Jay-Z, Kanye West and Diddy Top List of Highest Paid Hip-Hop Artistes of 2021
When it came to Hip-Hop’s top earners for 2021, Jay -Z took the throne, according to former Forbes journalist Zack O’Malley Greenburg.
On Monday (Feb. 28), journalist Zack O’Malley Greenburg, formerly of Forbes, who curated the list for the publication for years, independently unveiled his list of the top-earning rappers with Jay Z making $470 million (N195.5bn), Ye raking in $250 million (N103.9bn), and Diddy bringing in $75 million (N31.2bn).
The three aforementioned rappers are the big three on the list with Drake coming in fourth with $50 million (N20.7bn).
Wiz Khalifa clinched the 5th spot with $45 million (N18.7bn), while Tech N9ne, Doja Cat and Birdman all tied at the 10th spot with $25 million (10.4) each.
Fresh of the presses: my list of hip-hop's highest-paid artists of 2021. The top ten acts earned more than $1 billion pretax combined, nearly double their prepandemic annual haul.
1. Jay-Z $470m
2. Kanye West $250
3. Diddy $75mFull list: https://t.co/Ls8Re6D509 pic.twitter.com/ZhWGR3SjvO
— Zack O’Malley Greenburg (@zogblog) February 28, 2022
Where the money came from
For Jay – Z, massive numbers can partly be attributed to the sale of his Tidal streaming service to Jack Dorsey’s Square for over $350 million and selling 50 percent of Armand de Brignac champagne, also referred to as Ace of Spades, to LVMH—Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy.
Kanye West’s hundreds of millions are largely due to his Yeezy sneaker/clothing brand. Diddy’s millions also come from his Ciroc vodka brand while DJ Khaled, who placed at No. 7, brought in $35 million thanks to his deals with Pandora, Dolce & Gabbana and more.
See the full list below:
No. 10 (tie): Birdman – $25 million
No. 10 (tie): Doja Cat – $25 million No.
10 (tie): Tech N9ne – $25 million
No. 9: J Cole – $27 million
No. 8: Eminem – $28 million
No. 7: DJ Khaled – $35 million
No. 6: Travis Scott – $38 million
No. 5: Wiz Khalifa – $45 million
No. 4: Drake – $50 million
No. 3: Diddy – $75 million
No. 2: Kanye West – $250 million
No. 1: Jay-Z – $470 million
