Forbes has released their list of the 20 wealthiest rappers in the Hip-Hop game … and you’ll never guess who’s at the top. (Just kidding, you probably can.)
For the fourth time in the past 5 years, Jay-Z, who earned $37 million over the past year, has topped the Forbes Hip-Hop Cash King List.
Coming in a close second with $35 million earned is Diddy, followed by Jay-Z’s rap protege Kanye West, who pulled in $16 million.
Lil Wayne and Birdman came in at numbers 4 and 5, tying with $15 million each, and Eminem and Dr. Dre followed them at numbers 6, 7 and 8, also tying, but with $14 million each.
Other rappers who showed up on the list were Ludacris ($12M), 50 Cent ($6M), Rick Ross ($6M), Wiz Khalifa ($11M), Drake ($11M) and Nicki Minaj ($6.5M).
Peep the full list below:
1. Jay-Z: $35 Million
2. Diddy: $35 Million
3. Kanye West: $16 Million
4. Lil Wayne: $15 Million (Tie)
5. Birdman: $15 Million (Tie)
6. Eminem: $14 Million (Tie)
7. Dr. Dre: $14 Million (Tie)
8. Snoop Dogg: $14 Million (Tie)
9. Akon: $13 Million
10. Ludacris: $12 Million
11. Drake: $11 Million (Tie)
12. Wiz Khalifa: $11 Million (Tie)
13. Pharrell Williams: $10 Million
14. Timbaland: $7 Million
15. Swizz Beatz: $6.5 Million (Tie)
16. Nicki Minaj: $6.5 Million (Tie)
17. Rick Ross: $6 Million (Tie)
18. 50 Cent: $6 Million (Tie)
19. Pitbull: $6 Million (Tie)
20. T-Pain: $5 Million (Tie)
21. B.o.B: $5 Million (Tie)
Note about the list (via Forbes): The Hip-Hop Cash Kings charts pretax earnings for all living artists whose work is primarily classified as hip-hop or rap. The estimates include income from record sales, touring, digital downloads, films, merchandise sales, endorsements, books and other entertainment ventures; management, agent and attorney fees are not deducted.
Earnings are calculated for the period from May 2010 to May 2011 and based on data from Pollstar, Nielsen SoundScan, the Recording Industry Association of America, and individual record labels, as well as interviews with numerous lawyers, media buyers, managers and many of the artists themselves.
