Forbes released its 2015 Hip Hop Cash Kings list, and there are few surprises. Diddy holds down the top spot, matching the $60 million he raked in last year. He can thank Ciroc for his financial success. Sorry, 50.
Next up are Jay Z (Roc Nation, his entertainment company, tour with Beyonce) and Drake (tours and festivals). Rounding out the top 5 are Dr. Dre, who garnered $620 million last year due to his sale of Beats to Apple, and Pharrell (fashion, The Voice, touring).
No surprises here. If anything the list confirms the trend that live performances are increasingly the most profitable sector of the music industry. See the whole list below.
1. Diddy $60 million
2. Jay Z: $56 million
3. Drake: $39.5 million
4. Dr. Dre: $33 million
5. Pharrell: $32 million
6. Eminem: $31 million
7. Kanye West: $22 million
8. Wiz Khalifa: $21.5 million
9. Nicki Minaj: $21 million
10. Birdman: $18 million
11. Pitbull: $17 million
12. Lil Wayne: $15 million
13. Kendrick Lamar: $12 million
13. J. Cole: $11 million
14. Snoop Dogg: $10 million
16. Rick Ross: $9 million
17. Tech N9ne: $8.5 million
18. Ludacris: $8 million
19. T.I.: $6 million
20. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: $5.5 million
Here is last year's list.