March 2024

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Forbes Magazine released its annual hip-hop Cash Kings list, which ranks all US rappers by earnings generated between June 2014 and June 2015. The incomes on this list are based on pretax earnings. They include revenues earned from touring, record sales, publishing, merchandise sales, endorsements and other ventures. The earnings in question do not take into account management, agent and attorney fees. While you will notice several familiar faces, one new rapper broke into the Top 5.

20. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: $5.5 million

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The duo experienced a huge revenue drop. Their revenues went down from $32.5 million to $5.5 million. This fall is partly due to the duo reducing its touring activity. We wish them both better luck next year.

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19. T.I.: $6 million

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T.I recently stroke a deal with Columbia records. His first album under the label, Paperwork, sold 80 000 copies its first week. T.I. is also an actor, the two most recent films he played in are Get Hard and Ant-Man.

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18. Ludacris: $8 million

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Ludacris made a lot of money from the success of Furious 7. Ludaversal, his latest album, peaked at number 3 and sold 62 000 copies its first week.

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17. Tech N9ne: $8.5 million

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The Kansas City rapper is one of the most active performers out there. He participated in 132 shows last year, that is more than any artist on this list. He has a very good knowledge of the music business: he manages his touring and recording operations on his own. He’s all about cutting the middle man.

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16. Rick Ross: $9 million

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Rick Ross doesn’t tour as much as his peers, but he managed to make strategic investments that generated a substantive amount of cash. The “bawse” owns 9 Wingstop locations.

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15. Snoop Dogg: $10 million

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Even though his latest album was disappointing in terms of sales performance, only selling 27 000 copies its opening week, Snoop managed to rack up millions of dollars by going on tour and by landing key endorsements deals.

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14. J. Cole: $11 million

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J. Cole’s latest album, Forest Hills Drive, debuted at number 1 on Billboard and sold 354 000 copies its first week. The rapper also struck a distribution deal with Interscope Records. “It’s definitely a path that’s been made possible by the Dr. Dres and the Jay-Zs,” he confessed to Forbes Magazine.

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13. Kendrick Lamar: $12 million

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Kendrick Lamar’s latest album, To Pimpa Butterfly, sold 324 000 copies its opening week. Despite earning all this money, Kendrick Lamar is very cautious about who he does business with. He doesn’t jump on any endorsement deal, as he once said:  “All money ain’t good money.”

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12. Lil Wayne: $15 million

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Wayne is in a dispute with Cash Money Records. Rumors say that he wants to opt out of his contract. These problems do not prevent him from producing great music and earning his money.

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11. Pitbull: $17 million

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Mr. International toured the world and appeared in 60 shows last year. He also released an album in Spanish called Dale, that peaked at the number one spot on the Billboard Latin Albums chart. He really earned his nickname.

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10. Birdman: $18 million

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The Cash Money chief continues to earn money. His record label generated eight-figure profits. However, there might be drama in the Cash Money family. Lil Wayne and his adoptive father no longer see eye to eye. Wayne recently signed a deal with Jay-Z’s Tidal streaming service.

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9. Nicki Minaj: $21 million

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She is the only lady on this list and world’s top-earning female MC. Her earnings went up 50%  compared to last year. In addition to her tours, Minaj has endorsement deals with Pepsi and OPI. She also holds equity in Myx Fusions, a fruit infused moscato beverage.

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8. Wiz Khalifa: $21.5 million

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Wiz is featured on one of the most popular songs of the summer: Furious 7’s “See You Again”. The rapper spent most of the year on tour. His hard work helped him stack $21.5 million.

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7. Kanye West: $22 million

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Kanye had a memorable Grammy performance, he launched a new Adidas shoe line called Yeezy and also announced his intention to run for president in 2020.

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6. Eminem: $31 million

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Eminem’s six shows alongside Rihanna last year grossed around $30 million. The pair performed at the Metlife Stadium and earned a total of $12.4 million, slightly more than what Jay-Z and Beyoncé made over two nights at the same venue.

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5. Pharrell: $32 million

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The rapper, producer and fashion designer is a true entrepreneur. In addition to producing hits, he is a judge on the show The Voice, and launched two clothing lines: Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream.

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4. Dr. Dre: $33 million

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Dr. Dre is no longer sitting on the throne. Selling his headphone company last year earned him a $620 million lump sum. It was the highest annual payday of any musician, ever. He now makes significantly less money, but enough to figure on this list. His main revenue streams came from Apple, from his production catalogue and from his role as an executive producer in the Straight Outta Compton movie.

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3. Drake: $39.5 million

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The Canadian rapper earned a spot on this list thanks to his hard work. Drake is always on the road. He starred in 50 concerts last year, earning on average a gross income of $1 million per appearance. He also has endorsement deals with Sprite and Nike.

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2. Jay-Z: $56 million

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People questioned Jigga’s business acumen when he launched the Tidal music streaming service because the investment has not been fruitful yet. Last year, Jay-Z co-starred in 22 shows alongside Beyoncé. He also manages his Roc Nation record label and he invested in the champagne brand called Armand de Brignac.

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1. Diddy: $60 million

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“Don’t worry if I write rhymes, I write checks,” he once rapped. The business mogul made a few successful investments such as TV network Revolt, clothing line Sean John, alkaline water brand Aquahydrate and Ciroc vodka. He recently released a hit single called Finna Get Loose, produced by Pharell.

SEE ALSO: The 10 Highest-Earning Athletes Of 2015.

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