Beyoncé is worth approximately $450 million these days, but the former Destiny’s Child singer certainly came from meager beginnings in comparison to that figure!

The Jasmine Brand has uncovered the original recording contracts the DC ladies had back in 1998, which reveal they were only paid $85,000 to record their first album. And by the way, this is $85k total for all four women to split, as well as to use to record the project. It also stated the album would not be released anywhere else but the United States if it did not chart on the Billboard 200 for 5 consecutive weeks. Well damn!

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The second album was promised a minimum of $350k with the maximum at $700k. The third would rise to $375k, with a max of $750k.

Destiny’s Child did, however, have royalty rates set up, promised 28% of the sales from the first album, after recouping the $85k advance. The rate would rise if an album sold over 500k copies – which it ended up doing. It went way over that figure, actually.

These days, Bey definitely has a very different, more lucrative contract. *cues Drake’s “Started From The Bottom”*

Source here.