Diddy, Jay Z, Dr. Dre Top Forbes’ Cash Kings 2013 List

    Diddy tops Forbes’ Cash Kings 2013: The World’s 20 Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Artists, with estimated earnings of $50 million thanks to income generated from Ciroc vodka, Bad Boy Entertainment and the Sean John clothing line among his other businesses, according to forbes.com. This is the first time Diddy has topped the list, the site says. 

    Jay Z is #2 on the list, with estimated earnings of $43 million. Jigga earned double-digit millions from his concerts and his Roc Nation label and management company.

    The majority of Dr. Dre’s $40 million in estimated earnings comes from his headphones line, good for #3 on the list, one spot better than Nicki Minaj, who earned an estimated $29 million and remains the only female on the list.

    The Cash Kings list counts pretax earnings for all living artists whose work is primarily classified as hip-hop or rap, as per forbes.com. The site says it considers income from touring, record sales, publishing, merchandise sales, endorsements and other ventures, though management, agent and attorney fees are not deducted from the tally. 

    Earnings for the Cash Kings are counted from June 2012 to June 2013 and are based on data from Pollstar, the Recording Industry Association of America and Nielsen SoundScan, and from interviews with numerous managers, lawyers, record executives and some of the artists themselves, forbes.com says.

    Forbes’ Cash Kings 2012 list was also topped by Dr. Dre, Diddy and Jay-Z, but in that order.

    Dr. Dre held the top spot on the 2012 list with an estimated $110 million in pretax earnings thanks to the sale of his Beats By Dr. Dre headphones to handset maker HTC, which paid $300 million for a 51 percent stake in the company in 2011.

    In 2012, Diddy scored the #2 spot with $45 million in earnings due to profits from Diageo’s Ciroc vodka, while Jay Z was #3 with $38 million thanks to investments in Carol’s Daughter and the Brooklyn Nets, among other ventures.

    The full Forbes’ Cash Kings 2013: The World’s 20 Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Artists is as follows:

    1. Diddy ($50M)

    2. Jay Z ($43M)

    3. Dr. Dre ($40M)

    4. Nicki Minaj ($29M)

    5. Birdman ($21M)

    6. Kanye West ($20M)

    7. Lil Wayne ($16M)

    8. Wiz Khalifa ($14M)

    9. Ludacris ($12M)

    10. Pitbull ($11M)

    11. Drake ($10.5M)

    12. Snoop Dogg ($10M)

    12. Eminem ($10M)

    14. Kendrick Lamar ($9M)

    14. Pharrell ($9M)

    14. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ($9M)

    17. Swizz Beatz ($8.5M)

    18. Tech N9ne ($7.5M)

    19. 50 Cent ($7M)

    20. Lil Jon ($6M)

    20. Rick Ross ($6M)

    20. Mac Miller ($6M)

    20. Jeezy ($6M)

    20. Questlove ($6M) 

    RELATED: Dr. Dre, Diddy & Jay-Z Top Forbes Cash Kings 2012 List

    157 thoughts on “Diddy, Jay Z, Dr. Dre Top Forbes’ Cash Kings 2013 List

    1. No Meek Mill, Wale, French Montana, Big Sean, Game, Tyga, T.I., Chief Keef, Gucci Mane, Future, Big Sean, Fat Joe, Nas, Ja Rule

    2. How the fuck did Ross tie with Mac Miller, Young Jeezy and Questlove? I guess him and Khaled been eating up all the profits at Winstop. Paying off the GD’s probably didnt help much… same with that cancelled tour oh yeah and we cant forget Reebok dropping his fat ass LOL

      I thought MMG was the hottest label and at the top of the game?

      MMG is going have to cool down with the money rap the numbers are not matching up!!!!

      NOT BAWSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    3. Nicki made more than Drake and Wayne together thats jokes!

      Wiz making more than Drake thats jokes.

      Does anyone need an account I`m looking to switch teams!

      1. macklemore has to split everything with ryan lewis the producer i believe so that might have something to do with it

    4. What has Snoop done lately to earn 10 mill in a year?? Must be some lowkey investments cuz I can’t see that being off his last album or any movies. And he’s not eating off any artists.

