Mgk Is More Popular Than Hes Ever Been Thanks to Eminem Beef

Hey! Today's update is breaks down the Oscars attempts to integrate hip-hop and whether it makes a difference. I also included a collection of articles on J.Lo's touring deal, Bruno Mars movie deal, and more.

Thanks to everyone who has start referring their colleagues! Go to trapital.co/referrals to get started.

Jennifer Lopez & Live Nation Partner in Multi-Year Touring Deal: Exclusive (Justino Aguila / Billboard)

Just days after her history-making Super Bowl LIV performance seen by a global audience of 100 million, Jennifer Lopez has signed a major multi-year touring deal with Live Nation,Billboard has learned exclusively.

"Jennifer Lopez has given fans spectacular live performances for decades through sold out tour dates and her Las Vegas residencies," said Brad Wavra, senior vice president touring, Live Nation.

NOTE – last week I wrote about my issues with the Super Bowl Halftime Show "Bump." This is exactly what I'm talking about. It's safe to assume that a) J. Lo's performance helped influence this deal, and b) this deal is far more valuable than an 1100% week over week streaming bumps that often get reported after these shows.

Disney Makes Bruno Mars Deal; Platinum-Selling Singer Will Star In, Produce Music-Driven Theatrical Film (Mike Fleming Jr / Deadline)

After months of discussion, Disney has set a deal with Bruno Mars. The studio will develop a music-themed theatrical narrative feature that Mars will star in and produce. The plot is being kept under wraps, but I'm told that it will consist of mostly original music that he will create and perform.

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's World Tour Series Gets $200 Million Sponsor (Taylor Mims / Billboard)

Will and Jada Pinkett Smith's Westbrook Inc. and partner Apollo World Touring have announced Australian renewable energy and fuel company AgBioEn as their first sponsor for their global new multi-genre event series World Tour.

Jay-Z's Tidal Lost $37 Million In 2018 — More Than 100,000 Subscribers Jumped Ship (Marsha Silva / Digital Music News)

The music streaming service's overall revenue grew by more than 25 percent from 2017 to nearly $150 million, according to a filing with UK governmental agency Companies House. However, 2017's U.S. earnings were about $71.5 million, whereas American subscribers' payments totaled $57.4 million in 2018—a loss of $14.1 million and, in turn, at least 100,000 subscribers.

Whoa: Warner Music Group is Going Public Again (Tim Ingham / Music Business Worldwide)

This won't be the first time that WMG goes public: the firm traded on the New York Stock Exchange before becoming a private entity in 2011, when Len Blavatnik and his Access Industries bought the company for $3.3bn…

Why? Try the fact that WMG rival Universal Music Group recently locked in a whopping company valuation in excess of $33bn thanks to its agreement to sell 10% of its company to a Tencent-led consortium. Blavatnik must know that, in comparative terms, WMG is now worth many multiples of that $3.3bn he paid nine years ago.

Hip-Hop Can Only Help the Oscars So Much

ABC and The Academy weren't shy about their desires to make the Oscars seem more relatable. They've made several attempts over the years, but yesterday was a true kitchen sink moment.

Janelle Monae's opening act represented several "popular" movies. Chris Rock came back to give yet another slew of #OscarsSoWhite jokes. Eminem randomly performed his 2002 Oscar-winning song "Lose Yourself." Utkarsh Ambudkar pulled a Skillz and did a mid-show rap to recap the awards given. And to top it all off, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith brought his First Take, talking heads analysis to the show's post-game recap. It was the mashup no one asked for, no one needed, but makes sense in the context of the Oscars' goals.

For the past decade, the Oscars has wanted to seem more relatable with the "in" culture. The show lost one-third of its viewership since 2014. And while most broadcast programming has suffered a similar decline in the digital streaming and social media era, these broadcasts look inward to solve their challenges. Hip-hop is popular culture. That won't stop anytime soon. According to Forbes, and contrary to common beliefs, Gen Z is much more likely to tune in to the Oscars than millennials, Baby Boomers, or Gen X.

