T-Pain has been very transparent about his career finances recently. The trendsetting artist and autotune pioneer appeared on the “Storytime with Legendary Jerry” podcast in May. The artist recalled his first deal and how much he current makes.
T-Pain said he had a 15-85 percent split. Being 18 years old at the time, he took it because it came with a $40 million advance.
“They gave me crazy money, so I didn’t even think about it,” T-Pain said. “I didn’t even care. They were straight up like, ‘Alright. Deal’s done. Here you go.'”
T-Pain, now 39, said he still gets royalty checks.
“I had to go look at my deal, and I was like, ‘Oh, I’m about to get paid,'” he said. “And they were like, ‘No, the f— you’re not.’ And I was like, ‘There’s no way.’ And they were, ‘There’s all the way ’cause here’s your signature, you stupid piece of s—.'”
The artist revealed that the advance eventually ceased to be worth it.
“I was, ‘What am I going to do with this money? Save it?'” T-Pain joked.
T-Pain reveals that his first deal, at just 18 years old, was a 15/85 split with a $40 million advance.
The label got 85% of his earnings.
— My Mixtapez (@mymixtapez) August 9, 2024
T-Pain then revealed he was earning $50,000 to $60,000 an hour while streaming on Twitch. This has made him rethink touring internationally.
“When you make $50,000 to $60,000 an hour playing video games in your underwear, it’s hard to justify traveling overseas for work,” he said.
Even at those figures, T-Pain said he’s on the low end of top earners in the streaming world.
“There are people making millions a month,” he said. “I’m making less than Tee Grizzley. When we talk about hourly rates; I know I’m doing less than him.”
In 2022, Grizzley told Bootleg Kev he’s made $115,000 a month on Twitch.
T-Pain disclosed that a portion of his income comes from endorsements, including casually promoting companies and their deals while streaming video games.
“If you think I’m going to pack clothes, get on a stage for an hour and a half and sweat it out in a state I’m unfamiliar with instead of staying home and streaming, you’re mistaken,” he said.
