Dead rappers often get better promo, to paraphrase a rapper who's still with us.
Nipsey Hussle and XXXTentacion's sales and streams certainly got a huge bump after their untimely demises and that's reflected in their position in Forbes annual listing of "The Top-Earning Dead Celebrities".
According to the money mag, Michael Jackson was the highest-paid dead celeb, pulling in $60 million over the past year. Next up are Elvis Presley, Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz, golfer Arnold Palmer, and Bob Marley.
Nipsey and XXX are 9th and 10th on the list, between a couple of Beatles and other music legends.
Check the entire list:
1. Michael Jackson $60 million
2. Elvis Presley $39 million
3. Charles Schulz $38 million
4. Arnold Palmer $30 million
5. Bob Marley $20 million
6. Dr. Seuss $19 million
7. John Lennon $14 million
8. Marilyn Monroe $13 million
9. Prince $12 million
10. Nipsey Hussle $11 million
11. XXXTentacion $10 million
12. Whitney Houston $9.5 million
13. George Harrison $9 million
It's safe to say that Nip and X won't be long-time staples of this list.
Are you surprised that 2Pac and Biggie don't seem to be either?
Here is Forbes's methodology:
"Our annual list of the top-earning dead celebrities measures pretax income from October 1, 2018 through October 1, 2019. We compile our numbers with the help of data from Nielsen Music, IMDBPro and interviews with industry insiders. Fees for agents, managers and lawyers are not deducted."