Jay-Z's influence in hip hop doesn't just come from his extensive discography and the incredible music he's dropped over the span of his 20+ years in the rap game, it also stems from his business acumen. Aside from making music, his investments and businesses have helped him make some major bank and created a template for younger artists to get their money up. He's been one of the richest rappers but never the most rich. However, Forbes' recently released their "Hip Hop's Wealthiest Artists 2018" and Hov has finally topped the list.
According to Forbes', Jay-Z has finally topped the list for most wealthiest artists of the year. The list launched in 2011 and while Jay's been in the top five each year, he's never took the crown. According to their report, Jay-Z's net worth went up from $810M to $900M within the past year. The rise in numbers is mainly due to the rising interests of his liquor investments, Armand De Brignac champagne and D'usse. In addition, his ownership in Roc Nation and Tidal streaming service upped his stock even more.
This marks the first time Jay's beat Diddy out in the seven years that Forbes' been documenting the richest hip hop moguls. Diddy now sits at number two while Dr. Dre claims the third spot. All three of them are not only the wealthiest hip hop acts in the world but they're also three of the richest American musicians of any genre.
In addition to Jay, Dre and Diddy, Drake and Eminem tie for fourth and fifth spot with $100M in earnings within the past year.