    5. I thought they said 50 fell off

      How is a so called irrelevant nigga without an album out and without a nation tour making more than the biggest boss officer rick ross

      that shit cray

    6. Quoteman wont even comment on this one. Shit Macklemore AND Kendrick making more than anyone on MMG, shit thats gotta cut deep for a stan like him

      1. lol, he’s going to think you’re me.

        I was gonna say the boss, the crabmeat killa, Mr marvelous life himself, made just as much as a drummer!

        50 on the shelf and STILL made more! lol, this is when watching pockets comes back to bite you in the ass Quote-Man.

    7. Damn I remember hov used to top diddy on the list every year. Now he can’t catch. Where that 275milli live nation deal at?

    8. The word “irrelevant” is used by broke ass irrelevant lames to make them selves feel good! How you completely irrelevant calling music artists making millions irrelevant? LMAO

    9. How the fuck did Ross tie with Mac Miller, Young Jeezy and Questlove? I guess him and Khaled been eating up all the profits at Winstop. Paying off the GD’s probably didnt help much… same with that cancelled tour oh yeah and we cant forget Reebok dropping his fat ass LOL

      I thought MMG was the hottest label and at the top of the game?

      MMG is going have to cool down with the money rap the numbers are not matching up!!!!

      Self MADE 3 51k First week!!!

      NOT BAWSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    10. Either this list is highly inaccurate or Tech N9ne is one smart motherfucker. If he’s making more than 50 that’s CRAZY

      1. You do realize he tours all damn year, more than any other artist. He’s completely independent, has his own artists, and his own warehouse lol. Dude is an intelligent entrepreneur.

      2. thats video is crazy these dudes are smart. got a warehouse full of shit, vans busses trucks trailers to haul all the merch they sell…. other rappers should take note

    11. YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
      YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

      4 MEMBERS OF YMCMB MADE THE LIST AND TYGA WAS NOT FAR OFF WE EATEN OVER HERE. I DONT KNOW WHY THEY DONT COUNT SLIM. IT SHOULD BE 5

    12. Download the hottest songs of the week for free @

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      Artist include: DRAKE RICK ROSS J.COLE WALE YO GOTTI NELLY TI ASAP ROCKY THE WEEKND JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE & MORE!

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    13. their gonna make sade screem yea yea uh yeaa same pitch as mariah carey singing dream lover beginging.”ahh haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaeeeee.with a dead dogs head on her

    14. I dont give a fuck about a motherfuckin Forbes List
      Far as Im concerned, thats a motherfucking whores list
      – Killer Mike

    15. A blessing just to make a million in a year! Lames arguing about this guy made more than this guy…wow! The n**** species doesn’t surprise me. Negros educate yourself on youtube and look up Dr. Booker T. Coleman lecture piece..The Dogon People in London. We were brilliant minds in Africa before we got IGNANT today!

      1. he made 7 million without an album or a major tour, id says thats pretty good considering some of these dudes like ross are giving themselves seizures touring so hard and still made less than him

    16. WELL WE HAVE NEW VIDEOS OF JACK ASS FROM MTV DOING DRUGS IN THE WHITE HOUSE AND HAVEING SEX WITH MISS OBOAMA WITH JAY Z AND BEYONCE.

    17. List of Rap Niggas who made less than Mac Miller and Lil Jon last year
      _____________________________________________

      2 Chainz
      Meek Mill
      Wale
      French Montana
      Big Sean
      Game
      Tyga
      T.I.
      Chief Keef
      Gucci Mane
      Future
      Fat Joe
      Nas
      Ja Rule

    18. Rick Ross got a whole stable of niggas working for him and he still barely made it. LOL Young Jeezy made just as much I guess MMG aint really doing so well. Ask Meek and Wale to show you their accounts.

    19. This list just proves that Ross is the biggest stunter in hip hop history. All this big money talk & he didn’t even make more money last year than Lil Jon?!

      Wheres the rest of 50’s cent enemies I see they aint higher than him on here and apparently 50 is on the shelf and irrelevant LOL so what does that say about your fav rapper!!!

