iHipHopMusic » Cash Kings

Dr. Dre Tops The Forbes List Of 20 Hip-Hop Cash Kings For 2012

IHHM — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 07:29:14 +0000

1. Dr. Dre @ $110 million

Dr. Dre tops the list this year mostly due to his Beats By Dre headphones, but there's also the fact that he has stake in the careers of Emineem and 50 Cent plus a very profitable catalog of music. He's also the only artist other than 50 Cent to make over $100 million in a single year.

2. Diddy @ $45 million

Diddy comes in second as he continues pull in huge profits from his stake the Ciroc Vodka brand, in October 2007 Diddy agreed to help develop the Ciroc vodka brand for a 50 per cent share of the profits. He became a brand ambassador for the product. The product has had huge commercial success and is synonymous with Hip Hop culture, often affiliated with terms like "Ciroc Boys" or Diddy referring to himself as Cîroc Obama. Cîroc is on pace to sell more than 2 million cases in 2012.

3. Jay-Z @ $38 million

Jay-Z continues to be the ultimate hustler, he's never fell below the 3rd position and has for many years been at the top spot. His Roc Nation label sports artists like J. Cole, Rita Ora, Willow Smith and Jahlil Beats as well as a management roster containing acts like Rihanna, Meek Mill, Wale, Melanie Fiona and Shakira just to name a few. His collaboration album Watch The Throne with Kanye West was very successful and many would even call it classic.

4. Kanye West @ $35 million

Kanye West is not too far behind his big brother Jay-Z with $35 million, His G.O..O.D Music label is the home to Big Sean, Pusha T, Common, Kid CuDi and more. His Air Yeezy sneaker line is also very successful, not to mention the Watch The Throne tour that brought in big profits for both Kanye and Jay-Z.

5. Lil Wayne @ $27 million

Lil Wayne closes out the top 5 with $27 million, allot of which is due to his latest album Tha Carter IV, which sold almost a million copies it's first week. He's finally started to branch out into non-music ventures such as DEWeezy with Mountain Dew, and Trukfit clothing line.

6. Drake @ $20.5 million

Lil Wayne's YMCMB front runner Drake stays close to Weezy with a little over $20 million. This is a big jump from last year where he tied Wiz Khalifa for the 11th spot earning $11 million. His Take Care album was very successful, selling 631,000 copies it's first week. This was then followed by a successful Club Paradise tour. He also shills for Sprite and Kodak.

7. Bryan “Birdman” Williams @ $20 million

He’s the co-founder and chief of Cash Money Records—home to listmates Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj—and adds to his coffers with other ventures including clothing and vodka. Birdman tied Wayne last year for the number 4 spot earning $15 million.

8. Nicki Minaj @ $15.5 million

I guess it's 19 Cash Kings and 1 Cash Queen, performances at the Super Bowl and the Grammys helped raise her profile while a new album, extensive touring and endorsements with Pepsi and others lined her pocketbook. I might be wrong but I think Nicki Minaj is the only female to ever make Hip-Hop Cash Kings list.

9. Eminem @ $15 million

Sometimes music is enough. Eminem sold more albums last decade than any artist in the world, and continues to cash in from his extensive back catalog and occasional tour dates.

10. Ludacris @ $12 million

The multihyphenate mogul’s non-musical ventures include Conjure cognac, headphone line Soul, voiceovers for RadioShack and roles in movies such as Fast Five and New Year’s Eve.

11. Pitbull @ $9.5 million

The self-proclaimed "Mr. International" has been making money all around the world, pulling in millions from touring, record sales and endorsements with the likes of Kodak and Dr. Pepper.

12. Rick Ross & Wiz Khalifa @ $9 million (tied)

The portly Maybach Music Group boss banks big bucks from concerts, record sales and his aforementioned label.

13. Wiz Khalifa @ $9 million (tied)

After exploding onto the mainstream scene in recent years, the Pittsburgh-bred rapper has continued to milk his image as an herbal enthusiast, helping him to healthy merch and album sales. He's managed to stay high on the list despite not releasing a second album yet.

14. Snoop Lion @ $8.5 million

The artist formerly known as Snoop Dogg is in the midst of a rebirth as a reggae artist -- and continues to rake in cash from a wide range of activities including album sales, touring and endorsements.

15. 50 Cent @ $7.5 million

Though the onetime top Cash King has fallen from his VitaminWater-fueled peak, he still collects cash from sales of his music, as well as G-Unit clothes and video games, SMS headphones and energy shot Street King.

