Squad Goals: The Highest Paid Hip-Hop And R&B Artists Ever was originally published on hothiphopdetroit.com
1. Jay Z
With his management, publishing, and live event company Roc Nation taking over the world, Jay doesn’t have to worry so much about TIDAL’s stumbling start. Thanks to Roc Nation, his just-acquired champagne brand, and a handful of other business deals, Jay Z is now reportedly worth some $550 million, according to Forbes.
2. Beyonce
Beyonce is very much an independent woman, and despite Jay Z’s swelling net worth, her own bank account is almost as overflowing. According to Forbes, Bey has something like $250 million to her name.
3. Dr. Dre
While rumored to be a billionaire, his real net worth is closer to $700 million. Most of that money did indeed come from the hugely successful Beats brand, but this year’s he adding onto the tally with his first album in more than a decade and a N.W.A. biopic that will no doubt net him some scratch as a producer.
4. Diddy
At 45-years old, Sean “Diddy” Combs is hip-hop’s richest man. Worth a reported $735 million as of this May, according to Forbes. While Bad Boy Records might have earned him his initial pile of cash, Diddy’s TV network REVOLT and investments into the water, vodka, and tequila companies Aquahydrate, Ciroc, and DeLeon respectively, have earned him his second-act millions.
5. Birdman
With Cash Money as his cash cow, Birdman is now worth something like $150 million, according to Forbes. We’ll have to wait and see what all these rapper lawsuits against the label mean in the end, but with Young Thug on his side, he’s probably got plenty of gas left in him.
6. Kanye West
Even though some of his recent music might not be a fit for the charts, nobody in the industry can drum up more excitement about new material. It’s also been a little while since Ye went on a full-out tour, but back in 2013 he grossed some $25 million across 18-dates with Yeezus.
7. Eminem
Last year Slim Shady clocked something like $31 million, according to Forbes. A lot of that money came thanks to sharing a national tour bill alongside Rihanna, which earned Em nearly $5 million a night over six dates last year.
8. Rihanna
Rihanna besides her music and shows, she just launched her new collaboration with Puma. All of that work adds up to a net worth of at least a hundred million dollars, if not twice that.
9. Nicki Minaj
We don’t need a number to know that Nicki Minaj is killing the game, and while her net worth isn’t as available (or under as much public scrutiny) as some of the other names on this list, she’s definitely holding her own. For reference, Nicki’s just-finished Pink Print tour, which was basically a traveling Summer Jam given all the high-profile artists tagging along, sold nearly 300,000 tickets and grossed $13 million
10. Justin Bieber
Okay, Justin Bieber isn’t a rapper…or is he? Regardless of whether or not Biebs’ raps are legitimate (check out Travis Scott’s new album Rodeo to find out), he’s definitely a R&B/pop icon by now, and the sold-out tours and #1 singles have paved the road to a $200 million net worth.
11. Drake
Drake‘s influence might outweigh some of the other rappers on this list, but he’s got a long way to go to catch up with the richest of the rich. Still, Drizzy definitely isn’t hurting: Drake earned $10.5 million in 2013 and then $33 million the next year, according to Forbes. “Know yourself, know your worth!”
12. J Cole
Cole might not be making a million dollars a show, but he’s well into the six-figure range, and while he might still leave the Bugatti on the lot, he’s definitely worth as much as that $2.5 million whip by now and earned something like $7 million last year.
13. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Last year Macklemore and Lewis were in the top five highest earners among their hip-hop peers, taking home $32 million in 2014, according to Forbes. Not bad.
14. Justin Timberlake
On top of his music, Justin Timberlake has endorsement deals with Bud Light, Sony, and Sauza tequila to thank for his raking in more than $63.5 million last year alone. He also released two albums in a single year, so maybe he’ll be riding that 20/20 wave for a while.
15. Lil Wayne
Weezy has been at it for years, and his fans will always come out to see him live. In 2013 Wayne made something like $23 million and last year his tour alongside Drake pulled in some of the highest price per ticket of any tour around. If he can just get this Carter V album out he’ll be set for a few more years.