The actual Oscars show was still a mess and felt off-balance, but it accomplished its mission. The Slim Shady performance was the top social moment from the show. It was a surprise guaranteed to yield strong reactions —one way or another—from the audience. Before the show, the producers could have nearly guaranteed that Martin Scorsese's reaction to Eminem's performance would be a GIF-able moment. (I could hear Marty in my head watching "Lose Yourself" and saying this isn't cinema. Or Billie Eilish's reaction to anything. These subtleties drive interest over time.

Despite these attempts, the Oscars still face two challenges in achieving its goals of relatability increasing viewership, interest, and money for ABC.

First, GIF-able moments and social media commentary are far more valuable with on-demand content or ticketed experiences. Clips of Joaquin Phoenix dancing on the "Joker steps" drove more people to buy tickets for the movie. Memes from Bird Box got more people to watch the Netflix movie. But it's tough to monetize Eminem's surprise performance. Sure, people may tune in who weren't planning to already, but there's a finite time horizon. The live broadcast ends in a few hours, and content isn't evergreen.

It's similar to a Super Bowl matchup. A close game in the 4th quarter may draw people in for the last 30 minutes, but it's rarely enough to make a sizable impact. The audience who already planned to watch is the one that's most likely to tune in.

Second, The Oscars is in less control of its brand than most other businesses. Most brands focus on the perception their customers have and the internal attempts to shape customer's perception. The Oscars are concerned about those two things AND the elephant in the room—the 8,000+ member voting Academy that can sway the brand's identity with the movies selected to win.

The Academy would never say this, but the programming is geared toward the audience that went wild on Twitter for Bong Joon-ho and Parasite's victories. It wants the audience that made fun of The Shape of Water, loved that Get Out won a screenplay Oscar*,* thinks Beyonce should have beat both Adele and Taylor Swift for the Grammy's Album of the Year, and so on. Next year, the Oscars could get Three 6 Mafia to do "Hard Out Here for a Pimp" and Terrance Howard to do "Whoop That Trick" from Hustle & Flow. It would dominate Black Twitter, and people would go wild! But if a movie like Green Book wins that same year, all that engagement goes out the window.

Hey! Two quick updates for you:

I am planning a Bay Area Trapital Brunch in December. Stay tuned for more details next week!
I am holding off on the Taylor Swift-Scooter Braun-Scott Borchetta situation until there's more info. The story has followed an unsurprising pattern of he said / she said. Any thoughtful assessment right now would be based on pure conjecture and influenced by predetermined bias, and that wouldn't be fair to you all. You can read Taylor's comments here, Big Machine's response here, and unsubstantiated takes on the situation anywhere else on the internet!

Today's update covers the anniversaries of both The Slim Shady LP and 2001, Spotify and Procter & Gamble's new podcast with John Legend and Pusha T, and Summer Walker's career struggles.

Dr. Dre and Eminem's Run Turns 20

We all have that friend who went a little too extra for their milestone birthday festivities. Yes, life is meant to be celebrated, but do we need to turn up for the entire month?? At some point, we all got things to do. Some of you might be that friend! And if that's the case, you probably got other things to do to if you're being honest.

But rest assured, even if you are that friend, your celebratory measures were likely pale in comparison to Eminem's. February was the Detroit rapper's 20th anniversary of The Slim Shady LP, the album that launched his career. Here's a brief breakdown of what the rapper has done this year to commemorate it:

February: Re-issued Slim Shady LP Expanded Edition on streaming services for the first time. Including tracks from The Wild Wild West soundtrack.
April: Released Capsule 1, a collection of commemorative throwback merchandise. Eminem's website also featured an interview with rapper Skam and photographer Danny Hasting on their contributions to the album
November: Releasing Capsule 2 on November 19. More merchandise.

Despite the year-long celebration, each of these merch drops has sold out and the upcoming Drop 2 will probably do the same. The customers are there so it's hard to knock Team Slim Shady for maximizing the fan willingness to pay, but there's a better, more holistic way to maximize all this.