16. Swizz Beatz ($7 million, tie)

Though he's still not as well-known as his wife, Alicia Keys, the multifaceted Swizz Beatz has been cashing in on production credits and deals with the likes of Lotus and Reebok.

17. Pharrell Williams ($7 million, tie)

The sweet-singing superproducer continues to earn big, thanks in part to new liqueur line Qream and his Billionaire Boys Club clothing line, which partnered with Rocawear last year.

18. Young Jeezy ($7 million, tie)

His recent album, Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition, has sold more than 500,000 copies since its December release; Jeezy adds to his coffers with touring and a clothing line.

19. Mac Miller @ $6.5 million

Not yet old enough to legally drink, the youthful emcee makes his Cash Kings debut on the strength of a rigorous touring schedule and the first indie record to top the Billboard charts in over a decade.

20. Akon, Timbaland & Tech N9ne @ $6 million (tied)

His latest album is still on hold, but the Senegalese singer continues to collect cash from a range of ventures including touring, production, a record label, a clothing line and a rumored diamond mine in Africa.

20. Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley ($6 million, tie)

The portly producer makes the Cash Kings list for the sixth year in a row, pulling in proceeds from a lengthy pack catalog, new production credits and liqueur LeSutra.

20. Aaron "Tech N9ne" Yates ($6 million, tie)

Though not well-known to mainstream music fans, this midwestern emcee racked up nearly 200 tour dates this year and earns big from releases on his indie label, Strange Music.

The post Dr. Dre Tops The Forbes List Of 20 Hip-Hop Cash Kings For 2012 appeared first on iHipHopMusic.

Cash Kings 2011: Hip-Hop’s Top 20 Earners

IHHM — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 04:54:23 +0000

Hip-Hop's Top 20 Earners The success of hip-hop’s top earners shows just how powerful the genre has become as a commercial force. Led by Jay-Z and Diddy, the top 20 on our list combined to earn $271 million, taking home cash from live shows, recorded music, endorsements and a wide range of other entrepreneurial ventures. Read on to see the full list.

1. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, $37 million

Hip-hop’s reigning Cash King continues to reap the benefits of a 10-year $150 million Live Nation deal, as well as stakes in the New Jersey Nets, the 40/40 Club chain, ad firm Translation and others. This year marked the first time he out-earned wife Beyonce since their marriage in 2008.

2. Sean "Diddy" Combs, $35 million

Music now accounts for less than 20% of earnings for the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, thanks to big stakes in clothing lines Sean John and Enyce, record label Bad Boy and marketing firm Blue Flame. But it's his Ciroc vodka deal that led FORBES to estimate his net worth at $475 million this winter. 3. Kanye West, $16 million The self-proclaimed Louis Vuitton Don returns to the top three for the first time since 2009. His new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, hit stores in November, earned critical raves and quickly went platinum. His follow-up, Jay-Z collaboration Watch the Throne, debuted on August 8th.

4. Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter, $15 million (tie)

The lyricist reportedly wrote his first song at age 8 and signed a record deal with Cash Money a year later. Today he's one of rap's richest, despite serving eight months in jail last year. His latest release, I Am Not A Human Being, made him the first artist since Tupac Shakur to have a No. 1 album while incarcerated.

4. Bryan "Birdman" Williams, $15 million (tie)

The Cash Money chief continues to rake in cash from the label he cofounded, home to fellow Cash Kings Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj. Excluded from previous lists because we deemed him more executive than rapper, Birdman was included this year because most of his peers now have a similar job description.

6. Marshall "Eminem" Mathers, $14 million (tie)

Eminem doesn't tour as much as many rappers and his outside business interests are limited, but music alone was enough to blast him back into the upper reaches of the list this year. His album Recovery sold 5.7 million copies worldwide and earned 10 Gramm nominations. Normally non-commercial, he added to his coffers with Super Bowl spots for Lipton and Chrysler.

6. Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, $14 million (tie)

The man who launched the careers of fellow Cash Kings including Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent keeps bringing in cash—namely from producer fees and Beats by Dre, his lucrative headphone venture with Interscope chief Jimmy Iovine.

6. Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus, $14 million (tie)

The ageless wonder of the West Coast turned in another strong year, boosted by new album Doggumentary, heavy touring and endorsements with companies from Metro PCS to Pepsi Max. Icing on the proverbial cake: A verse on Katy Perry’s smash hit “California Gurls.”

