Hip hop ker-ching! Dr Dre's S$790M makes him king over 24 top earners - combined
With US$620 million (S$787 million) in estimated pre-tax earnings, veteran rapper and record producer Dr. Dre topped Forbes list as the highest paid hip hop artiste.
He also ousted Sean "Diddy" Combs from top spot.
Forbes said Dre's estimated annual earnings for the 12 months between June 2013 and 2014 are the highest of any musician in any genre it has ever evaluated.
The cash king is in another league, eclipsing the combined takings of the other 24 names on the hip-hop list released on Tuesday.
Much of the 49-year-old's big bucks this year were thanks to the US$3 billion sale of the Beats high-end headphone company he founded to Apple. Other financial ventures included cognac and vodka brands.
Combs, 44, tied for second place with Jay-Z, 44, with US$60 million, with earnings from drinks, clothing and television deals.
Jay-Z, who toured with wife Beyonce for the first time via their On the Run concerts, pulled in money from lucrative performances, his latest album and his Roc Nation entertainment empire.
The various ventures assured him a place in the top five.
Photos: AFP, Instagram
Drake, 27, came in fourth. The US$33 million included takings from his album Nothing Was the Same, an endorsement deal with sportswear firm Nike and a concert tour.
Grammy-winning duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis rounded out the top five with US$32 million.
Forbes compiled the list by looking at income from record sales, publishing, merchandise sales, tours and endorsement deals and talking to managers, agents, lawyers and some of the artists. The earnings were calculated based on data from Pollstar, RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and Nielsen SoundScan.
Here's the top 15 on the 2014 Hip Hop Cash Kings list:
- Dr Dre - US$620 million
- Jay Z - US$60 million
- Diddy - US$60 million
- Drake - US$33 million
- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - US$32 million
- Kanye West - US$30 million
- Birdman - US$24 million
- Lil Wayne - US$23 million
- Pharrell Williams - US$22 million
- Eminem - US$18 million
- Nicki Minaj - US$14 million
- Wiz Khalifa - US$13 million
- Pitbull - US$12 million
- Snoop Dogg - US$10 million
- Kendrick Lamar - US$9 million
Sources: Reuters, Forbes
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now