Beats Sale Puts Dr. Dre Atop “Forbes'” Hip-Hop Cash Kings List
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Chelsea Lauren/Getty Images for BET(NEW YORK) — Dr. Dre dominates Forbes‘ 2014 Hip-Hop Cash Kings list, which looks at the earnings of hip-hop stars over the past twelve months.
Forbes estimates that Dre raked in $620 million from June 2013 to June 2014, thanks to the sale of the company he co-founded, Beats Electronics, to Apple earlier this year. Dre’s estimated income is more than the combined total of the other 24 rappers on the list.
Coming in a distant second place, Jay Z and Diddy are tied with $60 million each. For Jay Z, his earnings mark his highest since 2010 and include his money from his Roc Nation empire, touring revenue, D’Ussé cognac and sales of his album Magna Carta…Holy Grail.
Diddy’s deal with the Ciroc vodka brand continues to be his most lucrative business arrangement but he also had income from ventures like DeLeon tequila, Blue Flame marketing, his Sean John clothing brand and his REVOLT TV network.
Elsewhere, Drake enters the top five with $33 million, which includes earnings from his latest album, Nothing Was the Same, as well as from a nationwide arena tour and endorsement deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand. His estimated income on this year’s list is triple his numbers in Forbes’ 2013 estimate.
The list is based on touring, record sales, publishing, merchandise sales, endorsements and other ventures. Earnings are calculated from June 2013 to June 2014 and based on data from Pollstar, the Recording Industry Association of America and Nielsen SoundScan, and from interviews with managers, lawyers, music executives and artists themselves.
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