Diddy Named Richest In Hip Hop, (2nd was Jay-Z, Dr. Dre was 3rd, Birdman 4th and 50 Cent was 5th)

Diddy $550 Million

Diddy has been one of the more impactful figures in hip hop for more than a decade. One way he’s been able to maintain a high level of success for so long is due to his dexterity and skill of continually promoting his several brands as well as himself. That’s allowed him to delve into other businesses outside of music such as his stake in Ciroc Vodka, which has been highly profitable. He’ll even be looking to start his own cable network by next year. These business ventures will pad his wallet and increase his $550 million worth up to billionaire status.

Jay-Z $460 Million

It didn’t take long for Jay-Z to enact what he meant by his lyrics “I’m not a businessman, I’m a business, man…” as the Brooklyn artist has certainly shown his intelligence in other aspects of life away from the recording studio. Even though he continues to make music and was on the Watch the Throne tour along with Kanye West not too long ago, it’s been his other business deals that have landed him a $460 million net worth. The selling of Rocawear, a $150 million deal with Live Nation, his stake in the 40/40 Club and an ownership piece of the New Jersey Nets have made him one of the wealthiest in hip hop.

Dr. Dre $260 Million

Dr. Dre started a revolution of sorts in hip hop, as he and several other West Coast artists were really the first to lyrically bash law enforcement, changing the style of gangster rap for years to come. He’s been influential in starting the careers of some of hip hop’s greatest rappers, and has used his producing expertise to become highly recommended and earn him a $260 million net worth. Dre was paid $300 million to purchase more than half of the stake in Beats Electronica, making his cut $85 million, not to mention that his Beats Headphones are of the most popular today.

Birdman $125 Million

Birdman and his brother Slim have been at the helm of Cash Money Records for almost two decades now, and back in 1998 their distribution deal with Universal was worth a whopping $30 million. Once Lil Wayne became one of hip hop’s rap mega stars, the label was able to recruit the highly talented Drake and Nicki Minaj, who’ve been dominating the charts in recent years. With their current Universal deal coming to an end, there’s the possibility that Birdman’s worth will increase from its current $125 million, as many will want to distribute the label’s music.

50 Cent $110 Million

50 Cent shot right to the top as soon as his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ landed at retail stores and sold extremely well in its first weeks of release. Since then, the kid from Queens has dropped several more albums, but when he agreed to a $100 million deal with Vitamin Water in 2007, that opened the door to other business opportunities. He has since inked a $200 million deal with a production company to create more films, and his SMS headphone line has been well documented, allowing him to rake in $110 million.

Why do people hate seeing this (people getting money and showing)? When I see this, I get super motivated to keep grinding and push my company (Covanant) even further.