Diddy, Jay Z, Drake and Dr. Dre top Hip-Hop’s cash kings list

Forbes has released their annual Hip-Hop’s Cash Kings feature, a list of the highest earners in or adjacent to rap music. It features most of the usual players, but the order has been shuffled around enough to raise a few eyebrows. Diddy and Jay Z claim the top spots, pulling in $60 million and $56 million, respectively, while Drake slides in at #3 with his $39.5 million haul edging out Dr. Dre’s $33 million.


That last figure is obviously nothing to scoff at, but it’s a far cry from the $620
million Dre pulled in last year thanks in large part to his deal with Apple, which put him over the top to become hip-hop’s first billionaire. The other three members of the top four are more or less consistent with the 2014 rankings: Jay is down $4 million, Drake is up $6.5 million, and Diddy holds steady.

Rounding out the top five is Pharrell, who enjoyed a bump from $22 million to $33 million, replacing Macklemore and Ryan Lewis (who fell from #5 and $32 million to #20 and $5.5 million in a year without an album or major tour).
Nicki Minaj is the highest-ranking (and only) woman on the list, coming in ninth with $21 million, just a shade behind Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa, who earned $22 million and $21.5 million, respectively. The list is assembled by approximating pre-tax income from revenue streams such as
“touring, record sales, streaming, publishing, merchandise sales, endorsements and other business ventures,” before management, attorney and agency fees.
See the full 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
14. J. Cole – $11 million
15. 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