Swae Lee has announced a $20,000 reward for his lost hard drive containing hundreds of unreleased songs, including material for his upcoming album "Human Nature." The device was misplaced at Los Angeles International Airport's Terminal 2, a Delta Airlines hub.

The 27-year-old rapper, who claims to be "sitting on songs on songs on songs," expressed urgency in recovering the drive, which contains his "whole life." The loss could potentially impact his plans to release three albums in 2021, including his anticipated second studio album.

For perspective, Swae Lee's music has generated significant revenue through streaming alone - his 1.1 billion Spotify streams in 2020 earned between $3.3 million and $5.5 million in royalties.

This incident recalls similar cases in the music industry:

• Skrillex lost two hard drives in Milan (2011) containing new album material and had to recreate the entire project
• Ryan Leslie's laptop case (2010) resulted in a $1.18 million court judgment after he offered a reward that escalated from $20,000 to $1 million

While Delta Airlines promises to assist in locating lost items, fans have suggested the $20,000 reward might be too low given the potential value of the unreleased music.

The incident serves as a crucial reminder about the importance of data backup and management in the music industry, where digital assets can represent years of work and significant potential revenue.

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