What is The-Dream's Net Worth?
The-Dream is an American rapper, singer, producer, and songwriter who has a net worth of $50 million. The-Dream earned his net worth mainly from writing songs for many of today's top recording artists, such as Rihanna, Britney Spears, Beyoncé, and Justin Bieber. The-Dream has co-written several hit songs, including "Me Against the Music" by Britney Spears and Madonna, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" by Beyonce, and "Baby" by Justin Bieber. The-Dream released his own debut studio album, "Love Hate," in 2007, and it was certified Gold and reached #5 on the "Billboard" Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. His second album, 2009's "Love vs. Money," reached #1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #2 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. The-Dream has gone on to release five more studio albums, including "Love King" (2010) and "IV Play" (2013).
Song Catalog Sale
In July 2018, he reportedly sold 75% of his songwriting and producing catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Fund Limited for $23 million.
Did The-Dream Earn $15 Million off Rihanna's Song "Umbrella"?
In 2012, The-Dream announced to the world that he earned approximately $15 million off of Rihanna's song "Umbrella." After he made the claim, Rolling Stone and various other experts agreed that this amount was grossly exaggerated even if the track sold 4 million copies and the album sold roughly 3 million. Rolling Stone did a thorough analysis of this claim and calculated the number to be closer to $600,000 – $1.5 million. Not bad, but still not quite $15 million. Also, whatever the true number actually turned out to be, The-Dream would be required to split the royalties with at least three other co-writers, including Jay-Z.
Early Life
The-Dream was born Terius Youngdell Nash on September 20, 1977, in Rockingham, North Carolina. At age 2, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, with his mother, and he learned how to play trumpet, guitar, and drums as a child. The-Dream's mother died when he was just 15 years old, and he began writing songs soon after. After his mother's death, he lived with his grandfather, who was a concrete mason.
Career
In the early 2000s, The-Dream wrote the song "Everything" for the B2K album "Pandemonium!," and R&B producer Laney Stewart helped him get a publishing deal. He then began using the pen name The-Dream and started writing and producing with Laney's brother, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart. The-Dream co-wrote the 2003 Britney Spears-Madonna hit "Me Against the Music," which was featured on Spears' "In the Zone" album, and he worked on Nivea's 2005 album "Complicated" as a writer and executive producer. He also co-wrote Rihanna's 2007 single "Umbrella," which earned a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year. The-Dream signed with Def Jam Recordings in 2007 and released his first album, "Love/Hate," on December 11th of that year. Rihanna, Fabolous, and Young Jeezy were featured on the album, and the singles "Shawty Is Da Shit" (featuring Fabolous), "Falsetto," and "I Luv Your Girl" (featuring Young Jeezy) all cracked the top 10 on the "Billboard" Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
The-Dream produced and co-wrote Beyoncé's 2008 single "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," and it earned him his first two Grammys. The-Dream released the album "Love vs. Money" in 2009, and it included the singles "My Love" (featuring Mariah Carey) and "Walkin' on the Moon" (featuring Kanye West). In 2010, he released the album "Love King," and it reached #4 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. The-Dream followed the success of his first three albums, with 2011's "1977" and 2013's "IV Play" reaching #2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. He left Def Jam in early 2014 and released the EPs "Royalty: The Prequel" (2014) and "Crown" (2015), as well as the mixtape "Love You To Death" (2016), before releasing his sixth album "Ménage à Trois: Sextape Vol. 1, 2, 3," in 2018. The-Dream released "Sextape Vol. 4" in 2020, and he announced his eighth studio album, "The Nikki Project," in October 2019. He has been featured on several tracks by other artists, including "Baby" by LL Cool J (2008), "Gangsta Luv" by Snoop Dogg (2009), and "Big Boy Dialogue" by Jadakiss (2013).
(Photo by Daniel Zuchnik/Getty Images)
Personal Life
The-Dream is the father of nine children. He married singer Nivea on December 11, 2004, and they welcomed daughter Navy (born May 10, 2005), and twin sons Christian and London (born April 19, 2006) before divorcing in 2008.
He began a relationship with singer/actress Christina Milian in 2009, and they wed on September 4th of that year. The-Dream filed for divorce on February 17, 2010, and Milian gave birth to their daughter, Violet, nine days later. The divorce was finalized in October 2011, and in 2012, he began dating Lydia Nam. In June 2013, he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence, but Nam (who was pregnant with his child at the time) did not press charges. The-Dream was arrested again in May 2014 for allegedly kicking, punching, and strangling Lydia in April 2013, but he was cleared of the charges. Nam gave birth to his son in July 2013.
The-Dream married LaLonne Martinez on July 3, 2014, and they have welcomed four children together: daughters Maverick (born 2017) and Élysées (born 2019) and sons Heir (born 2015) and Lord (born 2016).
In 2012, the state of Georgia filed a $117,000 tax lien against The-Dream after he failed to pay taxes for the year 2007.
Awards and Nominations
The-Dream has been nominated for 15 Grammys, winning Song of the Year and Best R&B Song for "Single Ladies" in 2010, Best Rap Song for "All of the Lights" in 2012, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for No Church in the Wild" in 2013. He won a BET Award for Best New Artist in 2008, and "Throw It in the Bag" won a Viewer's Choice award at the 2009 BET Hip-Hop Awards. The-Dream has also earned nominations from the Mobo Awards (Best Songwriter for "Bed," 2007), American Music Awards (T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist, 2008), Ozone Awards (Best R&B Artist, 2008), Black Reel Awards (Best Song for "No Church in the Wild" from "Safe House," 2013), and International Online Cinema Awards (Best Original Song for "Masterpiece" from "Beyond the Lights," 2015).
