Grammy-winning rapper Eve has sold publishing rights for her full discography in a deal reportedly valued between $25 million and $50 million. The acquisition was made with Iconoclast-noted by its music catalog acquisition deals with such leading names as Robbie Robertson and Irv Gotti.
Eve’s decision to sell comes at a time when her catalog is increasingly recognized for its impact on hip-hop and popular culture. Available for purchase are seminal cuts from her popular albums, including Let There Be Eve. Ruff Ryders’ First Lady and Scorpion, which include the hit singles “Let Me Blow Ya Mind” and “Love Is Blind.” These not only show the range of the artist herself but place her in that rare stratosphere of women rappers who enjoyed commercial success toward the end of the 1990s and into the early 2000s.
The major financial move is in line with a wider music industry trend in which artists cash in on rights to their music with demand for music catalogs ramping up and investors eyeing them as investment options. Eve is joining an ever-extending list of artists cashing in on past work amid a rising wave looking to readjust the value placed on music rights.
Olivier Chastan, the Chief Executive Officer of Iconoclast, had some great words concerning how Eve contributed to the music world: “Eve’s role in hip-hop is unique. She is a pioneer whose forwarding influence still breathes through her pioneering work.” This recognition referred not only to the attainment in her music but also the influence which remains in the genre.
This undulating deal isn’t all, as Eve goes further to extend her influences into other spheres. Just recently, she had kicked off her year-long residency as the 2024-25 Scholar-in-Residence at NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development. This position gives her an outlet for sharing her experiences within the evolution of professional life and music with the students and faculty, hence further establishing her outside the studio as a mentor and leader.
