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:
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