Eminem's rise is synonymous with Dr. Dre. Tomorrow is the 20th anniversary of 2001, Dr. Dre's album that in many ways is a cousin to Eminem's album, The Marshall Mathers LP. These albums are so connected that I sometimes mix up the songs! A few months ago I swore that "Bitch Please II" was on 2001, but it was actually on Marshall Mathers LP.

The grouping of these albums reminds me of the "twin films" concept in Hollywood. Movies about the same subject often get made around the same time (Dunkirk and Darkest Hour, Hulu and Netflix's Fyre Festival documentaries, Armageddon and Deep Impact). Sometimes it's sheer coincidence, but other times its an intentional push for collective attention—especially if the same studio is involved. It was an intentional strategy for Aftermath Entertainment since 2001 dropped conveniently between Eminem's two albums. We still see this tactic executed today. Last summer, G.O.O.D. Music artists released five albums that were all seven-tracks.

That collective attention drove the popularity for both Eminem and Dr. Dre albums, which featured many of the same artists: Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg, and Xzibit. Their promotional run was capped off with the Up in Smoke Tour, one of the most iconic rap tours in the post-Hard Knock Life Tour era.

There's a great opportunity to coordinate a joint campaign for both 2001 and Marshall Mathers LP. The rollouts could culminate next summer with commemorative merchandise for the 20th anniversary of the Up in Smoke Tour.

The chances of this happening are slim though. Dr. Dre didn't do anything for The Chronic 20th anniversary in 2012 or 25th in 2017. The likelihood of 2001 getting love seems slim.

Procter & Gamble and Spotify Launch Podcast with John Legend and Pusha T

From Spotify:

"You're not pretty for a Black girl. You are beautiful, period."

With this simple reminder from a mother to her young daughter, Procter & Gamble's award-winning campaign, "The Talk," began a conversation about race in mainstream media. Now, Spotify and P&G are continuing the dialogue withHarmonize, a new podcast series focused on the impact of racial bias in the U.S. and how music has served as a catalyst for change. The four episodes, featuring Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award-winner (EGOT)John Legend and rapper, songwriter, and record executivePusha T, are available today exclusively on Spotify.

Before I assess this partnership, Procter & Gamble deserves credit for its continued efforts to openly address systemic racism and sexism. As the largest CPG company in the world and one of the largest advertisers, it has had an important role in the images that impact society. While some of its competitors still position products in ways that reinforce colorism, prejudice, and other problematic beauty standards, the multinational firm understands its role and has pushed the discussion forward. That deserves acknowledgment.

There are several parties involved here, so let's break down the value prop for everyone involved:

Spotify

exclusive content – helps acquire or retain free customers (which generates more ad revenue, and more paid subscriber conversions).
association with diversity – Spotify wants to strengthen its diversity efforts both internally and externally. Producing this podcast helps get there.
artist relationships – while streaming music exclusives aren't as prevalent as they once were, other projects, like podcast and radio exclusives are more common than ever. This opens the door for future collabs with Pusha T, John Legend, and others.

Procter & Gamble

continue diversity efforts – after "The Talk," "The Look," and Gillette's "The Best a Man Can Get," it's a continuation. While those three projects are time-intensive, the production effort is much lower on a conversational podcast.
authentic artist collaborations – it's much more meaningful to see Pusha T in a Procter & Gamble podcast on diversity than say, Nelly in a Honey Hunt Cheerios commercial for the sole purpose of using the pun, "must be the honey." Customers reward companies for earnest efforts.
more business from diverse customers – this is top of mind for P&G. The company purchased Tristan Walker's Walker & Co. earlier this year. Walker & Co was originally started to be P & G for the underrepresented, which implied that P&G wasn't doing the best job at the time. P&G purchasing that same company says a lot about their focus.

