JT’s story from prison to platinum-certified artist shows her remarkable path to building a $1.2 million net worth in 2024. Her celebrity status might make people expect a higher figure, but her rise to success tells a compelling story.
JT’s role in City Girls has led to some of their most important wins in the music industry. Their hit single “Act Up” got over 221 million Spotify streams and a 3x Platinum certification from RIAA. Her early career faced a major setback when she served almost two years in prison for cybercrime charges. Everything changed after she appeared in Drake’s “In My Feelings” music video and shot to fame.
This piece will show how JT built her wealth and learn about her different revenue sources. We’ll also look at the obstacles that shaped her financial trip to success.
JT’s Rise to Fame: From Prison to Stardom
Jatavia Shakara Johnson, known to most as JT, started her trip in Miami’s tough neighborhoods. She was born on December 3, 1992, and split her time between Carol City and Liberty City in challenging conditions. Life wasn’t simple as the oldest of her mother’s three kids and one of her father’s sixteen children.
Early life and career beginnings
Life changed drastically for JT at the age of five. Her mother went to prison, which forced her to move in with her father and stepmother in Carol City. She felt like “the black sheep” of the family. Her teenage years saw her moving between her aunt’s place in Liberty City and crashing on friends’ couches, including her future groupmate Caresha Brownlee (Yung Miami).
JT dreamed of becoming a designer and studied Fashion Merchandising. The costs of being a student pushed her to look for work. She took jobs at Miami Seaquarium, Burger King, and Whole Foods, but these positions didn’t pay enough.
The formation of City Girls
JT’s friends knew her talent for freestyle raps she created in her car and posted on social media. She was too shy to record by herself, so she asked her friend Caresha to join her. The duo uploaded “Fuck Dat Nigga” to SoundCloud in August 2017. This diss track about ex-boyfriends who wouldn’t give them money became viral and caught Quality Control Music’s attention.
Legal troubles and time in prison
Success came with complications. JT’s involvement in credit card scams with friends led to her arrest and conviction for aggravated identity theft. She received a 24-month sentence in federal prison. After a delayed surrender date, she turned herself in on June 29, 2018, and started her sentence at FCI Tallahassee in July.
Breakthrough with Drake’s ‘In My Feelings’
The duo’s biggest break happened while JT was behind bars. City Girls gained mainstream fame in July 2018 through an uncredited feature on Drake’s “In My Feelings,” with Yung Miami appearing in the video. The song stayed at the top of Billboard Hot 100 for ten straight weeks.
Yung Miami worked hard to keep the group’s momentum going. She remembered, “When she was in jail, I was going to strip clubs and I would pay a DJ 20 dollars to play the song. It started taking off”. The group released their debut mixtape Period in May 2018 and their first album Girl Code in November 2018 despite JT’s absence.
JT moved to a halfway house in Atlanta on October 8, 2019, and celebrated with a new track “JT First Day Out”. Freedom finally came on March 7, 2020, with her release from federal custody.
Breaking Down JT’s $1.2 Million Net Worth
Breaking Down JT’s $1.2 Million Net Worth
JT’s glamorous public image comes with a well-planned financial portfolio worth about $1.2 million in 2024. Let’s get into how the City Girls rapper makes her money.
Music royalties and streaming revenue
Music brings in most of JT’s income, with career earnings reaching roughly $2 million from sales and streaming. The digital revolution has made streaming crucial to her earnings—digital platforms now account for 95% of her royalty income.
Her solo work makes more money than her group performances. City Cinderella, her first mixtape, reached No. 27 on the Billboard 200, surpassing all City Girls studio albums which peaked at No. 29. This smart move to go solo has created new money-making opportunities beyond what she earned with the group.
Concert tours and live performances
Live shows have added about $1 million to JT’s wealth. The City Girls duo could demand $40,000 for TV appearances and $15,000 for nightclub shows during their peak.
Club appearances help JT build her solo brand, a tactic that works well as she makes her mark independently. The City Girls also landed spots at major festivals, including both Coachella weekends, which boosted their performance income.
Social media monetization
JT has turned her 6 million-strong social media following into a steady cash flow. Snapchat proves especially profitable because it pays creators based on views rather than subscriptions, according to industry experts.
Brand endorsements and partnerships
JT’s role as Kiss Colors & Care’s celebrity brand ambassador stands out as her most profitable recent deal. The partnership soared to success when DTE’s campaign with JT became Kiss’s best-performing campaign ever, with 97% of viewers watching it all the way through.
JT keeps growing her business interests beyond beauty deals with projects like her clothing line with Heather Sanders’ Sorella Boutique. These mutually beneficial alliances bring immediate profits and make her brand more valuable for future partnerships.
