Rappers release free music every day on sites like DatPiff. Nipsey Hussle is one of those rappers. But recently Nipsey Hussle did something that completely defied logic as to how music fans will consume music. He made the physical version his latest free mixtape available to purchase for $100. Within 24 hours, all 1000 copies of Crenshaw were sold out. Jay Z even bought 100 copies out of respect for the bold move.
Nipsey Hussle’s $100 pricing strategy came from something the California native read in Jonah Berger’s Contagious, specifically about a Philadelphia-based restaurant that started offering $100 cheesesteaks in 2004. Not only did the cheesesteaks sell, they also generated the kind of press that most business owners would kill for.
Made with kobe beef, Taleggio cheese, foie gras and French truffles, Starr’s cheesesteak offers diners his gourmet take on the Philadelphia classic — for a whopping $100.
And despite the hefty price tag, in the three weeks since its debut in early October, it appears that the steak is actually selling, with the restaurant serving up about a half-dozen every night.
Nipsey’s $100 mixtape came with original artwork, an autograph, and gives consumers exclusive access to a Nipsey Hussle concert in Los Angeles. And for fans like Luis Grey, who was the first Nipsey Hussle fan to drop $100 on Crenshaw, buying the mixtape was an experience in itself.
“I was surprised, as anybody else would be, but I wanted it either way. I’m a die-hard fan and I wanted to be a part of history,” Gray told MTV News on Tuesday afternoon.
After selling 1000 copies of Crenshaw so quickly, Nipsey has extended the release to any fan who wants to be part of the $100 mixtape experience. You can get your copy on Proud2Pay.
And as far as press goes, Nipsey Hussle’s Crenshaw has been covered more than any of his earlier releases. I was just looking at the DatPiff statistics, and Crenshaw is by far his most popular mixtape to date with over 250,000 listens in less than 30 days.