Pusha T and John Legend

Exposure via global companies – I often write about the benefits stars get when partnering with companies with mass distribution. The benefits aren't just sneakers or merchandise drops. A partner like P&G can be effective even if there aren't products sold. For instance, John Legend spoke at Cannes Lion earlier this year as part of this P&G-Spotify partnership.
Opportunity to tell their story – while John Legend has several outlets to voice his thoughts on racism and other societal issues, the same can't necessarily be said about Pusha T. Can you imagine Pusha T releasing an IG video where he opened up and said "I wanna keep it real with you, I've been processing some thoughts"? Even though he's be justified to so do, it would seem a bit off-brand. This podcast is an opportunity to tell his story in a setting that's built for it.

The short, four-episode podcast season gives P&G and Spotify time to assess this as a pilot. As of now, neither Push or Legend promoted the podcast themselves on social media. Legend is clearly in the middle of his promo run for People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive," but they should both be spreading the word! The more awareness it gets, the better it is for all parties involved.

Summer Walker's Struggles

Earlier this week, Summer Walker went on Instagram to let her fans know that she is canceling future shows

From @summerwalker:

"As you know, I have been very open about my struggle with social anxiety. I want to continue to be healthy and to make music for y'all, so I have decided to cut down some of the dates on the tour. I hope you all can understand. I'm grateful for every single one of you, and I hope that you understand that wellness/mental health is important. All cancelled dates will be refunded asap."

Here's the video:

https://www.instagram.com/p/B4yK2K9gnM7/

This comes after several fans complained about their underwhelming experience from a Meet & Greet at a recent tour stop. While fans understandably feel upset about an experience they paid extra money for, artists shouldn't feel subjected to upsell services that conflict with their psyche. In today's industry, there are plenty of ways to offer different upsell services that fans would value that are far less exhausting for Summer.

Forbes writer Julian Mitchell had an interesting take on a potential solution:

If you're Summer Walker or on her management team — This would be a great opportunity to explore new ways to deliver a live music experience.

We're in a time where live shows are becoming truly immersive with AR/VR, live video, production design etc.

Be creative for the fans.

— Julian Mitchell (@AllThingsMitch) November 14, 2019

He's right. We're in an era where Lil' Miquela, a CGI influencer, interviewed J Balvin at Coachella and releases music videos on YouTube. (in my Kevin Garnett voice, Anything is possible!)

Before Summer calls it quits, here are a few options:

High-priced tickets for intimate concerts (e.g. Sofar Sounds)
VR/AR concerts and immersive experiences (something I wrote about last year when I covered an event that Lupe Fiasco and Autodesk put on)

Twenty years ago, we saw Lauryn Hill's career longevity falter because she was forced to follow the standard demands of a young artist on tour while raising a family. It's a sad reality of the rigidity that existed in the industry back then. But today landscape is far too fragmented for Summer to feel subjected to the standard model.

There's room for her to succeed in the current system, it just requires a willingness to push the standard concepts and determine what works best for her.

Aye! I'm usually not one to praise fundraising or valuations. It happens far too often in Silicon Valley. But this isn't in SV—it's Detroit! As a former Michigan resident who has spent plenty of time in Detroit—and almost moved there—I'll always have a soft spot for the city.

Eminem, his longtime manager Paul Rosenberg, and Quicken Loans founder and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert are investors. The company has partnered with Roc-a-Fella co-founder Kareem "Biggs" Burke and Wu-Tang Clan on different projects. The three-year-old company continues to keep its pulse on the culture.

StockX has the trajectory to validate its $1 billion valuation. From the Wall Street Journal:

The resale market for sneakers and streetwear is more than $2 billion in North America and growing by more than 10% annually, according to Cowen, an investment bank. StockX said it has the potential to reach more than $6 billion in sales by 2025.

Pre-owned goods marketplaces are having a moment. StockX, Poshmark, and others have wisely identified the friction that exists with one-size-fits-all marketplaces like eBay. These newer companies have tailored their service to support specific niches. StockX's new CEO, Scott Cutler, is a former SVP from eBay. It will be interesting to see which best practices and cultural shifts that StockX will adopt as a result.

