Top Richest Rappers | The Richest

Who is the richest rapper in the world? There are so many hip-hop millionaires around today than at any other time in history. The Hip-Hop Cash Kings. While no rapper has ever reached the billion dollar mark, we're much closer to witnessing the first hip-hop billionaire.

It's arguably a three-horse race with Dr.

Dre, Jay Z and Diddy leading the competition. Ludacris is a hip-hop cash king, thanks to his millions of record sales. Since then, he has released a handful of gold and platinum albums. Rosy is a top earner on the strength of his side ventures, particularly his Wingstop franchises.

Aside form his smoke-filled anthems, Wiz also collects checks from nonstop touring, record sales and merchandise. The Grand Hustle head honcho is a consistent hit-maker, with the awards and monetary rewards to show for his efforts. Like many on this list, T.

Nelly brilliantly blurred the lines between singing and rapping in the 90s. One of the best-selling rap albums of all time. Nelly also reaps financial rewards from his businesses, including Apple Bottoms and Vokal. Nicki juggles a string of lucrative businesses and endorsements from the likes of Pepsi and OPI.

She also earns payouts from her chart-topping albums and incessant touring. Tim also owns a recording studio, Thomas Crown Studio in Virginia Beach.

Drake may someday go down as the wealthiest Canadian hip-hop artist of all time. Although Drizzy is nowhere near the financial levels of Jay Z and Dr. Drake earns a majority of his income from touring, record sales and endorsements with the likes of Sprite, Nike and Apple Music.

LL Cool J is an accomplished rapper and actor. The man born James Todd Smith has amassed a cool hundred million, thanks to his music sales and lucrative acting deals. Los Angeles for his role as Special Agent Sam Hanna. He has also been in movies such as Deep Blue SeaRollerball and Grudge Matchjust to name a few. LL is also a burgeoning tech investor. One of his early start-ups is Boomdizzle. Its flagship product, My Connect Studio, helps power collaboration by allowing musicians to record, upload and edit music in real time.

Skateboard P has a diverse range of assets and investments. Much like his music toolkit. Pharrell has a couple fashion lines, an enviable production catalog and a distinguished seat as a judge on one of the most popular shows in America, The Voice. Snoop's laid-back personality lends an attractive vibe to his marketing prospects. He's still an in-demand collaborator, and he continues to grow his fortune in and out of the studio.

Snoop, who recently released a reggae album as Snoop Lion, has served as a pitchman for companies like Airbnb and Hot Pockets. Show off hands if you remember when Lil Wayne was just a prepubescent puppy running around with the big dogs?

Through years of grind and maturation, he's evolved into a household name. Unlike many of the names on this list, Weezy's earnings stem primarily from his music.

Kanye West does it all. And with so many irons in the fire, Yeezy has multiple avenues to generate revenue. West earns a substantial amount from record sales, sold-out tours like his Yeezus experience, production work and GOOD Music projects. Inthe Louis Vuitton Don left severed ties with Nike and signed a multi-million dollar deal with Adidas for his Yeezy line of sneakers. Yeezy has been known interrupt award speeches and give meme-ready interviewsbut he's also a business-minded rapper.

Eminem doesn't have a ridiculously lucrative business venture like his mentor Dr. What Em has, though, is top 10 richest rappers 2016 forbes to guarantee an enviable bank account. Em's revenue stem largely from record sales, sold-out arena tours and performance fees.

He also runs a moderately successful record label, Shady Records, which claims Slaughterhouse, Bad Meets Evil and Yelawolf as part of its talent-heavy roster. There's a huge legal battle brewing at Cash Money Records over unpaid royalties, but that hasn't stopped the label's co-founder from enriching his pockets. Bryan "Birdman" Williams co-founded Cash Money with his brother Ronald "Slim" Williams over two decades ago.

The music empire that launched with Juvenile as its marquee artist has since expanded to include today's megastars Bursa stock trading hours Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj. They've also added a YMCMB clothing line and GT Vodka to the mix.

Forbes ranks the wealthiest hip-hop stars of - Houston Chronicle

Birdman would be higher on this list if he didn't have to split his fortune with his brother. How is Master P one of the richest rappers in the world, despite not having released a relevant single in over a decade?

That's because Master P is pretty much the godfather of the independent-label hustle.

P built his No Limit empire in the s, and a host of other labels would eventually follow his blueprint. But it wasn't just music. The No Limit emporium grew to include a clothing line, a film production company, a video game company and a luxurious travel agency. P, a rapper himself, is still reaping the rewards of his business ventures and record sales.

Jay Z 's inclusion in the top 3 shouldn't surprise anyone. Jay has been one of the wealthiest rappers over the last decade or so.

His list of business ventures include: Roc Nation, Roc Nation Sports and D'Usse Cognac. InJay Z struck a deal with Samsung which saw the tech giant buy a million copies of Magna Carta Dre also racks in cash from extensive music recording catalog which includes decades of royalties. And the NWA biopic Straight Outta Comptonwhich he helped executive-produce, only helped Doc's bankroll grow.

Call him Diddy, Puff Daddy or Sean Combs. Better yet, call him Money Making Mitch. Whatever you call him, Diddy has built a lasting reputation as a shrewd businessman with an impressive portfolio.

His deal with Diageo's Ciroc Vodka drives most of his earnings. The Bad Boy founder has also added other ventures like DeLeon Tequila, Aquahydrate, Blue Flame and Revolt TV. And, believe it or not, Sean John clothing is still going strong. Search the site GO. Updated March 03, Top 20 Richest Rappers.

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