Hidden Income Sources Boosting JT’s Fortune
Hidden Income Sources Boosting JT’s Fortune
JT has quietly built several entrepreneurial ventures that add by a lot to her $1.2 million net worth in 2024. These ventures go well beyond her music and endorsements.
Merchandise sales and fashion ventures
TheGirlJTWorld, a lifestyle brand launched in July 2021, stands at the heart of JT’s business growth. “TheGirlJTWorld is something I’ve been working a long time for, and something I put my heart into as an expression of self and giving back to my followers,” she explained on Instagram. This project reaches beyond typical artist merchandise and shows her dream of building a complete fashion and lifestyle empire.
JT’s presence in the fashion world has grown through smart partnerships:
- Face of Mowalola and Beats by Dre’s Solo3 Wireless campaign (September 2023)
- Starred in POSTER GIRL’s Autumn/Winter collection promotional video (2023)
- Worked with De’arra Taylor for Lorvae’s Twin Flame capsule (April 2024)
She hosted a luxury birthday celebration at Rick Owens’ Miami storefront, which shows her ties to high-fashion brands. “I’m still booked and busy and getting respect in the fashion industry,” JT stated, adding she’s “having so much fun learning and growing”.
Business investments outside music
JT wants to grow her business portfolio. She’s talking with a “big brand” about creating a makeup line. “I want to do boob tape, and of course makeup, but first before I start makeup I kind of want to be more educated,” she shared on All Things Keyshia Ka’oir.
JT and Yung Miami worked with former Wall Street professional Ross Mac to create an educational guide about starting LLCs. Their guide explains why registering a business helps protect personal assets and lets owners write off business-related expenses.
Real estate holdings
JT seems to include property investments in her wealth-building plans, though she keeps details about her personal real estate portfolio private. Many celebrities find the real estate market profitable when they want to vary their income beyond entertainment.
JT hinted at future plans that might include property development during a Vogue interview: “Shit, I might have a furniture line”. This casual comment shows she understands she could expand into related markets like home goods and real estate.
Financial Challenges and Setbacks
Financial Challenges and Setbacks
JT’s path to financial stability hasn’t been smooth sailing, even with her rising fame. Her net worth stands at $1.2 million in 2024, but several obstacles have held her back from reaching higher financial success.
Impact of legal issues on earnings
Bad timing hit JT hard when legal troubles derailed her career just as it was taking off. She couldn’t capitalize on Drake’s “In My Feelings” featuring City Girls because she was serving time for credit card fraud. The prison sentence kept her from appearing in the music video and promotional activities that could have boosted her earnings.
JT also made some costly mistakes early on. She spent her first big music industry paycheck on lawyer fees for an ex-boyfriend who “still went to jail for a long-ass time.” Looking back, she said, “Whew, girl, I hate him”. This decision stymied her ability to build wealth early in her career.
Industry exploitation and contract terms
The music industry’s predatory contracts create a huge barrier for artists like JT. The numbers tell a grim story – only about five percent of rap artists ever earn back their advances. Even successful artists often end up with raw deals where “you’re in a deal with the label making 75 percent and you making 25”.
This kind of exploitation has a long history. Little Richard’s story stands out – he earned just “half a cent per record sold” when he was at his peak. The situation got worse when he left his label early. He had to give up all future royalties and “never received a penny from then on out for his songs and recordings”.
Financial management struggles
JT admits she got too comfortable at times, which hurt her financial growth. “I got lazy and comfortable at one point,” she said about losing career momentum. This mindset likely affected how she handled her money too.
The City Girls faced another setback when their latest album flopped. JT revealed the project “did so bad” they couldn’t book any shows afterward. This financial hit pushed her to launch a solo career – a business move that’s now paying off better.
Conclusion
JT’s path to a $1.2 million net worth breaks all conventional expectations. She built substantial wealth through multiple revenue streams, even after serving prison time that interrupted her breakthrough moment. Her financial portfolio now rests on music royalties, brand partnerships, and strategic business ventures.
Her journey offers powerful lessons about persistence and adaptation. Legal troubles and industry exploitation created major obstacles, but JT’s move to solo projects and fashion ventures reveals her sharp business sense. TheGirlJTWorld’s success and her Kiss Colors & Care collaboration showcase her evolving entrepreneurial talent.
JT’s financial future looks promising. Her current net worth might be nowhere near other celebrities, but she continues to expand strategically into merchandise, real estate, and potential makeup lines. She has learned from past financial mistakes and built a diverse business portfolio that sets her up for continued success in entertainment and entrepreneurship.
