Hip Hop’s highest earners of 2021 have been announced, and it appears the global COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t done any harm to their pockets. In fact, it’s the wealthiest list yet.
Topping the list is perennial cash king contender JAY-Z, who pulled in a staggering $470 million last year alone, the biggest annual sum of his career.
The Marcy Projects mogul added to his $1.5 billion net worth by selling his streaming company TIDAL to Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey’s Square for $297 million, a deal that saw Jay join Square’s board of directors.
Hov also offloaded a 50 percent stake in his champagne brand Armand de Brignac to luxury goods giant LVMH for a reported $600 million. According to Forbes, the deal earned JAY-Z a cash payment of at least $300 million.
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The list was compiled by former Forbes editor and longtime “Hip Hop Cash Kings” list creator Zack O’Malley Greenburg, who revealed on Twitter that JAY-Z’s “What you call money, I pay more in taxes” line isn’t just an empty boast.
“Even if you assume he paid the capital gains rate of 20% on the bulk of his income after selling centimillion-dollar stakes in Tidal & [Armand de Brignac], he’ll pay Uncle Sam more than any hip-hop act earned (other than Ye).”
Fresh of the presses: my list of hip-hop's highest-paid artists of 2021. The top ten acts earned more than $1 billion pretax combined, nearly double their prepandemic annual haul.
1. Jay-Z $470m
2. Kanye West $250
3. Diddy $75mFull list: https://t.co/Ls8Re6D509pic.twitter.com/ZhWGR3SjvO
— Zack O’Malley Greenburg (@zogblog) February 28, 2022
Coming in at No. 2 on the list is fellow Watch The Throne royalty Kanye West, who earned $250 million in 2021 almost entirely thanks to his Yeezy footwear empire.
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The Chicago rap icon also saw items from his 10-year partnership with Gap sell out in mere hours while, of course, enjoying commercial success with his gold-certified Donda album.
Kanye West Beats JAY-Z, Drake & Eminem On Forbes' 2019 Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Acts
Kanye’s 2022 is already off to a lucrative start having pulled in over $2 million in less than a week from sales of his $200 Stem Player, through which he is exclusively rolling out his new album Donda 2.
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Last month, Ye released the first drop from his Yeezy Gap Engineered By Balenciaga collection, which includes $440 denim jackets, $240 hoodies and $180 sweatpants.
According to Greenburg, “annual income for this year’s top two is up more than tenfold from ten years ago.” JAY-Z topped 2011’s list with $37 million, followed by Diddy with $35 million.
After a $175 million gulf, former Hip Hop Cash King Diddy sits at No. 3 with earnings of $75 million.
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The Bad Boy Records boss continued to rake in a reported eight-figure salary from his deal with Diageo’s Cîroc, on top of lucrative partnerships with brands such as Pandora and Dolce & Gabbana.
JAY-Z, Kanye West and Diddy’s combined earnings amount to almost $800 million, while the entire top 10 pulled in over $1 billion, nearly double their pre-pandemic takings.
Outside of the top three, Drake‘s record-breaking album Certified Lover Boy pushed his 2021 earnings to $50 million, while Wiz Khalifa‘s successful ventures into the legal cannabis industry saw him pocket $45 million last year.
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Travis Scott ($38 million), DJ Khaled ($35 million), Eminem ($28 million), J. Cole ($27 million), Birdman ($25 million), Doja Cat ($25 million) and indie rap juggernaut Tech N9ne ($25 million) round out 2021’s Hip Hop Cash Kings list.
Check out the full list of highest-paid rappers of 2021 below.
10. Tech N9ne — $25 million
10. Doja Cat — $25 million
10. Birdman — $25 million
9. J. Cole — $27 million
8. Eminem — $28 million
7. DJ Khaled — $35 million
6. Travis Scott — $38 million
5. Wiz Khalifa — $35 million
4. Drake — $50 million
3. Diddy — $75 million
2. Kanye West — $250 million
1. JAY-Z — $470 million
