Bad Boy Records founder Sean “Diddy” Combs remains hip hop’s richest artist according to the Forbes Magazine article The Forbes Five: Hip Hop’s Richest Artists.
The 43-year-old rapper and entrepreneur has made the majority of his money not from musical ventures, but rather from his Ciroc vodka brand and Sean John clothing line. With a net worth of $580 million he is hip-hop’s richest artist.
Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter takes Forbes #2 spot thanks to his mega-deal with Live Nation for $150 million and his sale of Rocawear in 2007 for $204 million. Add in consistent profits from his Roc Nation record label and management company along with his stake in the Brooklyn Nets, and you get another 43-year-old rapper with a net worth of $475 million.
Hip hop’s most legendary super-producer Andre “Dr. Dre” Young comes in third place with a net worth of $350 million. The majority of his fortune was earned thanks to a successful venture with Interscope Records co-founder Jimmy Iovine. The duo founded Beats by Dre in 2006 and sold 51% of the the headphone maker to HTC for $300 million in August 2011. According to Forbes, Beats by Dre owns 65% of the premium headphone market.
Cash Money Records co-founder Bryan “Birdman” Williams take the fourth spot on the Hip Hop’s Richest Artists list with a net worth of $150 million. Birdman has made the majority of his money through his record label thanks to the success of artists such as Drake, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.
Rounding out the richest hip hop artists is Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson with a net worth of $125 million thanks to the success of his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin, merchandise, video games, movies and a massive check from his sale of vitaminwater to Coca-Cola in 2007.