StockX has also succeeded because it solves another problem that its sneakerhead customers often face. Saturday mornings can be stressful times for hypebeasts. Everyone competes for the limited sneaker drop. Most people come up short. StockX's marketplace tracks supply and demand opens the opportunity for those willing to pay. It's the type of business that excites economists who love dynamic pricing.

Here's a breakdown of the company's process and business model. From Forbes:

After a sale is made, the item is shipped to one of the company's authentication centers, and an employee will physically inspect it and decipher its authenticity. Once StockX has determined that an item isn't a fake, it sends a payment to the seller and ships the item to the buyer. As compensation for its services, StockX takes a cut on every sale: 9.5% on sneakers and streetwear, 9.9% on watches and 14.5% on handbags.

StockX now has over 800 employees. It plans to use its recent investment money to expand internationally to Europe and Asia. From a revenue perspective, StockX handles more than $100 million in gross merchandise per month. Three-quarters of its business comes from sneakers. That means that its annual revenue is north of $100 million.

Now THAT'S a stat worth celebrating, regardless of where the company's located. I'm sure that costs are through the roof due to its expansion goals. But the future outlook is still bright.

Pusha T took his latest swipes at Drake on The Joe Budden Podcast (via Spotify)

The ongoing beef between Drake and Pusha T has officially transitioned to interview shows and podcasts. A few weeks ago, the "In My Feelings" rapper stopped by HBO's The Shop to shed light on his issues with both Kanye West and King Push. Two days later, Push stepped into The Joe Budden Podcast to refute Drake's claims and share some scandalous details of his own. The G.O.O.D. Music-OVO Sound drama continues a rising trend. Rap beef is expanding to other forms of media.

This year's other high profile beef, Nicki Minaj-Cardi B, has had its fair share of shade thrown during interviews, social media posts, and award shows. Still, neither artist has released an official diss record. Even Joe Budden—a rapper turned podcaster who once made a living off diss records—recently used airtime on his own podcast to clap back at Eminem.

This wasn't always the case though. Not too long ago, rappers had to respond in the studio. When the Jay Z-Nas beef was at its peak in the early 2000s, Jay still did promo runs on Hot 97, BET's 106 & Park, and other shows. But each host had the same question for Jay, "When are you going to respond to Nas?" No one wanted to hear Jay's thoughts or opinions unless it was over a beat.

Today, hip-hop media has gained notable influence. Artists can now pursue different routes to body their opponent. Podcasts and interviews introduce new tactics that diss tracks don't offer. But media disses won't work for everyone. Some rappers are still better off with a well-timed, well-crafted diss record.

Instead of replying on wax and waiting for hip-hop fans to make a verdict, Pusha T went straight to the court of public opinion itself to redirect the discussion.

Controlling the narrative

Today's biggest hip-hop podcasts have been snatched up by large outlets. TIDAL and Spotify added Rap Radar and The Joe Budden Podcast to their respective lineups. N.O.R.E.'s Drink Champs was bought by Revolt. The Shop started as an Uninterrupted video series before it became a co-production with HBO. Each show knows that its content shapes how audiences think. Artists realize it too.

Drake's appearance on The Shop was a meticulous attempt to dismiss the beef, control the narrative, and still get a few shots out at both Ye and Push. The episode was essentially an informal interview with questions from LeBron James and Maverick Carter, CEO of Uninterrupted and LeBron's lifelong friend. Whether Drake actually proved he's moved on is questionable, but he did succeed at temporarily steering the conversation. To no surprise, Pusha T had issues with it:

"With that particular show, Maverick [Carter] ruined the whole show. The way he alley-ooped the questions was nuts. On top of that, it was very biased… I just don't like how the narrative has changed. And it's not true.

Push felt like Drake got more softball questions than a Republican senator on Fox News. He was not about to sit back and let Drake's barbershop testimonial take over. He chose to visit The Joe Budden Podcast, a source that was going to cover the beef anyway, to share lewd details on what really went down. Instead of replying on wax and waiting for hip-hop fans to make a verdict, Pusha T went straight to the court of public opinion itself to redirect the discussion.

