J. Cole, Drake, Nicki Minaj Among Highest Earning Musicians Of 2015

Billboard has released their annual list of Top Money Makers in the music industry, and while it's largely dominated by pop stars and legacy rock bands, a few rap and R&B artists also made the cut. The list is determined by the money made from sales, streaming, publishing, and touring, so anything made outside of those categories does not qualify, which is why artists like Dr. Dre and Diddy, who are known primarily for their business ventures these days, were not included.

Surprisingly, it's J. Cole who ranks as the highest earning rapper of 2015, making an impressive $5.5 million off touring, and $8.8 million in total revenue, coming in at 27. Just below him is The Weeknd, whose 1 million+ in album sales gave him $3.6 million, making for $8.6 million total. At 32, Drake appears, earning $4.4 million in sales, but under 500k in touring, putting him at $7.4 million in 2015. Rounding out the list at 39 is Nicki Minaj, whose tour brought her $3.5 million, giving her $6.3 million overall.

Naturally, Taylor Swift topped things off with $73.5 million in total revenue for 2015, putting her 30 million above the second highest earner, Kenney Chesney.

You can check out the full stats over at Billboard.