Former Forbes editor Zack O’ Malley Greenburg compiled a list of the highest-earning hip-hop acts of 2021. The list included artists Jay Z, Kanye “Ye” West, and even Doja Cat.
No surprise that Jay Z topped the list with $470 million partially due to selling some of Tidal and his Armand de Brignac (Ace of Spades) champagne. The deals brought his net worth to an estimated $1.5 billion.
In second place was Kanye “Ye” West at $250 million for the year. His footwear line Yeezy and recent collab with GAP with clothing line may have sent his price up. It’s safe to say that Jay Z and Ye have a massive leap over any other entertainer in the category.
Greenburg says, “…Jay-Z and Kanye are the highest-paid musicians of any genre, and there’s no rapper within $175 million of either mogul. Even so, it’s been an impressive year for hip-hop.”
The list includes:
- Jay Z ($470 million)
- Kanye “Ye” West ($250 million)
- Diddy ($75 million)
- Drake ($50 million)
- Wiz Khalifa ($45 million)
- DJ Khaled ($38 million)
- Eminem ($28 million)
- J. Cole ($27 million)
- Birdman ($25 million)
- Doja Cat ($25 million)
Shockingly, Doja Cat was the only female to make the top ten list which says a lot about the hip-hop industry’s gender pay gap. Her partnerships with Pepsi and CandyCrush were boosts in her topping the list.
