Jay-Z once again sits atop of the rap pack as his shrewd business moves made him the most profitable hip-hop heavyweight of 2021.
According to the annual Forbes list of the top rap earners of the past fiscal year, Ye West posted up right underneath Hov, while Sean “Diddy” Combs rounded out the top three.
The acclaimed financial magazine attributes the Jigga Man’s fortification of his individual empire to selling off the majority of TIDAL to Square Inc. for $300 million. Meanwhile, LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton took about half the stock of Jay’s luxury champagne brand Armand de Brignac. It is estimated that Hov’s worth has skyrocketed to $1.5 billion.
Ye’s footwear empire earned him a cool $250 mill in the past year, which explains his second–place finish. Both of the impresarios made more money last year than all musicians regardless of genre, Fortune reports.
Diddy has his drink of choice, Ciroc, to thank for hauling in $75 million, while Drake’s historic streaming numbers from his blockbuster album, Certified Lover Boy, got him a cool $50 mill.
Check out the full list of the top 10 hip-hop’s top earners for 2021:
1. Jay-Z ($470 million)
2. Kanye West ($250 million)
3. Diddy ($75 million)
4. Drake ($50 million)
5. Wiz Khalifa ($45 million)
6. Travis Scott ($38 million)
7. DJ Khaled ($35 million)
8. Eminem ($28 million)
9. J. Cole ($27 million)
10. Birdman ($25 million)
10. Doja Cat ($25 million)
10. Tech N9ne ($25 million)