TheDAYTONA rapper had nothing to gain from dropping another diss record. He already won the battle. Any further diss tracks would just get compared to his most recent one against Drake, "The Story of Adidon." Rap purists would have spent more time comparing the quality of the tracks instead of focusing on the message Push delivered.

Pusha T can really find skeletons in anyone's closest (via YouTube).

Playing to strengths

Both Drake and Pusha T are extremely calculated. Their outlets of choice played to each rapper's strength. Drake is a former actor who's long flirted with a return to Hollywood. He seemed right at home in a high-end barbershop that serves Merlot. Pusha T however, who still says "they say the company I keep is not corporate enough," is less likely to be found in The Shop. The G.O.O.D. Music President is a much better fit for the basement couch vibe with Rory, Mal, and Budden—a fellow rap purist himself. It's also unlikely that any barber in The Shop knows what to do with Pusha T's box braids.

Similarly, Nicki Minaj and Cardi B have played to their own strengths throughout their beef. Nicki shines brightest when she's taking shots at her rivals in front of a live audience. The MTV Video Music Awards have become her personal version of The Shade Room. Over the years, she's taken the stage to publicly call out Miley Cyrus, Travis Scott, Cardi, and others.

Nicki's last diss track—a response to Remy Ma's "ShETHER"—was received poorly by fans. She hasn't recorded a popular diss track since "Roman's Revenge" in 2010. Her recent shots at Cardi B include a tearful interview with Beats 1's Zane Lowe, a dismissive conversation with Hot 97's Ebro, and a countless number of subtweets.

Cardi is also no stranger to leveraging the spotlight to her advantage. She subbed Nicki in her acceptance speech at the VMAs. The "Bodak Yellow" rapper has risen to fame because of her media personality and image. She never positioned herself as a lyricist, so why would she change her style up now to drop a diss record?

Earlier this week in an interview with Ebro, she doubled down on her decision not to drop a diss track against Nicki. "The way that I came up, it was never about dissing nobody, and I still feel like I don't need to diss anybody for nothing. My music was never about that."

Despite ongoing rumors of shelved diss tracks from both artists, nothing has been released. Like Drake and Pusha T, the New York rappers disses through the media are attempts to seem unbothered, even though they are both clearly annoyed to some extent.

Cardi never mentioned Nicki's name, but we all know who she was talking about (via YouTube)

The diss record will still live on

After getting called out on Eminem'sKamikaze album, 28-year-old rapper Machine Gun Kelly released the diss record and music video "Rap Devil," which is targeted at his idol turned rival. The record sparked an immediate response from Slim Shady called "Killshot." MGK may not have won the battle, but he wisely captured the media wave. After the diss, he immediately dropped an EP and did a post-beef press run on The Breakfast Club and other shows.

MGK's diss track forced Eminem to respond. It gave MGK more exposure than he's ever had and turned the table back to the 46-year-old Detroit rapper. It would have been much easier for Eminem to ignore an MGK podcast appearance or radio interview. Media outlets were not proactively checking for MGK's response to the situation. Unlike Drake and Pusha T, no TMZ reporters were seeking out MGK to ask how he felt about the situation. He had to stir up all the smoke himself.

It made sense for Eminem to drop "Killshot" as well. The Detroit rapper lives for making diss records but he was never a media savant like Drake or Cardi. Like Jay and Nas, Eminem rose to fame as a rapper in an era where diss records were still mandatory.

Interviews have not always been a slam dunk for addressing beef. Back in 2003, Ja Rule did an interview with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan to address the rapper's beef with 50 Cent. Ja tried to seem like he cared less than he did, even though he was on a promo run forBlood in My Eye, an album full of disses against 50 Cent and G-Unit. The Murder Inc. rapper was little ahead of his time in attempting to manipulate the media to his advantage, but a little ahead of himself to think that 50 Cent wouldn't clown him for the ill-timed publicity stunt.

