Much like his 1997 hit song, last year was “all about the Benjamins” for rapper Diddy, as he topped the annual Hip-Hop Cash Kings list from Forbes.
Much like his 1997 hit song, last year was “all about the Benjamins” for rapper Diddy, as he topped the annual Hip-Hop Cash Kings list from Forbes.
Sean Combs, who has performed under the names Puff Daddy, Puffy, P. Diddy, Diddy and others, made $60 million last year, according to Forbes.
Though he got his start making music, much of Diddy’s earnings these days come from his many business ventures, like his Sean John clothing line and DeLeon tequila. He also has a deal with Ciroc vodka that is a big revenue generator.
Jay Z was a close second on the hip-hop list, with $56 million in earnings last year. He is also half of a major hip-hop power couple, as his wife Beyoncé Knowles was included in Forbes 2015 Celebrity 100 list for the $54.5 million that she earned.
Aside from his rap career, Jay Z is the founder of Roc Nation, an entertainment company that covers music, film, television and even has a separate sports division. Jay Z also owns Tidal, a music-streaming service.
Rapper Drake may have “started from the bottom,” but he is definitely here now. His No. 3 ranking on the hip-hop list was due to the $39.5 million that he made during the past year. The 28-year-old has moved up from the No. 4 spot last year after selling more than a million copies of the album “If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late.”
Last year’s No. 1 ranked Hip-Hop Cash King, Dr. Dre, ranked No. 4 this year. His top spot last year was due in large part to his $620 million paycheck from Apple after they bought Beats Electronics, his company.
Though he only ranked No. 4 this time around, some of his earnings were not a factor in the current version of the hip-hop rankings. Dre was the executive producer of “Straight Outta Compton,” the film based on his late 80s/early 90s rap group, N.W.A.
The film has already made about $160 million in the U.S. Dre also released an album with the film that features some new songs from rappers like Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg.
Pharrell Williams was ranked No. 5 on the hip-hop list, with $32 million in revenue generated from things like his music career, entrepreneurial pursuits and his job as a judge on NBC’s singing competition show, “The Voice.”
