Jay-Z and Kanye West Were The Highest Paid Hip-Hop Artists of 2021
By Yashira C.
March 2, 2022
Jay-Z and Kanye West were the highest earners of hip-hop in 2021, according to a list compiled by former longtime Forbes editor Zack O’Malley Greenberg on Tuesday (Mar. 2.)
Jay-Z topped the list with $470 million, bringing his net worth to $1.5 billion. This follows him selling portions of his Tidal streaming service and Armand de Brignac champagne. Fellow billionaire Kanye was second with $250 million for the year, almost entirely from his Yeezy footwear empire.
The list is filled with other expected rappers like Diddy and Drake - however, there were some surprises. Rapper Tech N9ne is No. 10 due to a previously unreported digital-only eight-figure catalog deal. Wiz Khalifa cashed in on cannabis with a variety of products, including his Khalifa Kush (and also sold off a piece of his publishing in April). Meanwhile, Eminem and Cash Money Records cofounder Birdman obtained passive wealth, making large amounts of money from their past work.
Hip-Hop accounts for 27.7% of U.S. music consumption - more than any other genre, according to MRC Data.
“Hip-hop has, and always will, set trends,” says Kim Kaupe, founder of the creative agency Bright Ideas Only. “Brands realize they can no longer sit on the sidelines and test what ‘might’ work. They need to be in the mix testing partnerships and trends before they have the data to back it up.”
Doja Cat stands as the only female artist on the list, racking up major branding deals with Pepsi and CandyCrush last year.
See the list of the highest earners below.
- Jay-Z ($470 million)
- Kanye West ($250 million)
- Diddy ($75 million)
- Drake ($50 million)
- Wiz Khalifa ($45 million)
- Travis Scott ($38 million)
- DJ Khaled ($35 million)
- Eminem ($28 million)
- J. Cole ($27 million)
- Birdman ($25 million, tie)
- Doja Cat ($25 million, tie)
- Tech N9ne ($25 million, tie)