Lil Baby's Net Worth: How Much Is The Rapper Really Worth?

In 2022, Lil Baby can easily be called one of the biggest rap stars in the world. Not only has he been a mainstay on the music charts, but he's also been nominated for eight Grammys, winning one for his work on Ye West's song "Hurricane." Per Celebrity Net Worth, Baby is worth $5 million, which he seemed to accumulate in just a handful of years.

But his life wasn't always filled with accolades and six-figure bank accounts. Baby, born Dominique Jones, came from humble beginnings, having grown up in a southwest Atlanta neighborhood. His father wasn't in the picture during his childhood and his mom raised him and his sisters by herself. Once, during an interview with VladTV, Baby talked about coming home from school and seeing that his family was evicted. 

As the rapper grew older, he got into some legal trouble, but his life changed when he decided to walk another path. So let's do it and get into how Baby made that $5 million, while also seeing what he's doing to increase that amount.

Before Lil Baby earned that $5 million, before he started selling out shows, heck, even before he became a rapper, he sold drugs. In fact, Rolling Stone reported that he had enough money to buy himself a car or two by the time he was a 16-year-old high school student. 

Eventually, the "My Turn" artist would exchange his backpack and books for full-time drug dealing while immersing himself in street life. He was asked about that time of his life in a 2020 interview with The New York Times and said he's glad to have it in his rear view mirror.

"I don't miss my old life at all, period, " Baby explained. "Now, I get a thrill from my old life sometimes, if I see some stuff but as far as missing it? Not at all. Honestly, I ain't even make a choice. I didn't choose to get out the streets. Whatever I had going on, it came to an end at the time when I started to move up rapping. But I thank God that it happened like that, because I got more focused on rap and that's how I became what I am today." 

First, the money comes, then living the high life, then the authorities come swooping in before it's all over. That seems to be the way things play out for most drug dealers and that's exactly what happened to Lil Baby. Before his 21st birthday, he was sent to prison for two years after being hit with drug and weapons charges. The prison sentence came after the rapper racked up several cases, which he explained to VladTV in 2017.

"I went to one of them type of prisons, too, with nothing but [lifers and murderers]," said Baby. "There's so many ... from Atlanta in prison, everywhere I went I knew somebody. ... I got, like, close friends, cousins in the same prison I was at." Baby then said seeing the people with life sentences really made him think about his future. 

He also spoke about his prison stint in a video that was published on YouTube by Prolific Vids and said he uses some of what he learned as an inmate in his rap career. In short, Baby said to get his head around the two-year sentence, he had to focus on what was in front of him and not let his mind wander, which could be considered a mindfulness technique. Baby said he uses that same focus in his rap career and only pays attention to his day-to-day. That way, he avoids getting too full of himself and stays humble.

"He had called home. We talked like we always talk. And I asked him what was his plan when he got out. He was like, 'Mom, I want to be a rapper.' I was like, 'A rapper, Really?'" 

Those words were said by Lil Baby's mother Lashawn Jones in a 2020 Rolling Stone interview when recalling the conversation she had with her son during his prison sentence. "You know how when people go away they say anything," she added. "[But] the day he came home he went to the studio, and it took off after that."

So what was the big change for Baby? Because before entering prison he wasn't rapping at all. The answer to that question is Kevin "Coach K" Lee, who co-founded Atlanta's Quality Control Music. At some point, Lee told the former street hustler that he had all the makings of a big-time rapper, despite not being an artist. Not very long after that, Baby took Lee's advice, learned how to rap from fellow Atlanta artists Young Thug and Gunna, and inked a deal with Quality Control. "5 years ago I was in level 5 Prison !! Fast forward to date I'm lit like never before ! I'm living proof that anything can happen if you work towards it," Baby wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post that was captured by HotNewHipHop.

After signing to Quality Control Music, Lil Baby got right to work, releasing four mixtapes in 2017, which remember, is the first year that he started rapping. "Perfect Time" was his first mixtape, followed by "Harder Than Hard," "2 The Hard Way," and "Too Hard." The southern-raised artist saw pretty much instant success once he devoted himself to rap, quickly developing a large fan base and earning money from shows. 

