From embedding a $24 million diamond on his forehead to buying a multi-million dollar mansion, Lil Uzi is notorious for his unique spending habits. With this, you’re likely wondering how he can afford all these. How does Lil Uzi make money?
Lil Uzi mainly earns his wealth from his music, including touring, merch, and album sales. Aside from that, he also gets revenue from his YouTube channel and streams. With all these combined, it’s not surprising to see Lil Uzi make extravagant purchases. And despite all that, he still maintains a $25 million net worth in 2023.
This post reveals how Lil Uzi achieved such clout and wealth.
An Overview
Born on July 31, 1994, Symere Bysil Woods, or Lil Uzi was born and raised in Pennsylvania. His mother kicked him out when he dropped his job at Dollar Store after dropping out of high school. Despite the hardships, Lil Uzi continued to pursue music until releasing his EP in 2014.
His EP caught the attention of Def Jam’s ASAP Mob and producer Don Cannon, kickstarting his successful and lucrative rap career. After releasing a mixtape under Cannon’s label, Atlantic Records offered a multi-million dollar contract to Lil Uzi, which he accepted immediately. And to this day, Lil Uzi is still under the record label.
Early Life
Lil Uzi, legally known as Symere Bysil Woods, was born in Pennsylvania on the 31st of July 1994.
Woods grew up jamming to tracks by legendary rappers like Wiz Khalifa and Meek Mill. And when he turned 13, Woods decided to explore more genres, admitting to being a huge fan of Marilyn Manson. He said that Manson’s album “Mechanical Animals” was his favorite.
It wasn’t until Woods reached 10th grade he began exploring music more. The same year, he started rapping, teamed up with two friends, and formed a rap group named “Steaktown.”
While working on his music, Woods started working at a Dollar store, but he didn’t even last four days for unknown reasons. Either way, Woods was flat broke at this point, leading to doubt about his possibility of having a career in rapping. And it worsened when Woods got kicked out of his mother’s house.
But that didn’t deter Woods as he went on to change his name to Lil Uzi, starting to take his rapping more seriously. And in 2014, Woods released his first EP, paving his successful music career.
Career
Lil Uzi got into the rap scene a little later than most rappers. He experienced mainstream success in 2016 despite being around since the early 2010s.
The rapper launched his first EP, “Purple Thoughtz,” on January 2014. It received mixed reviews, with some describing the production as “trippy.” Despite that, it was a successful EP, catching the attention of Def Jam’s ASAP Mob and producer Don Cannon. He quickly signed Lil Uzi under the label, helping him produce his first mixtape, “The Real Uzi,” the same year.
That helped Lil Uzi gain the attention of Atlantic Records, offering him a multi-million dollar contract. In 2015, Lil Uzi released his second mixtape, “Lux is Rage,” which helped him earn the title of the best “breakout artist” of that year by HotNewHipHop.
But it wasn’t until 2016 that Lil Uzi experienced his most significant breakthrough. His single “Money Longer” debuted as the no. 92 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 spot, peaking at no. 54. And Lil Uzi’s single was such a commercial success that it got certified platinum twice!
After that, Lil Uzi released several mixtapes and singles, earning him a spot in the top 10 XXLfreshman in 2016. But it wasn’t until his feature with the Migos’ that he further skyrocketed into mainstream media. Lil Uzi featured in the group’s hit single “Bad and Boujee” the same year, debuting at the top spot of the US Billboard Hot 100. This track was Lil Uzi’s first no. 1 single.
A year later, Lil Uzi released his studio album “Luv is Rage 2,” featuring his biggest hit yet – “XO Tour Llif3.” Aside from that, Lil Uzi also released many tracks on SoundCloud, earning him a spot on Fall Out Boy and Whiz Khalifa’s tours in August 2017.
Since then, Lil Uzi has released several mixtapes and albums, his latest launch in 2021. Despite rumors saying Lil Uzi will be retiring soon, it seems the rapper isn’t planning on stopping making music anytime soon.
Personal Life
Lil Uzi is famous for dating fashion designer Brittany Byrd between 2014 and 2017. The rapper mentioned her in several songs. And Uzi even featured Byrd as a cameo in his music video for the hit single “Money Longer.” But as mentioned, they aren’t together anymore, and as of 2023, Lil Uzi isn’t publicly dating anyone.
Like most upcoming rappers, Lil Uzi struggled with addictions throughout his life. But the rapper made a life-changing decision after the death of a fellow artist, Lil Peep. Lil Uzi announced he was quitting drugs altogether and wanted to change his life for the better. He added that he’d be attempting sobriety.
Aside from that, Lil Uzi also helped launch a foundation against gun violence after the death of his friend and fellow artist, XXXTentacion.
How Much Money Does Lil Uzi Have? (Lil Uzi Net Worth 2023)
Lil Uzi holds a net worth of $25 million in 2023.