    20. So Fif ain’t put no projects out and still making more money then Ross? Makes sense! Baawwsseee Looosssiiinnnggggg

      1. He making less than the so called irrelevant niggas whos career he supposedly ended and cant put out an album. thats a bad look when all you talking about is money this money this

    21. QuestLove has that Rick Ross money and doesnt even have to have security or police protection, or anything because you get back what you put out. Ain’t no one trying to kill him like that LOL

    22. Self Made 3 51k first week no wonder Officer Rickys at the bottom of the list his projects arent making any profit with all that marketing they been doing.

      1. to be fair he released one actual single this entire year and that was very recently, and other than that he’s been pretty much completely inactive the whole year and the best part of last year

    23. that’s dope ?uestlove is on there tho, homie got different drumsets in each country

      check out my beats tho nigguhs, soundcloud.com/tha_chiller

    24. Wayne aint really a boss I guess…. shit Nicki earning more than Wayne and Drake put together…

      and Birdman shouldnt be on here he dont do fuck all his money shoulda been split 4 ways with the rest going to Nicki Drake and Wayne

    25. lol all these chumps on this list suck nowdays. Support real hiphop and not some artists which only like money but dont love fans and music

      1. Your comment is so damn funny. You just called the above mentioned artists chumps because they are making money. Whether or not you believe in how they reached that status, it is very funny that you called them, “chumps”. Jealous much?

    26. The truth :

      1. Big Guwop
      2. Tyga
      3. French Montana
      4. Ace Hood
      5. P.Diddy
      6. Chief Keef / Lil Jon
      7. Waka Flocka
      8. OJ Da Juiceman
      9. Jay-Z
      10.Big Sean

    27. Gotta say its cool to see the boy Wiz on here in that spot. Indie loner solo doinit his way. Built partnerships with majors & still in his own lane. Luda Fif and Tech hell even Pit are all inspirations to me for finding a way to win when the radio may calls u a loser

    28. this list is straight bullshit. How the fuck did Quest make 6 million by being on late night? And Tech N9ne is touring like crazy but he’s been doing that for over 10 years but only now he’s on the list? Ya he’s more popular but his show sizes are the same SMH I can go on for days

    29. kinda amazing how half this list is made on bullshit no talent music they call rap now days and the other half is made on headphones which is more ligit then the music that %90 of america download illegally because no one wants to buy a whack ass rap album. Oh wait 2 out of 20 I guess looks more like 24 but they PUT 20 ON THERE 4 TIMES have Satellite radio stations on siriusXM eminem and ludacris

    30. men lie women lie numbers don’t talking and dissing 50 because

      Jay z is worth a Billion

      50 cent is worth 4 million

      Jay z has 12 number 1 albums

      50 cent has 4 albums with 2 debuting at number 1

      Jay z has a total of 23 albums including collaboration albums and compilation albums which are more and way better than 50 cent

      fuck 50 cent, jay z king of rap for life!!

    31. LOL, you can always tell the weird 50Cent fans because they are the only ones still talking about platinum in 2013, LOLOL.

      Poor 50Cent and his failing rap career he hasn’t released an album since 2009 and his white fans will tell you that it did t go “platinum”.

      One thing I respect about 50Cent is that he knows exactly who his fambase is so he drops songs with Skylar Grey on the hook to please them.

      50Cents Boss Emenim should help him get his rap career on track so he can release the album that keeps getting pushed back……but oh yeah our Godfather Fiddy went platinum back in 03′ dude!

      HAHAHA!

      1. seriously guy, in 150 comments you were the first one to say anything about a platinum album….

        i guess your just so used to defending officer ricky you just go into captain save-a-cop mode without even reading the commennts

        crazy how Young Jeezy making just as much as Ross without the BOSS moves lol.

    32. I’m not surprised to see the whites, producers, and platinum-rappers getting bread.

      Wiz, Ross, Tech N9ne and Birdman just made at least 6 million as CEO/rappers without having to sell platinum or produce!

      That’s amazing and in the special case of Birdman and Ross they have made the other people on their rosters millionaires in this era of decreased sales and pirated music.

