Maybe in a couple of years I’ll pop up on this list =]
Didy would have to be the most consistent money maker, on this list and he has been around for so long. Kanye’s 808’s sold well and kept him relevant on the music scene although, he said he did it in 3 weeks, which is crazy. Fif still in the top 5 without another one of those vitamin water deals, or a album! Hov just killing it right now and although that’s like a 50% drop he’s still number one.
Both rappers had a hard time living up to prior yearly totals fattened by one-time mega-deals. For 50, it was a $100 million windfall from the sale of his stake in VitaminWater parent Glacéau to Coca-Cola ( KO – news – people ); for Jay-Z, a front-loaded $150 million deal with concert promoter Live Nation ( LYV – news – people ).
Last year was a good year for them both!
ast year, the top 20 Hip-Hop Cash Kings made $500 million; this year they made $300 million, a 40% drop. 50 Cent’s VitaminWater stake was responsible for one-fifth of the total take last year. Its absence accounts for half of hip-hop’s year-over-year decline. Similarly, concert promoters have stopped pursing big “360″ deals like the one signed by Jay-Z and LiveNation last year. “Those deals are pretty much done for now,” says Chris White, an entertainment analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities.
Half a Billion last year! Bold the important part and give a link explaining what a 360 deal was.
1. Jay-Z – 35 Million
2. Diddy – 30 Million
3. Kanye West – 25 Million
4. 50 Cent – 20 Million (Tie)
4. Akon – 20 Million (Tie)
6. Lil Wayne – 18 Million
7. Timbaland – 17 Million
8. Pharrell – 16 Million
9. T-Pain – 15 Million
10. Eminem – 14 Million
11. Dr.Dre – 13 Million
12. Snoop Dogg – 11 Million
13. Ludacris – 10 Million
14. Common – 8 Million (Tie)
14. Will.I.Am – 8 Million (Tie)
14. T.I. – 8 Million (Tie)
14. Swizz Beatz – 8 Million (Tie)
18. Andre 3000 – 7 Million (Tie)
18. Big Boi- 7 Million (Tie)
20. Flo-Rida – 6 Million (Tie)
20. Rick Ross – 6 Million (Tie)
20. Young Jeezy – 6 Million (Tie)
20. The Game – 6 Million (Tie)
See The Top 4 in Detail:
4. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson
$20 million, tie
Last year’s highest-earning hip-hop star has seen annual pay fall from $150 million to $20 million. Reason: a $100 million windfall from the sale of VitaminWater parent Glacéau to Coca-Cola last year. Steep drop in earnings makes him look like a crashing bank stock, but Queens-born rapper might survive future stress tests better than most: His portfolio includes popular G-Unit clothing line and record label, plus films, videogames and a slew of platinum albums. Launched cologne for Macy’s in June. Fourth album, Before I Self Destruct, is set for release later this year.
3. Kanye West
$25 million
Stayed atop the hip-hop charts with the release of his fourth album, 808s and Heartbreak. Though not as well-received as his prior effort, the multiplatinum Graduation, experimental oeuvre sold nearly 2 million copies. Last year’s “Glow in the Dark” tour included a stop in his native Chicago to headline the music festival Lollapalooza. Moonlights as a shoe designer, recently crafting a successful limited-run Nike line called the Air Yeezy; designed another shoe line for Louis Vuitton, due out this summer.
2. Sean “Diddy” Combs
$30 million
Dapper don of hip-hop continues his decade-long run of good fortune. Diversified Diddy brings in cash from clothing line Sean John, record label Bad Boy, premium vodka Ciroc and reality TV shows Making the Band and Run’s House. With over 1 million followers and an abundance of exuberant posts, Diddy is among the most prolific of hip-hop’s Twitterati.
1. Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter
$35 million
Reclaimed his crown as the top Hip-Hop Cash King despite taking a steep pay cut from the $82 million he brought in a year ago. The reason? That figure was inflated by a top-heavy 10-year, $150 million deal he signed with Live Nation last April. Still had a good year: wrapped up a huge an international tour, made a groundbreaking appearance at the U.K.’s Glastonbury Festival and honeymooned with new wife Beyoncé. Owns a stake in pro basketball’s New Jersey Nets and New York’s 40/40 nightclub.