He gets most of his money through his music, including album sales, touring, and merch sales. From this venture alone, Lil Uzi can earn several million. Reports revealed that Lil Uzi could earn up to $60k on tour shows, meaning he can earn over $600k if he does ten shows yearly.
Meanwhile, Lil Uzi’s album and merch sales in total have likely given him over $20 million in career earnings. After all, Lil Uzi has sold more than 43 million records in the USA alone. So, it’s safe to assume he’s also earning millions from album and merch sales combined.
Another income source Lil Uzi enjoys is his streaming services. For instance, on Spotify, he likely already earned over $16 million in total. And this isn’t too far-fetched, considering he has over 5 billion streams on the platform.
Additionally, Lil Uzi runs a self-titled YouTube music channel with over 8.8 million subscribers. We all know how lucrative YouTube is nowadays, and considering Lil Uzi has billions of views, he’s likely earned millions on the platform as well.
When Lil Uzi isn’t working on music, he’s often endorsing prominent brands like Kenzo. All these brand endorsements easily earn Lil Uzi hundred and thousands of dollars.
How Does Lil Uzi Make Money?
Music
Lil Uzi gets most of his wealth from his music career. He began rapping with local hip-hop groups in 2010, releasing his solo EP “Purple Thoughtz” in 2014. And this caught the attention of Def Jam’s Don Cannon. Shortly, he signed Lil Uzi, producing his mixtape “The Real Uzi” in 2015.
After his mixtape’s release, Lil Uzi scored a deal with Atlantic Records. And this gave him a chance to feature in a Fall Out Boy and Wiz Khalifa concert the same year. His performances boosted his fame more, bringing Lil Uzi many achievements. Most notably, Lil Uzi secured a place on the XXL Freshman list in 2016.
The same year, Lil Uzi released two mixtapes, with his single “Money Longer” peaking on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. And this is the first ever track of Lil Uzi’s to get certified platinum twice. Since then, the rapper released more mixtapes and albums, ranging from “Luv is Rate 2” to “Pluto x Baby Pluto.”
Aside from album sales, Lil Uzi also earns from touring and merch sales. Reports say Lil Uzi earns around $60k per show, which makes him about $500k per year for seven performances. With all these combined, Lil Uzi can easily make millions annually.
Streaming Platforms
Another source of income for Lil Uzi is streaming services. And with a rapper his size, Lil Uzi already likely got around $16 million from the platform alone.
YouTube
Lil Uzi has a massive YouTube channel with 8 million subscribers and billions of views. And ad revenue with a YouTube channel like this can give the rapper millions of dollars annually.
Real Estate + Cars
Although notorious for his extravagant spending habits, Lil Uzi accumulated many assets. For instance, Lil Uzi bought a $4 million villa in California, which he can resell for twice the price later. Aside from high-end properties, Lil Uzi also has an expensive collection of exotic and custom cars. All his vehicles retail for over $3 million.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How does Lil Uzi make money in 2023?
A: Lil Uzi gets most of his wealth from music, including touring, album, and merch sales. The rapper earns approximately $60k or more for each concert. And considering he performed around seven shows last year, he likely made $420k. Aside from that, Lil Uzi also gets revenue from streams and YouTube ads.
Q: How was Lil Uzi able to afford a $24 million diamond?
A: Lil Uzi bought a nearly 11-carat diamond worth $24 million, which he said he’d been paying for since 2017. The rapper had it embedded on his forehead at one point but eventually removed it. He said he got scared that he might lose it or someone might snatch it from him.
Q: Why did Lil Uzi have the diamond on his forehead removed?
A: On one of his shows in Miami, a fan of Lil Uzi’s managed to rip off the diamond from his forehead. And this was when he decided not to have it embedded again as he was afraid to lose it. Lil Uzi further stated it wasn’t foolproof and didn’t want to risk it. So, the rapper eventually decided to keep it somewhere out of the public eye.
Q: How much money does Lil Uzi get from Spotify?
A: It depends on how many streams Lil Uzi gets on the platform. But one of his songs, “A New Vulture Profile,” approximately earned the rapper around $900k
Q: Will Lil Uzi be retiring this year?
A: Despite his claims of retiring from making music in 2019, Lil Uzi released a single last year. So, no, Lil Uzi is far from retiring. Rumors are circulating that Uzi is working on a new album to be released this year or early next year.
Final Words
How does Lil Uzi make money? His primary income source is music. Whether from touring, album, or merch sales, he gets the most out of his money here. And with his growing fame, it’s unsurprising to see the young rapper hold a $25 million net worth in 2023.
Aside from direct sales from his albums, merch, and tours, Lil Uzi makes money from YouTube and streams. His YT channel of 8 million subscribers can quickly bring Lil Uzi millions per year. And streams can earn him around $900k per track.
Thanks to his unique spending habits and surprisingly meaningful lyricism, Lil Uzi has established his name in modern hip-hop. And this alone helped him expand his loyal legion of followers and ever-growing wealth.
Do you want to see the riches of another modern rapper? Check out Trippie Red’s net worth next!