Forbes Releases Richest Rappers Lists

For years rappers have bragged about having ridiculously large sums of money in their bank accounts. Many are known for their flashy lifestyles, extravagant purchases, and (to quote Rick Ross) “blowing money fast.” However, behind the boastful lyrics, many of these rappers are actually savvy businessmen.

In 2007, analysts at Forbes began to evaluate the business moves of the biggest rappers in the industry to come up with their Cash Kings list, which ranked the top 20 grossing rappers for the year. In 2011, Forbes launched the Forbes Five, which lists the five rappers with the highest net worth.  

 

The top five wealthiest moguls in rap are:

 

1. Diddy              $550M

2. Jay-Z               $460M

3. Dr. Dre            $270M

4. Birdman         $125M

5. 50 Cent          $100M  

 

According to the Cash Kings list, the top 20 highest grossing rappers of 2011 were:

 

1. Jay-Z               $37M

2. Diddy              $35M

3. Kanye West   $16M

4. Lil’ Wayne      $16M*

4. Birdman         $16M*

6. Eminem         $14M*

6. Dr. Dre            $14M*

6. Snoop Dogg  $14M*

9. Akon                $13M

10. Ludacris       $12M

11. Wiz Khalifa   $11M*

11. Drake            $11M*

13. Pharrell        $10M

14. Timbaland   $7M

15. Swizz Beatz  $6.5M*

15. Nicki Minaj   $6.5M*

17. Rick Ross    $6M*

17. 50 Cent         $6M*

17. Pitbull            $6M*

20. T-Pain            $5M*

20. B.o.B.             $5M*

* denotes tie

 

For more information about the Cash Kings and the Forbes Five lists, visit Forbes.com.