It ain’t nuthin’ but a ‘G’ thang for Dr. Dre. The hip-hop mogul reigns atop Forbes 2014 Hip-Hop Cash Kings list.
It should come as no surprise that Dre earned top honors after the sale of Beats Electronics to Apple, who paid $3 billion to purchase the company he founded with Jimmy Iovine. While he’s not quite a billionaire yet, his pretax earnings are estimated at $620 million, the highest annual total of any entertainer ever evaluated by Forbes. It’s also more than the combined earnings of all 24 of his peers on this year’s Hip-Hop Cash Kings list.
Diddy and Jay Z tie for the runner-up spot with $60 million. Jay’s earnings are his highest since 2010, and include his Roc Nation empire, extensive touring, D’Ussé cognac, and his album Magna Carta…Holy Grail, which was certified platinum before it was released thanks to a lucrative deal with Samsung.
Diddy’s Ciroc vodka accounts for the bulk of his empire, with other factors include DeLeon tequila, Blue Flame marketing, Sean John, and REVOLT TV.
Drake ranks fourth with $33 million in earnings thanks to the 4 million copies sold of his fourth album, Nothing Was the Same. An arena tour and endorsement deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand have tripled the Canadian singer’s 2013 earnings.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis round out the top five with a combined $32 million, while Nicki Minaj is the only female to earn a spot on the list.
There were several artists that narrowly missed the top 20, earning just below $7 million. They include Timbaland, Kid Cudi, Akon, A$AP Rocky, Common, Questlove, Nas and T.I.
The list is based on touring, record sales, publishing, merchandise sales, endorsements, and other ventures. Earnings are calculated from June 2013 to June 2014 and based on data from Pollstar, the RIAA, and Nielsen SoundScan, and from interviews with managers, lawyers, music executives, and artists themselves.
See the list of hip-hop’s top 20 earners below.
Forbes Hip-Hop Cash Kings 2014
1. Dr. Dre – $620 million
2. Jay Z – $60 million (tie)
2. Diddy – $60 million (tie)
4. Drake – $33 million
5. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – $32 million
6. Kanye West – $30 million
7. Birdman – $24 million
8. Lil Wayne – $23 million
9. Pharrell Williams – $22 million
10. Eminem – $18 million
11. Nicki Minaj – $14 million
12. Wiz Khalifa – $13 million
13. Pitbull – $12 million
14. Snoop Dogg – $10 million
15. Kendrick Lamar – $9 million
16. Ludacris – $8 million (tie)
16. Tech N9ne – $8 million (tie)
16. Swizz Beatz – $8 million (tie)
16. 50 Cent – $8 million (tie)
20. Rick Ross – $7 million (tie)
20. J. Cole – $7 million (tie)
20. DJ Khaled – $7 million (tie)
20. Lil Jon – $7 million (tie)
20. Mac Miller – $7 million (tie)
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