Ghostface Killah has opened up about the cost of securing a Lil Wayne feature, revealing just how high the price tag for a verse can be in today’s rap economy. Speaking on Disrespect Radio, the Wu Tang Clan veteran explained that while working on his newly released album Supreme Clientele 2, he reached out to Weezy’s team only to be met with a staggering request.
“We tried to reach out to Wayne and from what I’m hearing, it might not have been him. They asking for like $150,000. I’m like you know what man, just knock it out yourself. That’s rap shit, n-ggas be talk talk talk. It’s the worst,” Ghost recalled.
The disclosure sheds light on a wider trend in hip hop: the soaring cost of guest verses. With streaming driving down album sales and live shows facing unpredictable demand, many artists rely on feature checks as a major income stream. For a name as commercially powerful as Lil Wayne, $150K isn’t out of the norm. Top rappers like Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Future are all rumored to command six-figure payouts for appearances.
For Ghostface, whose reputation is built on timeless storytelling and raw lyricism, the business side of collaborations highlights the shifting dynamics of the industry. Supreme Clientele 2, the long-awaited follow-up to his 2000 classic, remains one of the most anticipated hip-hop sequels, and fans continue to speculate which big names will make the cut. Whether or not Wayne appears, Ghost’s revelation adds to the conversation about just how expensive it has become to keep legends and superstars side by side on the same track.