Here’s something completely unsurprising: The wealthiest artist in hip-hop earned more money than any other artist in hip-hop. Diddy has been dubbed the “Cash King” by Forbes, which released its annual list of rap’s biggest earners on Tuesday (September 24). The man born Sean Combs reportedly pulled in $50 million over the last 12 months — a nice addition to the $580 million net worth that helped win him the title of Hip-Hop’s Wealthiest Artist back in April.
Jay Z placed second for the fiscal year with a total of $43 million. Not bad, Hov, and besides, when Forbes factors in Beyoncé’s annual salary, the Carter-Knowles union reigns over all the couples in the land (music or otherwise). Coming in third is Dr. Dre, who finished with $40 million, a significant drop from 2012’s $110 million payday, which put him at the top of the heap last year. Selling a portion of Beats by Dre in 2011 brought the Chronic MC a nine-figure cash injection.
Rounding out the top 10: Nicki Minaj ($29 million), Birdman ($21 million), Kanye “I’m the number one rock star on the planet” West ($20 million), Lil Wayne ($16 million), Wiz Khalifa ($14 million), Ludacris ($12 million), and Pitbull ($11 million). Poor Drake was locked out of the top tier with a respectable $10.5 million, but here’s hoping that nothing will be the same next year, after the release of Drizzy’s third LP, Nothing Was the Same.
Further down the list are some noteworthy face-offs. Snoop Lion and Eminem tied for the No. 12 spot with $10 million, while Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, and Pharrell Williams all shared the same ranking with $9 million. The top 20 finishes out with a five-way draw between Lil Jon, Rick Ross, Mac Miller (who’s cool now, ICYMI), Young Jeezy, and ?uestlove, all of whom cleared $6 million. Find the full list below.
Somewhat shockingly, Tech N9ne made the list, between Swizz Beatz and 50 Cent.
Forbes‘ Cash Kings 2013: The World’s 20 Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Artists:
1. Diddy, $50 million
2. Jay Z, $43 million
3. Dr. Dre, $40 million
4. Nicki Minaj, $29 million
5. Birdman, $21 million
6. Kanye West, $20 million
7. Lil Wayne, $16 million
8. Wiz Khalifa, $14 million
9. Ludacris, $12 million
10. Pitbull, $11 million
11. Drake, $10.5 million
12. Snoop Lion, $10 million (tie)
12. Eminem, $10 million (tie)
14. Kendrick Lamar, $9 million (tie)
14. Pharrell Williams, $9 million (tie)
14. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, $9 million (tie)
17. Swizz Beatz, $8.5 million
18. Tech N9ne, $7.5 million
19. 50 Cent, $7 million
20. Lil Jon, $6 million (tie)
20. Rick Ross, $6 million (tie)
20. Mac Miller, $6 million (tie)
20. Young Jeezy, $6 million (tie)
20. ?uestlove, $6 million (tie)
