1. Diddy ($50 million)
Diddy tops this year’s
Cash Kings list, pulling in $50 million over the past 12 months. All in all,
hip-hop’s top 20 earned a combined $343 million.
Hip-hop’s net worth
king claims his first annual earnings crown thanks mostly to the success of
Ciroc vodka. Other ingredients in his cash cocktail: record label Bad Boy,
clothing line Sean John and, soon, cable channel Revolt.
2. Jay Z ($43 million)
Lost his hyphen but
gained double-digit millions from lucrative live shows, Armand de Brignac
champagne, D’Ussé cognac, Roc Nation label/management firm and other ventures.
New album Magna Carta … Holy Grail went platinum before its July launch thanks
to a $5 million investment from Samsung that fell just outside our scoring
period
Last year’s Cash King
slips two spots, no longer boosted by a nine-figure payout for selling part of
Beats by Dr. Dre in 2011. But he’s still cashing in on the ubiquitous
headphones, expanding the company he founded with Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine
to include a long-awaited streaming music service.
4. Nicki Minaj ($29
million)
Two years after
becoming the first female artist to make the Hip-Hop Cash Kings list, Minaj is
nearing the top thanks to income from touring, steady music sales, a lucrative
American Idol gig and endorsements with Pepsi and others
5. Birdman ($21
million)
The Cash Money chief
continues to live up to the name of his record label, whose lineup boasts three
other artists on this list: Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Drake. Birdman’s empire
also includes clothing, vodka and publishing.
6. Kanye West ($20
million)
He may be one of rap’s
biggest names, but he falls just short of the top five this year. New album
Yeezus was released shortly after the end of our scoring period, though, and a
lucrative tour this fall should vault him back toward the top of next year’s
list.
7. Lil Wayne ($16
million)
The diminutive rapper
played only a handful of shows this year and made headlines for health scares,
but still cashed in on his new album I Am Not A Human Being II, clothing line
Trukfit and his Young Money label.
8. Wiz Khalifa ($14
million)
The Pittsburgh native
has been raking in cash ever since bursting onto the mainstream scene with his
hometown ode “Black and Yellow,” the top single from his album Rolling Papers.
His follow-up, O.N.I.F.C.—and more than 75 shows over the past year—keep him on
the list.
9. Ludacris ($12
million)
Though his new album
Ludaversal was delayed once again, the self proclaimed “Mouth of the South”
continues to cash in on live shows, Soul by Ludacris headphones, Conjure cognac
and roles in films like Fast & Furious 6.
10. Pitbull ($11
million)
Not even a brief exile
to Alaska—the result of a fan vote to send Pitbull to any Wal-Mart in the
U.S.—could stop Mr. International from earning double-digit millions. He cashed
in on new album Global Warming, constant touring and endorsements with the
likes of Kodak and Dr. Pepper.
11. Drake ($10.5
million)
With relatively little
touring and no new album last year, the former Degrassi star falls from the top
ten—but with his third studio album Nothing Was the Same out this month, Drake
looks poised to move up on next year’s list.
12. Snoop Lion ($10
million, tie)
The artist formerly
known as Snoop Dogg has been cashing in on his rebirth as a reggae artists, playing
over 85 shows during our scoring period to go with a handful of endorsements
and healthy back catalogue sales.
13. Eminem ($10
million, tie)
Though he rarely tours
and doesn’t have an entrepreneurial résumé that stacks up with most of his
peers, Eminem continues to earn big from his lengthy list of hits—he sold more
albums last decade than any artist in any genre.
14. Kendrick Lamar ($9
million, tie)
Dr. Dre’s latest
protégé makes his Cash Kings debut after releasing smash hit Good Kid, m.A.A.d
City and playing over 100 shows in the past year.
15. Pharrell Williams ($9 million, tie)
The singer-producer returned to the top of the
charts on “Get Lucky,” his smash collaboration with electronic duo Daft Punk;
he also boasts clothing lines, a YouTube show and an extensive production
catalogue.
16. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ($9 million,
tie)
The Seattle rapper-producer combo appears on
the Cash Kings list for the first time thanks to The Heist, which has sold over
1 million copies in the U.S. and spawned hit singles including frugality anthem
“Thrift Shop” and marriage equality ode “Same Love.”
17. Swizz Beatz ($8.5 million)
The superproducer may not be quite as well
known as his wife, Alicia Keys, but the Cash Kings mainstay returns to the list
on the strength of a hefty production catalogue and deals with Reebok, Monster
and Lotus.
18. Tech N9ne ($7.5 million)
Kansas City isn’t known for hip-hop, but Tech
N9ne is putting the Midwest on the rap map. His empire includes label Strange
Music as well as his own recording studio, merch company and touring
infrastructure.
19. 50 Cent ($7 million)
The sale of his VitaminWater stake made him
hip-hop’s top earner in 2008, along with proceeds from clothing, video games,
books and records. These days, his entrepreneurial focus is on his SMS
headphone line and SK Energy beverage.
20. Lil Jon ($6 million, tie)
Though he may never match the viral success
that came with his work on Usher’s smash single “Yeah!” in 2004, the
rapper-producer has reinvented himself as a DJ, playing over 100 shows in the
past year alone.
20. Rick Ross ($6 million, tie)
The rotund rapper didn’t tour quite as much
over the past year as he did in others, but still makes the list thanks to his
Maybach Music Group and recent album God Forgives, I Don’t, which earned a gold
certification from the RIAA.
20. Mac Miller ($6 million, tie)
Though the 21-year old rapper’s new album,
Watching Movies With the Sound Off, came out after the end of this year’s
scoring period, Miller makes the list on the strength of ticket and merchandise sales from more than 50 live
shows.
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