Forbes’ annual list of the World’s Highest Paid Celebrities has arrived.
Unsurprisingly, Kanye West has settled in the Top 5 with $170 million earned, trailing behind his sister-in-law Kylie Jenner who pulled in a whopping $590 million, making her the top earner.
Meanwhile, Hip Hop’s first billionaire JAY-Z pales in comparison at $53.5 million earned, landing him in the No. 42 spot.
Other honorable mentions include Post Malone with $60 million (No. 28), Diddy at $55 million (No. 37) Drake with $49 million (No. 49), Rihanna with $46 million (No. 60), Will Smith with $44.5 million (No. 69), Travis Scott at $39.5 million (No. 82) and finally, DJ Khaled with $36.5 million (No. 95).
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Ye caused some controversy over his financial status earlier this year. In April, Forbes christened Kanye a billionaire after “months” of asking for his financial records. and determined his net worth to be around $1.3 billion. But Ye insisted he was worth over three times that amount.
Kanye West On New Billionaire Title: 'It's $3.3B Since No One At Forbes Knows How To Count'
Shortly after the story was published, Forbes staff writer Zack O’Malley Greenburg revealed Kanye sent him a late night text disputing Forbes’ claim.
“It’s not a billion,” he text. “It’s $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.”
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Forbes then broke down how they arrived at $1.3 billion, explaining Ye’s Yeezy adidas collab — which Forbes estimated brought him royalties of over $140 million from sales last year — properties, assets and his G.O.O.D. record label, worth at least $90 million, finally landed him a spot in the exclusive billionaire club.
Many of the artists listed have also been giving back monetarily during the global pandemic and protests taking place around the country. In March, Rihanna and JAY-Z’s foundation donated $2 million to COVID-19 relief efforts, Drake donated $100k to a national bail out fund for protestors and Kanye donated roughly $2 million to the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery & Breonna Taylor.
