Jay-Z, Kanye West Top List Of Hip-Hop's Biggest Earners In 2021

Jay-Z: His Cup Runneth Over (Photo: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com)

JAY-Z and KANYE WEST were the highest-earning hip-hop musicians of 2021, according to a list compiled by former longtime FORBES editor ZACK O’MALLEY-GREENBERG.

JAY-Z topped the list with $470 million after selling portions of his music streaming service TIDAL and ARMAND DE BRIGNAC champagne last year, bringing his net worth to $1.5 billion.

Business ventures outside of music paid off for fellow billionaire YE, formerly known as KANYE WEST who earned $250 million for the year, good to nab second place on the list..His fortune comes almost entirely from his YEEZY sneaker company, giving him a net work of close to $3.7 billion.

DIDDY and DRAKE nailed the #3 and #4 spots with $75m and $50m respectively, followed in the Top 5 by WIZ KHALIFA, who brought in $45m.

Rapper TECH N9NE was a surprise 10th place finisher, tied with DOJA CAT and BIRDMAN, thanks to an unreported digital-only catalog deal that added eight figures to his wealth. BIRDMAN was on the list thanks to partnerships with PEPEI and CANDYCRUSH, among others.

According to MRC DATA, hip-hop now accounts for 27.7% of U.S. music consumption, roughly equal to rock and country combined, but its richest stars have parlayed not just music, but their diversified portfolios into wealth. Here is the complete Top 10:

1. JAY-Z, $470m

2. KANYE WEST. $250 million

3.  DIDDY, $75 million

4. DRAKE, $50 million

5. WIZ KHALIFA,$45 million

6. TRAVIS SCOTT, $38 million

7. DJ KHALED, $35 million

8. EMINEM, $28 million

9. J COLE, $27 million

10 (tie): BIRDMAN, DOJA CAT, TECH N9NE, $25 million

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