Forbes highest paid rappers of 2019

Just one week after crowning Jay-Z the first rapper to reach billionaire status, Forbes has followed up with its list of the highest paid rappers in 2019 who could be the next to join Hov at the top.

Naturally, Jay clocked in at number one with an estimated net worth of $1 billion as previously reported. Dr Dre trailed behind the Roc Nation founder in the number sport worth an estimated of $800 million.

The Beats founder declared himself a billionaire in 2014 after Apple paid him a cool $3 billion for his headphone line. But, Forbes has maintained that the media mogul is a few hundred million short of the designation. The publication also reported that the rapper-turned-entrepreneur did some heavy spending in recent years that had an impact on his net worth.

Diddy, a consistent presence on these annual lists, came in at third place. Forbes credited his alcohol brand Ciroc as the main driver behind much of his estimated $740 million fortune.

Despite his reported $53 million debt, Kanye West slid in at number four with an estimated net worth of $240 million. His highly lucrative deal with Adidas helped push him ahead of Drake, who rounded out the top five in the bottom spot with a net-worth of $150 million. For comparison, he was only worth $47 million in 2018.

Although he’s a long way from being hip-hop’s next billionaire any time soon, some key money moves have paid off in a major way for Drake. Forbes reports that his personal fortune grew by 50 per cent in the last year alone thanks to recent investments deals, a Las Vegas residency, and the launch of his Virginia Black whiskey line. It’s not a bad position to be in considering the OVO label head is the youngest on the list by 10 years.

Check out the full list here.