Jay Z, Kanye West, Doja Cat and More Named Highest-Paid Hip Hop Artists

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: 

1. Jay Z ($470 million)
2. Kanye “Ye” West ($250 million)
3. Diddy ($75 million)
4. Drake ($50 million)
5. Wiz Khalifa ($45 million)
6. DJ Khaled ($38 million)
7. Eminem ($28 million)
8. J. Cole ($27 million)
9. Birdman ($25 million)
10. 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.