Ridiculous demands made by eight African American artists before shows

Show business has evolved into a huge money-making industry, with entertainers earning big bucks from the sale of records and performances at concerts and events.

These artists work with large teams including DJs, bodyguards, dancers, stylists and many other people performing different roles that earn them their incomes.

However, artists are fond of making ridiculous demands from event organisers either backstage or ahead of the shows aside from their regular earnings. These are called riders – a set of requests or demands that a performer sets as criteria for performance. Sometimes, they refuse to perform unless their demands are met.

Recently, a fake news made the rounds in Kenya about some demands made by rapper Rick Ross ahead of a concert he is performing in Nairobi.

The fake demands included: a presidential suite, three floors of a five-star hotel, round the clock services of a butler and a personal chef, a helicopter, 30 air tickets with 10 first class, four tinted vans driven by licensed chauffeurs, a shutdown of two major roads, 1,500 fresh towels, 3,500 bottles of premium alcohol.

Despite being untrue, these demands are not far from what some artists have made in the recent past.

Here are some popular African American artists and ridiculous demands they’ve made at shows as documented by the Business Insider.