Although the movie New Jack City made $87 million at the box office, Ice T was only paid $27,000 as one of the main characters in the film. I know, I know what your thinking, that was his first film. The problem with that thought is unlike first-time actors, Ice T had a platinum album out already and was a fixture in the hip hop community.

He was told in his first film that his pay was reflective of his acting experience. Then in his second film, he made $50,000, although by this time he had 2 platinum albums and millions of people knew his name. The truth is, acting is not a meritocracy and your pay is not based solely on your experience. Your public profile and overall marketability play a huge part in your earning protentional. This is a simple case of Hollywood using a rapper’s public profile to benefit their pockets, without fully acknowledging the rapper’s star power.