It's that time of the year again where Forbes counts the biggest cash cows in the Hip-Hop industry. The magazine's 20 artist list has familiar faces from last year, but in different rankings this go round. Sean "P Diddy" Combs lands in the number 1 spot, raking in $50 million for the year. Jay Z and Dr. Dre followed respectively, as both artists brought in cash in the $40 million range.
Surprisingly, Hip-Hop newcomer Kendrick Lamar landed in at number 14, making $9 million. His debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city , was released in 2012. The Compton rapper's popularity has been growing at a fast pace, as his "Control" verse recently caused a ruckus with Hip-Hop fans across the world. We should expect him to place even higher by next year's list.
Kanye West and Lil Wayne fall in the top 10, while Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's independent success story lands them in the top 15. The duo behind the popular 2012 album The Heist, made a total of $9 million.
Full list:
1. P. Diddy ($50M)
2. Jay Z ($43M)
3. Dr. Dre ($40M)
4. Nicki Minaj ($29M)
5. Birdman ($21M)
6. Kanye West ($20M)
7. Lil Wayne ($16M)
8. Wiz Khalifa ($14M)
9. Ludacris ($12M)
10. Pitbull ($11M)
11. Drake ($10.5M)
12. Snoop Dogg ($10M)
12. Eminem ($10M)
14. Kendrick Lamar ($9M)
14. Pharrell ($9M)
14. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ($9M)
17. Swizz Beatz ($8.5M)
18. Tech N9ne ($7.5M)
19. 50 Cent ($7M)
20. Lil Jon ($6M)
20. Rick Ross ($6M)
20. Mac Miller ($6M)
20. Jeezy ($6M)
20. Questlove ($6M)
Source: Forbes
