Forbes has released its annual list of the five wealthiest hip hop artists on the planet. The top 5 artists haven’t changed from last year’s list, though Jay Z has supplanted Dr. Dre in the #2 spot. Diddy and Hov are neck and neck in the race for rap’s first billionaire.
Forbes explained their methodology:
“In order to complete the Forbes Five list, we follow the same procedures used to calculate our list of the world’s billionaires: looking at past earnings, valuing current holdings, leafing through financial documents and talking to analysts, attorneys, managers, other industry players and even some of the moguls themselves to find the details.”
Hip-Hop mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs has topped Forbes’ list of the five richest rappers in the world for a seventh year in a row.
The 47-year-old is worth an estimated $820 million thanks to his investments and lucrative deals with Diageo’s Ciroc, TV network Revolt, alkaline water brand Aquahydrate, and tequila firm DeLeon.
Jay Z follows closely behind with an estimated net worth of $810 million, thanks in part to his ownership of streaming service Tidal, Roc Nation entertainment company, and Armand de Brignac champagne.
Dr. Dre takes the third spot with $740 million, while Bryan “Birdman” Williams comes in a distant fourth with $110 million.
Drake is fifth with $90 million
So there you have it. The top 5 shot callers in hip hop.
1. Diddy ($820 million)
2. Jay Z ($810 million)
3. Dr. Dre ($740 million)
4. Birdman ($110 million)
5. Drake ($90 million)