9. Aliuane "Akon" Thiam, $13 million

The Senegalese-American singer-songwriter-producer extraordinaire caked up on a string of international concerts from Australia to Zimbabwe, a lucrative World Cup spot with Pepsi, a host of business ventures and hit song “I Just Had Sex,” which has garnered over 115 million YouTube views since its December debut.

10. Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges, $12 million

The self-proclaimed Mouth of the South makes money from much more than just music. This year, he earned big on movie roles including Fast Five, No Strings Attached and New Year’s Eve, as well as endorsements with Tag body spray and Trojan condoms. He also struck partnership deals to launch Soul By Ludacris headphones and a cognac called Conjure.

11. Cameron "Wiz Khalifa" Thomaz, $11 million (tie)

Riding high off hit single “Black and Yellow,” Pittsburgh’s most famous rapper has been touring nonstop, playing well over 100 shows in the past 12 months. Adding to his coffers: a robust merchandise business centered on his identity as a marijuana enthusiast.

11. Aubrey "Drake" Graham, $11 million (tie)

His debut Thank Me Later debuted last fall and quickly went platinum; another record is in the works. Touring and endorsements generate plenty of cash in the meantime: he shills for Kodak and Coca-Cola’s Sprite, and even has a Drake-emblazoned Virgin America airplane already in the sky.

13. Pharrell Williams, $10 million

The Virginia-born super-producer continues to earn industry-leading production fees even while touring and releasing albums with his funk-rock group N.E.R.D. Not included in this year’s tally: proceeds from the recent licensing deal struck between his Billionaire Boys Club clothing line and Jay-Z’s Rocawear.

14. Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley, $7 million

The superstar beat-maker had something of a quiet period in between album cycles, leading to a steep earnings drop from last year. But he still makes a killing by peddling his production talents and should earn more in the coming year--his third solo album, Shock Value III, is scheduled for release later this fall.

15. Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, $6.5 million (tie)

It’s been more than a decade since Swizz burst onto the scene by producing DMX’s “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” at age 16; since then, he’s added hundreds of credits to his catalog, most recently on Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch The Throne. He tied the knot with singer Alicia Keys last summer and recently announced a lucrative partnership with Reebok.

15. Onika "Nicki Minaj" Maraj, $6.5 million (tie)

Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Nicki Minaj grew up in Queens and is now the first female rapper to grace our Hip-Hop Cash Kings list. Her debut Pink Friday went platinum shortly after its launch this fall, and she’s not shy about her earnings: on Kanye West’s “Monster,” she boasts that she gets $50,000 for her guest verses.

17. William "Rick Ross" Roberts, $6 million (tie)

The rotund rhymester makes his third-straight Cash Kings appearance on the strength of solid album sales and touring. His latest, Teflon Don, was certified gold; he’s been supporting it by hitting the road with Lil Wayne and performing lucrative gigs on his own.

17. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, $6 million (tie)

Though he holds the record for the highest single-year earnings of any Cash King—$150 million in 2008, fueled by a nine-figure Vitamin Water windfall—50’s fortunes have fallen of late. But he still earns from his G-Unit empire, as well as acting roles, concerts and recorded music, most notably a verse on Michael Jackson’s posthumous album.

17. Armando "Pitbull" Perez, $6 million (tie)

Better known by his stage name, Armando Christian Perez is one of the most prolific artists on our list, releasing two albums and performing 50-plus shows over the past 12 months. But it’s his endorsement deals that really set him apart; he earned seven figures for a deal with Kodak this year.

20. Faheem "T-Pain" Najm, $5 million (tie)

AutoTune may be dead, but T-Pain’s earnings are alive and well. The “I’m On A Boat” crooner has racked up over 60 guest appearances since the beginning of 2010. He also beefs up his bank account with concerts and side ventures like the I Am T-Pain iPhone app.

20. Bobby "B.o.B" Simmons, Jr., $5 million (tie)

The 22-year-old rapper-singer-songwriter burst onto the scene in 2010 with the smash hit “Nothin’ on You,” featuring Bruno Mars. The duo performed the song at the Grammys, helping to fuel sales of B.o.B’s first album, The Adventures of Bobby Ray. Touring, guest appearances and a viral Adidas commercial boosted him to his Cash Kings debut.

The post Cash Kings 2011: Hip-Hop’s Top 20 Earners appeared first on iHipHopMusic.