      Salute to the real hustlers and underdogs who are neck and neck with the favorites.

      1. you are a fucking moron i counted 3 white people on that whole list, 4 if you cant Drake

        and you cant compare Birdman to Ross, Birdman has platinum selling artists, Ross not so much

      2. why you change your name everytime you post i just read another one of your posts could you make it anymore obvious… the whole white thing gives it away Micahel or should i say gopppi

        “Many whites will compare Cruel Summer to Self Made as if Kanye West isn’t one of the biggest artist/producer/CEOs in the music industry with a string if platinum and multi-platinum albums and singles.

        No one in MMG is on Kanye West level as an artist.

        Are people really sick enough to try to knock somebody for making 6 million dollars a year without the white skin, without producing or without being a so-called Platinum artist? Are people that whitewashed?

        I’m glad a project like Self Made 3 exists where lesser known artists like Stalley, and Rockie Fresh can get some shine, it’s not a project catering to whites or hipsters with pandering duets from whites and hipsters but it’s a solid block of music for the culture.”

    33. JAY Z = A CARICATURE OF A CARICATURE OF A HUMAN BEING

      DISCONNECTED FROM HUMANITY

      IT is has become so completely and totally clear that JAY Z is a soul less cultural predator and artistic pretender and I do not mean in a religious sense but I mean from a spiritual sense. You can not believe in a deity or theologian’s view of a deity and be a spiritual soul who comprehends the interconnectivity of LIFE on this planet. With JAY Z there is simply no there, there…. A DEAD #TUPAC is making/releasing more meaningful and lyrically thought provoking music than this man…ever has. His most famous line “If you are having female problems, I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems, but a BITCH is not one.” NAS looks deep into the belly of the beast, examines where he comes and the challenges those in his community continue to face and he brings forth lyrically relevant music.

      JAY Z? NYC and the #MARCYPROJECTS are props for his con. The man studied the Hip Hop/Rap Game, none of his stuff was sticking early on so he adopted this persona which is a riff off other persona’s including that of #BigDaddyKane molded into one, much in the same way an OBESE PRISON GUARD morphed into a NEW FAKE BIGGIE: #RICKROSS – the name of a former Miami Drug Kingpin who has called him on it and that he was forced to admit in court filed documents in a lawsuit against Rick Ross. This same fat cat is even singing along side #PDiddy/ #PuffDaddy (the guy responsible for killing Notorious B.I.G.) who he has allegedly been seen making out with. Oh, and he has allegedly been the victim of an attempted gangland shooting. Theater anyone? Or is P Diddy just showing his hand about his fate. TRUTH: If Christopher Wallace, #BiggieSmalls, AKA The Notorious B.I.G. were still alive and performing, JAY Z’s vapid clown act would be even more readily apparent to fans of this genre of music. The man is CONTRIVED in every way, shape and form.

      IRONIC that in a time and era where people are increasingly introspective and searching for greater spiritual connection on this planet, this man man refers to himself as a deity, ‘HOVA’ (as in JEHOVAH) yet by all accounts he never read or consulted with any part of the BIBLE at all (look it up, he has been quoted on video stating just that). The bragging and contrived persona as this larger than life “LADY SLAYER” does not fit the rumors and evidence surrounding his #HOMOSEXUALITY (since that would hurt him in segments of his fan base in the Urban Black Communuty). NOTHING about this man jibes with the times, except that he is the perfect mask, deception and minstrel for the downwardly mobile befudldled masses. His lyrics are complete and utter nonsene, much like a #SEINFELD EPISODE, its “MUCH TO DO ABOUT NOTHING” – but at least there the dialogue was semi- interesting. All this guy is, is an #INFOMERCIAL for PRODUCTS & LIFESTYLE that only the less evolved want to emulate.

      Our society will have evolved more fully when #VACUOUS MEN like #JAYZ no longer occupy center stage in AMERICA.

      1. You do realize these numbers just reflect what they earned this year, right? Most of the people on this list, especially the top 3, are worth waaaaaay more. Dr. Dre is actually the first Hip-Hop BILLIONAIRE.

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