Skales Net Worth and How He Built His Rap Career

Skales’ net worth is estimated at $2 million. He is a Nigerian rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, and brand ambassador who parlayed his talent and hard work into interesting fame and fortune. His career that kicked off when he was 9 years old in 2000 saw him become a sought-after act in the Nigerian entertainment industry, where he became prominent for his unique and entertaining songs such as Must Shine, Mukulu, and Shake Body, among others.

How Music Contributed to Skales’ Net Worth of $2 Million

Skales was born Raoul John Njeng-Njeng in Kaduna State of the North-Western region of Nigeria. However, he is a native of Edo State. At a young age, while growing up with a single mother and getting exposed to music from her cassette store, Skales began to fall in love with music, nurtured the love, and eventually started writing raps songs in 2000 at the age of 9.

At the age of 16 in 2007, Skales moved to Jos, where he met with Jesse Jagz and Jeremiah Gyang, who helped shape his career path. Nevertheless, it was not until he was 17 in 2008 that he began to be heard in different places after joining the Zain Tru competition and ended as the winner of the competition in the North Central region. Although he started as a rapper, the Kaduna-born musician soon adopted Afropop, which has immensely contributed to the growth of his music career.

His Breakthrough Started with the Release of His Debut Song, Must Shine, in 2009

In 2009, after relocating to Lagos, he got signed to Banky W‘s E.M.E music record label, where he became more renowned in the music industry. At that time, Skales had started making good riches, traveling the world for tours alongside other E.M.E members such as Wizkid, Niyola, Shaydee, and DJ Xclusive. With the record label, Skales released many songs, including his hit debut single Must Shine, Ori Mi Ft. Wizkid (2009), and Be Mine (2010).

Spending 4 years as a signee at E.M.E, Skales’ net worth grew in the course of the time, and he started his own label, OHKmusic, in 2014 following the expiration of his contract with E.M.E. Still, in 2014, Skales saw a new dawn in his music career, following the release of his hit song Shake Body, which was followed by his debut album titled Man of the Year (2015). The success of his music came along with shows and concerts in Nigeria and Dubai, among other places. In the same year, he performed at Felabration, a festival set aside for the celebration of Fela Kuti.

However, what remains unknown is how much the artist charges per show. Nevertheless, many artists of his level mostly receive from N2 million to N5 million on an average to a higher amount when performing in Nigeria and more outside of the country. Years have gone down, and Skales has not backed down in his music career. He has continually pushed himself in the music industry without limiting himself only to rap music, which helped to make him popular.

He has performed in many parts of the world, released 3 studio albums, 2 compilation albums, an EP, and more than 70 songs, which have all added immensely to his estimated $2 million net worth. However, the net worth has not been proven as sources repeatedly report him to have a different net worth ranging from $500,000 to $2 million.

A Look at Skales’ Best Songs So Far

Skales hit the market right after the release of his foremost single. However, the few years to come were not all rosy. As a result, EME allegedly dropped him after his deal expired since the label couldn’t get as many proceeds as they invested in him. Before and after, he made music that practically became anthems, gained him high grounds, and fetched him money that resulted in his millions of dollars net worth. Here are the songs that were huge in his career.

  • Temper (2017)

The song was produced by Krisbeatz and has enjoyed a good play on radio and TV stations across the country, with about 9 million views on YouTube. The song was followed by a remix, which gained more attention. It featured Burna Boy and ended up being nominated for the Headies Awards in 2018.

  • Shake Body (2014)

After signing with Baseline records, his career took a whole new dimension when he released Shake Body. The song rocketed him back to the top and witnessed massive plays, top spot in charts, concerts, shows, and of course, more wealth. It was his first official video to have more than 30 million views on YouTube.

  • Emergency  (2013)

Originally the song of WizzyPro featuring Skales, Patoranking, and Runtown, the song won Skales an award at the Headies Awards (2014) in the category of best collabo.

  • Mukulu (2009)

Mukulu was his major song in his foremost years as an artist. It was produced by Sarz under EME. The song helped in catapulting him to another level of fame, and the official video made almost a million views on YouTube in years to come.

Others Interesting Hits of Skales

  • This Your Body Ft. Davido (2021)
  • Badman Love RMX Ft. Tekno (2020)
  • Shaku Shaku (2020)
  • Oyoyo Ft. Harmonize (2019)
  • Currency Ft. Davido (2018)
  • Lo Le (2015)
  • Je Kan Mo (2015)
  • Always Ft. Davido (2015)
  • Take Care of Me (2013)
  • Goosebumps (2009)
  • Ori Mi Ft. Wizkid (2009)
  • Be Mine (2010)
  • Thank God It’s Christmas (2010)
  • Nobody’s Business Ft. Banky W (2016)

Albums and Ep That Contributed To Skales’ Net Worth of $2 Million

  • Healing Process (2020 EP)

The Healing Process EP remains one of the most accomplished works of the singer. The EP contains 7 songs such as Badman Love, Selecta, God is Good, and A’Lagos Ft. Ice Prince, and Mc Makapolo.

