Nyjere Robinson

21 Savage asked T.I. for $1 million to sign with him. T.I. said no. That no is why 21 now keeps 70% of his music money and owns every song he has ever made. He still calls T.I. "cheap as hell" for it. In the video below, 21 tells the story, T.I. explains why he turned the money down, and 21 breaks down the deal he signed instead. T.I.'s logic: "If I give you a million dollars, I'm gonna take 10 times as much." Take the advance, give up the ownership. So 21 stayed independent. He watched rappers around him sign for $200,000 because they had no leverage. He waited until he had a hit album of his own. Then he signed with Epic on a 70/30 split in his favor and kept his masters. "I make more money off my album sales than I do off touring," he says. For most rappers it's the other way around. Asked if he'd ever sell his masters and cash out: "I really wouldn't. That's some s*** you pass down for generations." So if you were a new artist with one hot video and bills due, would you take the $1 million or bet on yourself?