His debut album, "Harder Than Ever," dropped in 2018 and opened up at number two on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Two years and a lot more fans later, Baby released his follow-up LP, "My Turn," which went number one on the Billboard 200 chart. It also broke a record by being in the Top 10 of Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for 85 weeks. 

From there, Baby's show price went up considerably, seeing that he told "The Breakfast Club" in 2020 that he charged $400,000 per concert. It's safe to say that he wasn't making that much before "My Turn," which shows how bright his star shone after that project came out.

In entertainment, a big name typically means big endorsements, so Lil Baby received some pretty nice opportunities from some well-known brands. As of 2022, the rapper has worked as a pitch person for Reebok, becoming their global ambassador, per Billboard. He also endorsed Rockstar Energy Drink and landed a Super Bowl commercial for the company. 

More than likely, the Super Bowl ad, which played in one of the most coveted advertising slots on TV, probably introduced Baby to a whole new audience. On top of that, he co-starred in an ad for Beats by Dre with NBA star Ja Morant. It aired in May 2022 and coincided with the NBA playoffs. 

Baby also released a new song for the commercial, titled "Dark Mode." This ad most likely grew his fan base and brand even more — just like his Super Bowl commercial — which should benefit him financially. "They 'bout to cut the check," Baby says in the song, showing what seems to be excitement about the Beats by Dre payment.

It's something that a lot of successful people have said: That one of the best things about having money is being able to help those close to them. Lil Baby knows what that feels like, because in January 2021, it was revealed that he helped his friend open a dog kennel business. If that wasn't enough, the Quality Control artist talked his buddy into being an entrepreneur instead of making money illegally, something that Baby and apparently his friend know something about.

"I remember when we came up with this kennel. It had to be about a year ago. We talked for hours about how you wanted to be in the dog business since you were incarcerated," his friend wrote in a now-deleted Instagram message shared by XXL.

The dog-breeding business is named 4PF Kennels, which stands for "four pockets full," which is also the name of Baby's record label. "[We] got a whole business. 4PF Kennels," said the "In a Minute" rapper in a video posted on YouTube by All Urban Central. "We're moving," he added, meaning the company is growing.

Lil Baby has passed at least two things onto his eldest son, Jason. First, he gave him his rap skills, which was evident in 2020 when a video showed the then 4-year-old delivering lyrics. Second, he handed down some business acumen, since Baby started a mobile gaming business for Jason. It was something that the rapper revealed on his Instagram Stories in a 2021 video that later landed on Twitter.

The name of the business is Jones2You, which allows people to play video games inside a truck after it arrives in a certain area. In 2020, Baby talked about the importance of fatherhood in an interview with "The Breakfast Club" and why it's crucial for him to always be in his son's life — even though his father wasn't in his. Furthermore, the rap star said that he wants to be a true presence in his little one's life, as opposed to just giving him money and buying things. "That ain't going to be the option, period," Baby said about abandoning Jason. "Even if I don't get my s*** together I'm going to be in his life. I want to, like, really, like, raise my son.

The Atlanta native also revealed in that interview that, despite not having his dad around as a kid, he still buys him things. In fact, Baby bought his dad a mobile game truck as well, so he could start a business and make his own money.

In 2021, TMZ reported that Ayesha Howard sued Lil Baby. Who's Ayesha Howard, you might ask? She's the mother of Baby's son, Jason, and she filed a child support suit against the rapper. Baby also has a younger son named Loyal with social media star and businesswoman Jayda Cheaves, but she never made any public statements about the superstar owing her support.

As for Howard's suit, she claimed that Jason was forced to leave his school because Baby didn't pay the tuition. In legal docs, Howard said she made $25,000 a year and claimed Baby's net worth was in the millions, so he should pay a larger share of the support. Howard pointed to his luxury car collection as well, which we'll get into later.