  • Afro Dance (2020 Compilation Album)
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The 14 track compilation album featured energetic and dance-worthy songs with A-list artists such as Falz and Harmonize in Oliver Twist II – remix, Oyoyo with Harmonize, Feposi, Emergency with Runtown, Patoranking, Skales, and Wizzypro. The album also featured other hits with Teni/LeriQ and Davido in No Wahala and Currency.

  • Mr. Love (2018 Album)

The album is a compilation of 17 songs of Skales with hits such as Good, Gbagbe, Pile Up Ft. Cassper Nyovest, Fire Waist Ft. Harmonize (2018), and Pressure Ft. Tiwa Savage.

  • The Never Say Never Guy (2017 Album)

The album contained 20 songs that include Jogodo Ft. Oritsefemi (2015), Ajaga Ft. Timaya and Davido (2016), Temper, and Thank God.

  • Man of the Year (2015 Album)

It is an album by Skales containing 21 songs such as Naughty, Shake Body (2014), Always Ft. Davido, and Ijo Ayo, to mention a few.

  • Empire Mates State of Mind (2012 Compilation Album)

The compilation album contained 7 singles where Skales collaborated with Banky W. Wizkid, Shaydee, Niyola, and DJ Xclusive.

Accomplishments of Skales Compared to other Nigerian Artists Like Reminisce

For the longest, there has always been an argument about who the best rapper or singer is in Nigeria. Oftentimes in the raps scene in Nigeria, rappers like M.I, Falz, Olamide, Ill Bliss, and Vector continue to dominate and make it to the list of the best. In Afropop, singers like Wizkid, Burna Boy, Tiwa Savage, and Davido usually live fans with the argument of who the best is.

Coming to Skales’ position in the music industry, he has remained up in his game since his debut song in 2009. He has won the hearts of many with his being musically versatile. Of course, not many musicians could switch comfortably from rap music to the genre of Afropop and remain relevant. But Skales did! Talking about greatness in music, there is a need to look at the quality of an artist and how much he uniquely distinguishes himself in his music. Hence, it is safe to say Skales is a great musician.

But the question remains how great he is compared to other artists like Reminisce, among others. This can only be tackled when there is a comparison of the achievements of these artists over a period of time, putting into consideration how long they’ve been in music and how many awards and nominations they may have gained. Also, considering the impacts of the awards they made and the general commercial success of Skales’ music compared to other artists.

Achievements of Skales

Skale's net worth
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  • He released 5 albums within a decade of his career: 3 studio albums and 2 compilation albums.
  • Skales is one of the few Nigerian artists to have almost about 100 songs to their names.
  • Among Nigerian artists, he is one of the few ever to get recognized by Grammy when he was nominated for consideration for Album of the Year (2020)
  • He was the Best Upcoming Artist (male) at the Nigerian Teen Choice Awards 2013.
  • Nominated for Next Rated Act at the Headies Awards in 2014.
  • 2013 Headies Awards for Best Collaboration (E.M.E) for the Baddest Boy song featuring Skales, Banky W., and Wizkid.
  • 2014 Headies Awards for Best Collaboration for WizzyPro’s song Energy Ft. Skales Patoranking and Runtown.
  • He has held some successful concerts in Nigeria and outside.
  • Skales performs in some countries that only a few Nigerian artists ever performed at. The countries include Mona and Lebanon, India, Mayotte, and Ethiopia, among others.

On the other hand, Reminisce is one artist whose contributions to the Nigerian music industry cannot be overemphasized. He was listed as one among the Seven World Rappers You Should Meet by Times Magazine in 2014. In his career that began in 2008, Reminisce has dropped 4 different albums and an EP. From the point of net worth, Reminisce has been estimated at $7 million – $5 million ahead of Skales. However, this net worth is just estimated.

Even at this, The Guardian would go on to say that Skales’ accomplishments are under-documented. The artist also added that he is underrated in Nigeria. Amidst all of these, he has had a successful career recording and collaborating with many international acts such as Sarkodie of Ghana and American-based Senegalese musician Akon, among others.

Other Businesses That Added To Skales’ Net Worth 

Even though Skales may be involved in some businesses, the most renowned is being the founder and CEO of a music record label called OHK Entertainment. The label has signed artists such as Santos, DJ Spicey, producer Drey Beatz, among others. Even though it is apparent that he earns from the label, it remains a mystery how much exactly his income is. Nevertheless, on average in Nigeria, music record labels can generate up to millions of dollars annually.

Skales also earns from his YouTube channel, with over 86 million views and more than 270 subscribers. Based on analysis, YouTubers make about $1.21 per 100 views. Since he had recorded over 86 million views since the beginning of the channel in 2014, he may have earned about $1 million from the channel alone.

Skales Also Earns From Endorsements

Even when it is apparent that the major source of Skales’ net worth is his music career, he has equally earned from endorsing brands for years.

Here are Some Brands He Endorses

  • He was listed as one of the ambassadors of MTN in 2015, where he was paid N5 million.
  • In May 2021, he became an ambassador to Oduwa Coin, a cryptocurrency network that lets users transfer digital cash.
  • He is a brand ambassador of Lekki Luxury Cars, a company that deals with cars of different sorts.

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