Once Again Diddy Is Named Hip-Hop's Richest Person. Here's The Top 5.
1) Diddy $580 Million
2) Jay-Z $475 Million
3) Dr Dre $350 Million
4) Birdman $150 Million
5) 50 Cent $125 Million
The No. 2 spot goes to Shawn “Jay-Z”
Carter, with a net worth of $475 million. He’s still rolling in cash
from megadeals like his $204 million Rocawear sale in 2007 and his $150
million pact with Live Nation the following year. He continues to hold
stakes in Roc Nation, Carol’s Daughter, the Brooklyn Nets—and, more
significantly, the Barclays Center
itself—while adding new partnerships with the likes of
Duracell, Budweiser and Bacardi’s D’ussé Cognac. (For more on his rise
as a businessman, check out “Empire State of Mind: How Jay-Z Went From Street Corner To Corner Office”).
Andre “Dr. Dre” Young ranks third with $350 million, thanks mostly to
his Beats by Dr. Dre headphones. A year after selling 51% of the
company to handset maker HTC for $300 million in August 2011, Dre and
his partners bought back half of the half they sold in 2012—and their
investment continues to soar in value due to Beats’ whopping 65% market
share of the premium ($99 and up) headphone market.
Bryan “Birdman” Williams owns the No. 4 spot, riding his Cash
Money/Young Money empire to a fortune of $150 million. His roster
includes Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne (the latter crossed the $100
million threshold for the first time this year, by our estimates, but
remains just outside the top five). Birdman also recently launched a
YMCMB clothing line and a spirit called GT Vodka.
“We have to build different brands,” he told FORBES last month. “That’s what it’s all about.”
Rounding out the list is Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson at $125 million.
He’s another master of brand building: The bulk of his fortune came from
heavy sales of his music, merchandise, video games and books in the
wake of his smash debut Get Rich or Die Tryin’—and particularly from his payout for the sale of his stake in VitaminWater parent Glacéau to Coca-Cola in 2007.
Now he’s trying to replicate that feat with companies like SMS Audio, his answer to Dr. Dre’s Beats, and SK Energy, which has its sights set on category leader 5-Hour Energy.
When informed that his net worth would be estimated at a little over
$100 million this year, 50 Cent said simply, “That’s cool.” After being
asked to elaborate, though, he changed his tune slightly.
“Oh, you want me to tell you an exact number?” he said with a grin. “I’ve got way more.”
If his new ventures continue to grow, 50 Cent’s number on this list should begin to reflect that belief as soon as next year.
As for Diddy, he may need to stick to Benjamins after all. According to a recent tally, there were only 165,372 $1,000 bills still in use—not even enough to cover one-third of Diddy’s fortune.
For more on the business of music, check out my Jay-Z biography Empire State of Mind and my upcoming book on Michael Jackson. You can also follow me on Twitter.
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