2024 is a historic year for music touring, especially female rapper touring. Big-name artists such as Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Missy Elliott and Megan Thee Stallion have taken advantage of this rising trend, generating significant income from cross-country excursions.
A precedent-setting year for female rappers
Four years after COVID-19 rocked the live entertainment industry, concerts are booming again. For the first time ever, multiple female rappers are in the top 100 of year-end top tours, according to Billboard.
Nicki is ranked 31st among female hosts and Doja is ranked 61st. Missy is ranked 70th and Megan is ranked 76th. They rank second, fifth, sixth and seventh respectively on the Top Rap Tour chart, with Nicki trailing only Travis Scott.
This year, the travel industry’s combined revenue among the top 100 performers hit a record $9 billion, according to Billboard. Rap grew three percent from last year. For the first time, there are more female rappers on the list than male rappers across all genres, including Travis Scott (No. 15), $uicideboy$ (No. 48) and 50 Cent (No. 49).
Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 tour broke records, bringing her total earnings to nearly $100 million during the tracking period from October 1, 2023, to September 30, 2024. The tour ended with $108 million, with 788,000 tickets sold. Doja Cat’s fall tour grossed $46 million. Missy’s tour with Ciara and Busta Rhymes brought in $41 million, while Megan’s Hot Girl Summer Tour ) followed with revenue of $40.2 million.
Overall, Nicki, Doja, Missy and Megan earned a combined $227.8 million from 1.7 million tickets sold across 148 show dates during the 2024 tracking period.
2025 is already shaping up to be another big year on the road for hip-hop, with Tyler, The Creator, Kendrick Lamar, Drake and more all scheduled to tour next year.