In his countersuit, Baby called Howard's claim bogus and alleged that he already pays for all of Jason's living expenses. He claimed to give Howard child support on top of that and sued for full custody. But even before Howard's suit, she took Baby to task in 2020 for giving her $2,000 a month in support. She posted her grievance after he was caught in a much-talked-about sex scandal. 

Leaping from one industry to another isn't the easiest thing to do, but that didn't stop Lil Baby from giving it a go. At the start of 2021, it was revealed that Baby was opening his own restaurant in Atlanta. The grand opening was supposed to be in January of that year, though it got pushed back. 

As of June 2022, however, the restaurant still hasn't opened its doors. When it does, guests will be able to dine on seafood and listen to some tunes. "Lamb chops, lobster tails, rice, stuff like that," Baby told XXL about the restaurant's menu. "A little music, alcohol."

It's possible that "The Bigger Picture" rapper will add chicken wings to the menu as well, since he once told GQ that he can't live without them. "My favorite food is hot wings," Baby revealed. "Right now, the best hot wings in Atlanta are at the West End Mall. I love them. The lady in there who I actually call my mom, she sells the hot wings. She's been working there since I was young. Hot wings, definitely my essential. Lemon pepper with mild sauce, both of them together. Not lemon pepper sprinkles. Lemon pepper sauce with the mild sauce."

Lil Baby chose to invest some of his hard-earned rap dollars, and although he doesn't have a huge portfolio as of 2022, he could be on his way. He's already invested in MoonPay, a company that claims to make buying and selling cryptocurrency easy. The "We Paid" rapper also invested in Everyrealm, a real estate company that exists in the metaverse.

On top of that, Baby told "The Breakfast Club" that he put money into a legal cannabis outfit and likes to invest in startups. The Atlanta native said he makes investments so he can remain on the Forbes 30 under 30 list, which he made in 2021.

A little before that, in 2020, Baby spoke about not wasting money on items that he can't afford, although he's often seen sporting plenty of diamonds. Baby wanted to make clear that when it comes to his jewelry, he only spends a certain amount. "I ain't got, like, $3 million rings," he said on Joe Budden's "Pull Up" show. "20 bands here [$20,000], 30 bands here, 40 bands, it adds up but ... you can afford that. I ain't trying to keep up [with others and buy] six Richard Milles. If you can afford that, have a blast. ... I could get a $10 million check, I might spend like 30 bands." 

So, remember when we brought up Lil Baby's car collection while detailing the child support suit filed by Ayesha Howard, the mother of his eldest son? She wasn't exaggerating about his number of vehicles, because he once told GQ that he owned 10 cars. His favorite at the time was a Lamborghini, though he made sure to specify that he loved his regular Lamborghini, not his Lamborghini truck, indicating that he has one of those as well.

Some of Baby's cars were seen at Atlanta's CarChella Auto Show in 2021. Per HotNewHipHop, he has a Mercedes-Benz G 800, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan Black Badge, a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, and a Lamborghini Urus, to name just a few.

Baby brought more cars to rapper Rick Ross' car and bike show in 2022. Omaha station Power 106.9 reported that Baby teamed up with Atlanta-based car dealership Road Show International at some point, and they bring his vehicles to various car shows. Other luxury rides in Baby's collection include a Ferrari SF90 and Jeep Trackhawk RS Edition. Pretty impressive, right?

One would probably guess that with a reported $5 million to his name, Lil Baby bought more than one house for himself, however, that's not the case. In fact, he hasn't purchased a home for himself at all, even though he has bought property. If that's a bit confusing, the rapper broke it all down during a stop at Hot 97 in 2020.

"I haven't even bought a home for myself," Baby told the hosts. "My mama, my sisters, my kids' mama, they own their house. [I got houses] for everyone except me."

Baby then said that he chooses to rent houses, condos, and hotel rooms because he's always on the go. One of the houses that he rented was in Tampa, Florida during Super Bowl weekend in 2021. But he was forced to leave that house after word got out that he was living there. Let's just say chaos ensued when the address was revealed. Maybe it's better for his safety that he stays on the move after all.