Diddy, Jay Z, Dr Dre & Drake Top Forbes Highest Earning Hip Hop Stars Of 2016

Forbes released its annual list of the top 20 earning stars in hip-

hop on Wednesday.

Rap moguls Jay Z, 45, and Diddy, 46, landed on top.

Diddy, for the second year in a row, claimed the highest spot on

the cash countdown, with $62 million thanks to his Ciroc vodka

enterprise and a host of other businesses he has ownership in.

The music mogul, who’s been atop the list four of the past five

years, has even worked a reference about it on one of his tracks,

rapping in 2014’s Big Homie, ‘The only one that’s topping Forbes,

I’m gettin’ lonely.’

Coming in second was Jay Z, who brought home a huge slab of

bacon – $53.5 million, to be exact – for wife Beyonce and

daughter Blue Ivy. The staggering sum came primarily from his

Roc Nation entertainment company, with extras like his champagne

and cognac businesses adding to his bottom line.

And in a case of the rich getting richer, Dr Dre who made $620

million in 2014 after Apple purchased his Beats By Dre

headphones company, marking the only year Diddy did not rule

the financial roost. – finished third.

The Still D.R.E. rapper pocketed a cool $41 million over the past

year, fueled by ongoing profits from his remaining stake in the

high-end headphones company, in addition to profits from the

wildly-successful film, Straight Outta Compton.

Rounding out the top ten were Drake with $38.5 million; Wiz

Khalifa at $24 million; Nicki Minaj, the only female to make the

list, with $20.5 million; Pitbull with $20 million, Pharrell Williams

with $19.5 million, Kendrick Lamar at $18.5 million and Birdman

with $18 million.