Today's artists are pushed to plan out their attacks like a disciplined military regime. Interviews, podcasts, and media appearances have expanded the opportunities for what's possible. They have also resurfaced the debate on what's acceptable and what's not in rap beef.

Drake thinks Pusha T and Kanye crossed the line and broke the rules. Meanwhile, Pusha T thinks there are no rules, which is not too surprising. Keep in mind, this is the same man who stood up at his own wedding to rap about selling coke. Drake's lucky Push didn't take a shot at him during the wedding vows.

Join themusic executives, business leaders, and venture capitalists who read Trapital.

Rihanna and Eminem performing on the Monster Tour. (Getty Images)

This is the last part of a three-part series on hip-hop concert tours.
Part 1: How Damon Dash Brought Rap Concerts Back
Part 2: J. Cole is Still Making Millions From a $1 Concert

In late 2013, Paul Rosenberg, Eminem's manager, approached the Detroit rapper with an idea. Em and Rihanna just released their #1 hit single, "The Monster". The song was a follow-up to their first collaboration, "Love The Way You Lie", which also topped the Billboard Hot 100. Rosenberg felt like their success on wax could translate in concert.

After the Watch The Throne Tour in 2011, co-headlining concerts became the craze in hip-hop. Beyoncé and Jay Z's On The Run Tour, and "Drake vs. Lil' Wayne" were both planned for summer 2014. Rihanna and Eminem had performed their hit songs at award shows and made a few guest appearances at each other's concerts, but that was it.

Rosenberg's idea soon became a reality. On March 19, 2014, they announced The Monster Tour as a limited three-city tour. By March 21, due to overwhelming demand, they added one more show per city. The tour kicked off in August, grossing over $36 million in its six-show, two-week run. The Monster Tour actually outsold On The Run at both the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, CA and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ.

At $6 million per show, only Rolling Stones and One Direction earned more in 2014. This tour could have expanded to more cities and made a lot more money. Eminem no longer does extensive tours, but they could have added a few more shows in select markets.

An extended tour would have needed more promotion to ensure packed stadiums in each city. Although The Monster Tour outperformed On The Run per show, Beyoncé and Jay Z stopped in more cities. The Carters promoted the hell out of their tour to generate demand across the country. Eminem and Rihanna could have done the same with a little more effort.

"I just love working with Eminem. He's just one of my favorite rappers, and his lyrics—he's a true poet, and I enjoy that about him."
–Rihanna, Complex, 2013

Selecting the right markets

Eminem has avoided long tours for over a decade. In the early 2000s, he was hooked on sleeping pills during the Anger Management Tours. Since his sobriety, Eminem has only done mini-tours or music festivals. The Monster Tour was Em's first U.S. concert in four years. He shared his mixed feelings about touring in a 2017 conversation with Elton John forInterview:

"It used to be hard. Early on in my career when I was more in grind mode, I was doing two or three shows a day. It was tough because you start feeling like you have no life. That being said, I do enjoy actually doing the shows." –Eminem

In contrast, Rihanna was a touring machine. Her Loud Tour and Diamonds World Tour stopped in nearly 100 cities each. Her fans grew accustomed to seeing her often. The Monster Tour, which only stopped New York, Los Angeles, and Detroit, left several regions of the Rihanna Navy unserved.

This 2017 New York Times map shows where the 30-year-old singer is most popular:

Rihanna's fans in the south got no love from the tour. New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, and the DMV area would have came out for the concert. She has a strong following in the NY metro area and Los Angeles, but less strong in Detroit, Eminem's home city.

These maps are polar opposites. The rapper is very popular in rural, whiter parts of the country. Eminem could win a gubernatorial primary in Montana, but he does not resonate at all in the South. Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Phoenix are the most logical stops for him to add. Each city has enough fans to fill a stadium.

If Em and Rihanna added shows in New Orleans, Houston, Atlanta, Washington D.C., Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, and Phoenix, the tour could have stretched into September 2014 without putting Eminem into "grind mode". If those seven additional shows brought in at least $4 million each, the total gross would still have been over $64 million (from only 13 shows).

