay-Z and Kanye West are helping to further debunk the myth that Hip Hop tours don’t make money. Pollstar estimates that Jay-Z and Mary J. Blige‘s Heart of the City tour, which ends this month, will bring in an estimated $23 million, including sold-out dates at Madison Square Garden and the Hollywood Bowl. Kanye West‘s Glow in the Dark Tour is expected to do similar numbers when in wraps in June. Pollstar estimates the tour will bring in $21 million.
Faisel Durrani, an executive at Live Nation [the company responsible for Jay-Z‘s $150 deal] says the tours could mark a turning point as Hip Hop artists look to replace income lost from slumping album sales. The only other Hip Hop tour to generate similar profits was the 2005 Anger Management Tour, which brought in $21.6 million
“Hip-hop is starting to mature,”Durrani tells Rolling Stone. “At some point we will reflect back at how important these tours were in the growth of the [hip-hop concert] business.”
