Jay-Z can now shrug off the disappointment of not getting a Grammy in spite of being nominated 8 times as he as becomes for the first time the wealthiest hip-hop on the Forbes list since started counting back in 2011
Jigga, 48, knocked of Diddy from the top spot. Jay-Z upped his net worth from $810 million to $900 million over the past year. The Brooklyn-born mogul’s jump is due mostly to the rising value of his interests in Armand de Brignac champagne and D’Ussé cognac, on top of nine-figure ownership stakes in his Roc Nation empire and Tidal streaming service.
“We always complain about, ‘We don’t own this, we don’t own that.’ … Here he is, this man who owns that,” superproducer Swizz Beatz told me in an interview for my book 3 Kings: Diddy, Dr. Dre, Jay-Z and Hip-Hop’s Multibillion-Dollar Rise. “The sky is not the limit: it’s just a view.”
No. 2: Diddy, 48, is still doing just fine with a net worth of $825 million. He, too, has major investments in liquor. His DeLéon Tequila label, a partnership with beverage behemoth Diageo was a bright spot over the last year. He also has a stake in Ciroc vodka.
Jay-Z and Diddy
No. 3: Dr. Dre, the oldest man on the list at 53, is the bronze medalist with an estimated net worth of $770 million, thanks in large part to Apple’s purchase of his Beats headphone line. But the magazine says that the N.W.A. alumnus could very well be the top earner next year once he gets his next round of Apple stock, depending on the share price at the time.
No. 4: It’s a tie between Drake and Eminem, with each said to be worth $100 million. It’s the first appearance on the list for the 45-year-old Eminem, who is back on the road after delivering Revival, his first new album in four years. Drake, who at 31 is the youngest man on the list, also relied on ticket sales. And not to be left out, he also has an equity interest in a liquor company, Virginia Black whiskey. Drake has earned more than $250 million since 2010, before taxes and spending.
Drake and Eminem
Jay-Z, Diddy and Dre are not only the wealthiest hip-hop acts on the planet but the richest American musicians of any genre.
Jay-Z and his wife, Beyoncé bought a bigger house for $26 million for an East Hampton mansion and scooped up an $88 million Bel Air estate after the arrival of their twins – Sir and Rumi.
