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Kanye West, Drake, Diddy, Beyoncé and Jay-Z Crack Forbes’ 2019 Top 10 Highest-Earning Musicians

Rihanna narrowly missed the cut.

As the year draws to a close, Forbes has unveiled which artists were music’s biggest money-makers across every genre, and a number of hip-hop’s elite cracked the publication’s top 10.

  • mpressively, the top 10 alone reportedly earned just over $1 billion in comparison to last year’s $866 million, according to HYPEBEAST. Pop darling Taylor Swift earned a reported $185 million thanks to a new record deal, lucrative endorsements and coins still rolling in from her most recent tour.

    Kanye West holds the crown for hip-hop’s top earner in No. 2 with reported earnings of $150 million, a majority of which was rooted in a surge in sales for his Yeezy sneakers. Keep in mind, Ye’s exclusive partnership with Adidas is on track to top $1.5 billion in sales this year as well, according to a previous report from Forbes

  • Further down the list behind Ed Sheeran, The Eagles, and Elton John, Jay-Z and Beyoncé clocked in at sixth place with a reported $81 million each. Drake, the newest and youngest entrant in contention for the throne as hip-hop’s next billionaire, came in eight place with a reported $75 million. This is a long way from his spot on Forbes’ end-of-year round-up from last year where he came in at 22nd. The jump comes after Forbes reported that the OVO honcho’s personal fortune grew by 50 percent in the last year alone thanks to recent investments deals, a Las Vegas residency, and the launch of his Virginia Black whiskey line.

  • Super mogul Diddy moved one spot up to No. 9 from last year’s No. 10 with a reported earning of $70 million, followed closely by Rihanna at No. 11 with $62 million in earnings. In spite of her musical hiatus, the Barbadian multi-hyphenate has been steadily expanding her fashion and beauty FENTY empire that has continued to break down doors and barriers since its inception.

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  • Other celebs to make the list include Travis Scott (No. 12, $58 million), Bruno Mars and Eminem (No. 18, $51 million), The Weeknd and DJ Khaled (No. 29, $40 million), and Kendrick Lamar (No. 34). The Migos capped off the list at No. 40 with $36 million. 

     

    Read the rest of the list in full here.

     

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