the 48-year-old rapper business model

Hey! Yesterday was a historic day. A lot of people deserve praise for making it happen. In recent weeks, some hip-hop artists have been heavily criticized for their controversial political takes. But there were dozens more who have put in tremendous work. They deserve our attention too.

Here's the latest from Trapital.

Drake is back on the injured reserve list

via @champagnepapi

Aubrey Graham is recovering from knee surgery, but this is one of several serious injuries he's faced in his career.

Here's a brief history of his career injury report:

- 2009: Drake tore his right ACL, MCL, and LCL. In an interview with Sway, Drake said "if I were to tear it again, I'd never be able to walk." A week after that interview, he went against his doctor's orders, performed on-stage with those torn ligaments, and collapsed. He re-injured the knee and immediately had surgery on it.

- 2016: Drake suffered a severe left ankle injury which caused him to cancel the last few shows of the Summer Sixteen Tour. Once again, he powered through the injury, which made it worse. Drake sat in an ice tub to recover. He got clowned for his athlete-style rehab, but maybe he low-key needed it.

- 2020: Drake had surgery again on that same right knee that he blew out in 09. The actual procedure is unknown, but that's a serious lookin cast. That's not the cast you get after some minor microscopic surgery. Did he tear his ACL again? How? I wouldn't be surprised if the injury is more serious than he let on. Remember, Drake became a father and the public didn't find out until a Pusha T diss track. Don't rule anything out.

From a catalog perspective, Drake is one of hip-hop's best bets to still sell out arenas for decades. He has endless hits. He could be an annual arena act like Billy Joel or Elton John. But if Drake can't run around on stage the way he used to, how long until his tongue-in-cheek Derrick Rose lyric becomes a reality? Let's hope he doesn't end up in a wheelchair like his character Jimmy from Degrassi.

Busta Rhymes and the 40+ year old rapper business model

Last week, Busta Rhymes released his first album in eight years, Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God. There’s never been a better time in hip-hop for 40+ rappers. Here’s why:

• Niche audiences. In today’s era, it’s easier than ever to reach specific target audiences through social media and digital streaming. Busta grew up in an era where his success was heavily influenced by MTV music video plays and product placement at Tower Records. But now, artists have more control than ever before. There are plenty of people who love hip-hop but don’t check for RapCaviar, Travis Scott, or Cardi B. But in today’s era, they can hear the latest from legends like Busta Buss and Lil’ Kim without relying on the traditional outlets.
• Release music independently. Busta and his peers have already benefit from the major label system. Most of them are out of those initial record label deals. They can now earn more money per album sale (or stream) as an independent release. They still partner with other outlets for distribution support, as Busta did with EMPIRE. But Busta’s marginal cost is lower than it was during his Flipmode days.
• More to reflect on. From an artistic perspective, older artists can make the music they want without caring about radio play or playlist placement. They also have more life experience to reflect on. There’s a whole generation of rap fans who would love to hear Busta’s thoughts on the current state of the world.

Now, Busta and his peers can't sell out the same venues they once did, but live performance is still lucrative at smaller levels. Also, the artists from Busta's era still gets love overseas and at music festivals. Each new release is an opportunity to remind about the hits in their back catalog.

Kendrick Lamar's new publishing deal with UMPG

Kendrick Lamar (Bebeto Matthews / AP photo)

Kendrick Lamar signed a new publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group worth a rumored $20 to $40 million.

Kendrick has been eyeing a new publishing deal for almost three years now. The market for his future catalog of releases is sky-high for good reason. Four of his albums are in the Library of Congress, DAMN. won a Pulitzer and broke streaming records at the time. His albums are taught in college classrooms, dissected like literature, and mentioned in every classic or greatest album discussion.

A rarity in the future? Kendrick Lamar has more classic albums than not, which boosts his catalog value. But in today's streaming era, artists are rewarded more for quantity than quality. If a record label today has a valuable talent like 2012 Kendrick Lamar, would they be fine only releasing four albums in eight years? I doubt it.

Read more about why publishing is still strong in 2020 in Rolling Stone.

Coming soon from Trapital

Next essay is on the ringtone rap era. What a time. People made some serious money selling ringtones and I'm gonna break it down. There's a lot that's applicable to today. Stay tuned!

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Enjoy the rest of your weekend! I'll be back next week.

Dan

P.S. - want the latest from Trapital when it drops? sign up here: trapital.co