Do You Agree with These Numbers? The Fifty Wealthiest Rappers
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YamoleySensei wrote: »Souljah Boi?? ? that little ? be doing besides snorting mountains of blow???
Bra stop hating… he's got mfs signed 2 em an he's got business…an he's tha 1st mf 2 get put on off tha net an he makes his own beats… shame a yungin from tha south has more hustle then east coast rappers who's been out since 97 -
Birdman said he got more ? to rob for the number 1 spot
Biggie made money off the streets too why so surprised -
Maximus Rex wrote: »The thirty-nine wealthiest rappers according to Celebrity net worth. http://www.celebritynetworth.com/list/top-50-richest-rappers
The Forbes Five: Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists 2013
http://www.forbes.com/sites/zackomalleygreenburg/2013/03/27/the-forbes-five-hip-hops-wealthiest-artists-2013/
This story appears in the April 15, 2013 issue of Forbes.
Sean “Diddy” Combs rose to mainstream fame in the late 1990s rapping about his desire for Benjamins, otherwise known as $100 bills. A decade and a half later, he might need to consider some larger denominations—McKinleys, Clevelands and Madisons, perhaps—to express his wealth.
Diddy ranks No. 1 on this year’s Forbes Five, our list of hip-hop’s wealthiest artists, with an estimated net worth of $580 million. The bulk of the Bad Boy Records founder’s wealth comes from non-musical ventures, namely his deal with Diageo ’s Ciroc. The agreement entitles him to eight-figure annual payouts and a nine-figure windfall if the brand is ever sold—and Ciroc’s value has never been higher.
“It is one of the fastest-growing brands within vodka,” says Jack Russo, an equity analyst at Edward Jones & Co. “Consumers are feeling a little bit better about their situation, and with that, they’re willing to spend more on premium products.”
The Forbes Five: Full Coverage
The No. 2 spot goes to Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter, with a net worth of $475 million. He’s still rolling in cash from megadeals like his $204 million Rocawear sale in 2007 and his $150 million pact with Live Nation the following year. He continues to hold stakes in Roc Nation, Carol’s Daughter, the Brooklyn Nets—and, more significantly, the Barclays Center itself—while adding new partnerships with the likes of Duracell, Budweiser and Bacardi’s D’ussé Cognac. (For more on his rise as a businessman, check out “Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office”).
Andre “Dr. Dre” Young ranks third with $350 million, thanks mostly to his Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. A year after selling 51% of the company to handset maker HTC for $300 million in August 2011, Dre and his partners bought back half of the half they sold in 2012—and their investment continues to soar in value due to Beats’ whopping 65% market share of the premium ($99 and up) headphone market.
Bryan “Birdman” Williams owns the No. 4 spot, riding his Cash Money/Young Money empire to a fortune of $150 million. His roster includes Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne (the latter crossed the $100 million threshold for the first time this year, by our estimates, but remains just outside the top five). Birdman also recently launched a YMCMB clothing line and a spirit called GT Vodka.
“We have to build different brands,” he told FORBES last month. “That’s what it’s all about.”
The Forbes Five: In Pictures
Rounding out the list is Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson at $125 million. He’s another master of brand building: The bulk of his fortune came from heavy sales of his music, merchandise, video games and books in the wake of his smash debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’—and particularly from his payout for the sale of his stake in VitaminWater parent Glacéau to Coca-Cola in 2007.
Now he’s trying to replicate that feat with companies like SMS Audio, his answer to Dr. Dre’s Beats, and SK Energy, which has its sights set on category leader 5-Hour Energy. When informed that his net worth would be estimated at a little over $100 million this year, 50 Cent said simply, “That’s cool.” After being asked to elaborate, though, he changed his tune slightly.
“Oh, you want me to tell you an exact number?” he said with a grin. “I’ve got way more.”
The Forbes Five: Methodology
If his new ventures continue to grow, 50 Cent’s number on this list should begin to reflect that belief as soon as next year.
As for Diddy, he may need to stick to Benjamins after all. According to a recent tally, there were only 165,372 $1,000 bills still in use—not even enough to cover one-third of Diddy’s fortune.
5) 50 Cent-$125 Million
He reaped a fortune from heavy sales of his music, merchandise, video games and books in the wake of his smash debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’—not to mention a massive haul from the sale of VitaminWater in 2007.
4) Birdman-$150 Million
Cash Money continues to flourish, with a roster that includes Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne. Birdman is still looking for ways to diversify, launching the YMCMB clothing line and GT Vodka.
3) Dr. Dre-$350 Million
The legendary superproducer owes his fortune mostly to the success of his Beats by Dr. Dre headphones, which he cofounded with record executive Jimmy Iovine in 2008.
2) Jay-Z-$475 Million
Still rolling in cash from megadeals like his $204 million Rocawear sale in 2007 and his $150 million pact with Live Nation the following year, Jay-Z’s net worth has continued to grow in tandem with his Roc Nation label and management outfit (according to one insider, the rapper owns the
39) Cee Lo-$22 Million
38) Soulja Boy-$23 Million
37) Ludacris-$25 Million
36) The Game-$25 Million
35) Rick Ross-$28 Million
34) Flo Rida-$30 Million
33) Common-$35 Million, (This is was pleasant surprise. I'm happy to see the game has been good to Common.)
32) Drake-$35 Million
31) Ice T-$35 Million, (It seems like Ice T would be caked up a little bit better than that.)
30) 2Pac-$40 Million, (How is Biggie worth more than Pac, when Pac has a bigger body of work?)
29) Big Boi-$40 Million
28) Andre 3000-$45 Million
27) Nicki Minaj-$45 Million, (This number is fugazi as ? . How in the ? is Nicki Minaj is worth $45 million dollars?)
26) DMC-$45 Million
25) Bone Thugs-N-Harmony-$45 Million ( I ? with Bone Thugs, but I don't how how these ? are worth $45 Million.)
24) Wyclef Jean-$50 Million
23) Nelly-$60 Million, (Guess that ? didn't blow 30 mil like he was Hammer,)
22) Busta Rhymes-$65 Million
21) Swizz Beats-$65 Million
20) Rev. Run-$70 Million
19) Ad Rock-$75 Million
18) Will.I.Am-$75 Million
17) MCA-$75 Million
16) Mike D-$75 Million
15) Timbaland-$80 Million
14) Pharrell-$80 Million
13) Kanye West-$100 Million
12) L.L. Cool J-$100 Million
11) Ice Cube-$120 Million
10) Snoop Dogg-$120 Million
9) Lil Wayne-$135 Million
8) Eminem-$140 Million
7) Biggie Smalls-$160 Million (Someone has to explain to me how Biggie is worth more than Pac.)
6) Birdman-$170 Million
5) 50 Cent-$260 Million
4) Master P-$350 Million (I find it very hard to believe that Master is worth $350 Million dollars.)
3) Dr. Dre-$360 Million
2) Jay-Z-$500 Million
1) Puffy-$580 Million
Now the reason why my list has thirty-nine rappers instead of fifty is because this ? up list has people like Russell Simmons, J Prince, and Usher, (how in the ? is Usher a rapper?) categorized as rappers.
I asked in my thread if views determined a artist success now n day an Soulja boy is worth 23mil -
Glad to see Big Boi, 3k, and Wyclef definitely...Dont know why but i feel like Wyclef dont really get the acknowledgement he deserves