On The Run earned $109 million across 21 cities. The Beyoncé fanbase map is very similar to Rihanna's—she's extremely popular in the south. But Beyoncé and Jay stopped in all the big southern cities. Rihanna's southern Navy had to travel to NY, LA, and Detroit, or skipped the concert altogether.

"I would definitely consider Rihanna a friend. She's always been there for me, and I really enjoy working with her. As an artist, we have similar work ethics, so I've always been able to relate to her in that sense." – Eminem, Vanity Fair, 2015

Promoting the show

While the tour performed well in its short run, scarcity enhanced its success. With only three locations, diehard fans in smaller markets traveled farther to see the show. An extended tour would have diluted the exclusivity and spread those traveling fans across more cities, diminishing its $6 million, 100,000+ tickets per show numbers.

Em and Rihanna would have spent more time promoting the tour to sell tickets in additional cities. By 2014, more artists created digital content to share on social media to announce big events, such as album releases, concerts, and sponsorship deals. The Monster Tour did not have a strong social media strategy. Rihanna inconveniently took a hiatus from Instagram before the concert and did not come back until after the tour ended. Eminem posted a few photos leading up to the concert, which Rihanna retweeted, but nothing more.

Despite the tour's limited promotion, the actual concert started off on with an interesting video to kick off the show:

Eminem and Rihanna – The Monster Tour Intro

This Silence of the Lambs-inspired clip captured the attitude and boldness that unite the artists. In the video, Rihanna humors cautious advice from the guy who played Chris Moltisanti inThe Sopranos.Once she meets Eminem, they bicker like two siblings—fully aware of each other's pet peeves, but have each other's backs to help them through challenges.

When the clip ended, the concert began. Rihanna entered first and started signing "Numb". Midway through the song, Eminem made his grand entrance on a stretcher and joined her on stage. The sequence was intriguing, but the remaining show was business as usual after that. The Hannibal Lecter theme did not carry through, which was a lost opportunity.

In contrast, the On The Run Tour shined in promoting its themes. Roc Nation released a star-studded faux motion picture trailer months before the tour. Sean Penn, Jake Gyllenhaal, Don Cheadle, Emily Rossum, Rashida Jones, and Blake Lively all made appearances. During each show, Beyoncé and Jay played several similarly-themed montages between each artist's set. While most music videos and movie trailers cost a few hundred thousand dollars to create, the "Run" movie trailer easily cost around $1-1.5 million, if not more. That's more than most other artists would spend, but it's a drop in the bucket for a show that earned $109 million.

It might seem unfair to pit The Monster Tour against hip-hop's royal family, but Em and Rihanna are powerful stars with deep pockets. The Monster Tour's low-budget video with Chris Moltisanti cost no more than $100,000 to make. Instead, Em and Rihanna should have hired Rich Lee, who did a great job directing "The Monster" music video. Lee could have reintroduced the music video's six themes: violence, family, insanity, death, fame, and addiction. Those themes captured Eminem struggles, but Rihanna has opened up in recent interviews about facing similar challenges. And Hannibal Lecter, a fictional serial killer who dealt with childhood trauma—is still a fitting archetype to dramatize these themes.

There are several interwoven storylines that fit this backdrop. Lee would have had a field day bringing this narrative to life. The extra footage from the promo video could have been edited and used for a concert intro video and transitions between RiRi and Em's sets. The opportunity was there.

On The Run II is coming this summer. Jay Z and Beyoncé are bringing back their Bonnie & Clyde gig in more cities and in bigger stadiums. Industry experts are expecting the tour to gross $180 – $200 million.

Eminem and Rihanna haven't collaborated on a song since "The Monster", but they've both released solo albums since. It might be time for them to hop back in the studio, release a couple songs, then do a quick 12-14 city tour. Their fans, especially the Rihanna Navy, deserve a chance to see the tour that could have been.

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Source: https://trapital.co/tag/eminem/