Sales: $185K Touring: $0. Im drivin Caddy, you fixin a Ford, Joseph Simmons boasted on Run-DMCs 1984 breakthrough Rock Box. While DMC was the majestic voice and the late DJ Jam Master Jay the heartbeat of the epochal 80s rap trio, Run was the undisputed star. Christopher The Notorious B.I.G. Wallace is the ultimate rap phenomenon. Last years rank: Publishing: $1.3M 1 live touring revenue generator for 2020, that amounts to $17 million in take-home pay, which puts Dion at the top of the concert earnings ranking and accounted for over 98% of her overall 2020 income. Diddy or Puff Daddy: Sean Combs, once the world's richest rapper, has an incredible net worth of $820 million, according to Forbes. Eagles $16.3 million5. The classic psych-rockers ranked even higher in the sales royalties category No. Sales royalties, digital and physical, were also up 39%, from $42 million to $59 million; a trend that continues so far this year. Streaming: $3.9M 1 on the Billboard 200 and finished 2020 as the No. Run the Jewels, "Walking in the Snow". The Staten Island lyricist draws from a Technicolor palette of inimitable slang, colorful character profiles, luxurious wares and slippery flows to craft vibrant, imaginative stories. Streaming: $5.1M 1 spot on the list and because of the pandemic had little influence over the ranking in general. The group notched three No. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Before Melle Mels game-changing run with Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, rap was still constrained by its yes, yes yall! park jam origins. Shot and killed in a highway Tripple Beanz. Last years rank: Despite putting up strong streaming numbers in 2019, Lil Baby did not make the cut last year because touring royalties played such an outsize role (as they usually do) in determining the top 40. 10. Sales: $394.9K These are the . Additionally, the OVO Sound leader earned $635,000 in sales. Touring: $0. 3 title on the year-end Billboard 200 albums chart. In 2020, Forbes reported that the English singer-songwriter received $64 million from his singing activities. Touring: $8.8M. The majority of Sheeren's earnings this year were from touring. While his ascension from producer to artist has been remarkable, Wests quest as a fashion and business mogul, especially with his Yeezy empire, makes him one of the genres most impactful pioneers. 1s: In da Club and 21 Questions with Nate Dogg. 5 on Billboards 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time. Last years rank: Other key performance drivers for the beerbongs & bentleys artist include his No. Thats a distinguished and also contentious honor when it comes to ranking who or what is the ultimate best, whether youre talking films, TV shows, restaurants or any other subject. Her fans fascination with her music videos helped her rack up nearly 671 million video streams putting her at No. Touring: $17M. Touring: $0. Bars about investing and saving money? Sales: $800K 1 single, HUMBLE, the album won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, the first non-jazz or classical work to do so. He was featured on Eminems Those Kinda Nights, which peaked at No. 1. The band ranked third in physical sales selling 671,000 copies of its albums, 78% of which were vinyl reissues that are priced higher than CDs and thus pay higher royalties. And no conversation about that can be had without mentioning The Neptunes, Clipse and the latter duos enduring breakout star Pusha T. After reaching legendary status in the 00s alongside older brother Gene aka No Malice, Pusha later began grinding out a solo career, signing with G.O.O.D. The top ten earners of 2021 banked more than $1 billion, nearly double their pre-pandemic 2019 haul. He showcased his genuine connection to fans by rapping over a YouTube producers J. Three 2020 releases Map of the Soul: 7, Map of the Soul: 7 The Journey and Be helped BTS sell almost 1.5 million CDs. For the first time in the history of Money Makers, concert revenue did not determine the No. Building a reputation for delivering gritty tales in a laid-back style, accented by deep-toned, rumbling vocals and a signature dark sense of humor, Biggie went on to score 16 Hot 100 hits including two No. 38 Eve - $10 Million. Streaming: $2.2M It would be the first of twelve chart-topping albums for Wayne, including his iconic Tha Carter series, boasting a plethora of platinum plaques in the process. YoungBoy Never Broke Again breaks into Money Makers for the first time, due almost entirely to the prodigious number of streams his music generated. Publishing: $2.4K Check the list below: 1. On Public Enemys 1987 Rebel Without a Pause, the seminal groups mighty orator backed by raps archetypal hype man in Flavor Flav made it clear that hip-hop would never be the same. 1 with $23.8 million, Post Malone moves up to No. Sales: $2.1M 4 in physical album sales after moving 517,000 copies of their recordings. He is one of the highest-paid rappers and his net worth is around $100 million. Their lyrical skirmish ended in tragedy when Pac was shot and killed in a Las Vegas shooting in 96, rocking the entire music world. Publishing: $1.7M 1 single Wait for U with Drake and Tems, he now boasts eight No. Tm top bi ht v album ca Self-Paid Fabo, bao gm Trapstar, Trust Nobody, v.v. The combined royalties from those streams add up to just shy of $10 million, which makes him the fourth top-earner in that category. Sales: $1.5M Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. The Stones, who were 2019's top Money Maker with $65 million in take-home pay 92% of it from touring placed in the bottom 25% of this ranking without playing a single show in 2020 and . Rounding out the top 10 is Lil Baby with $11.7 million. 6 with $14.2 million with most of his revenue coming from streaming ($11.7 million) and publishing ($1.9 million). On Chronic, his 1992 triple-platinum-certified gangsta rapopus, Dre also exhibits an effortless delivery on the mic, with a commanding voice thats one of the genres most recognizable. A serial entrepreneur and activist, Snoop Dogg brought his career full-circle by purchasing his alma mater Death Row in 2022. Trump Didn't Sing All The Words To The National Anthem At National Championship Game. To the Moral Majority, the Godfather of gangsta rap who set the table for West Coast MCs ranging from N.W.A and Snoop Dogg to The Game and the late Nipsey Hussle was a walking Parental Advisory sticker. And though he generated almost 3 billion more streams than Taylor Swift, he takes second place in streaming royalties because Swift owns her masters and is paid more per stream. Other rappers gracing the list include Eminem at No. While her 2.37 billion in combined streams is the main reason she made the cut, she also ranked at No. Last years rank: But with his peerless technical skills, larger-than-life personality and turn-of-the-century run of classic albums, Slim Shady has rightfully earned his spot in the upper echelon of GOAT rappers lists. All Rights Reserved. Touring accounted for the $9.6 million more he made then, but the hip-hop artists April 2020 virtual Fortnite concert, Astronomical, which drew 12.3 million concurrent players, boosted his streams by as much as 160% from the day the show was announced (April 20), thanks, in part, to the post-show release of a new single with Kid Cudi, The Scotts. The day after the event, digital downloads of his catalog blew up 1,488% from 2,000 to 34,000. Sales: $215K Publishing: $3.2M 35 ($5.82 million). 1 at the end of that year and kept on selling and streaming through 2020, as well as delivering two 2020 Hot 100 hits, Watermelon Sugar, which topped the chart in August, and Adore You, which hit No. The Weeknd $10.4 million12. 5 3 (although its deluxe status means that it wont be counted as a separate entry on Billboards charts.) KRS-One evolved from being The Blastmaster to The Teacha a testament to his own lyrical and personal development. In 1987, MC Lyte bumrushed her way into hip-hops boys club with a throat-grabbing voice and dynamic lyricism that seemed well beyond her 16 years. Raphael Pour-Hashemi, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Featuring Lamars first solo No. Quizzes; Events; Quiz Creation; Community; Videos; Private Events; Remove Ads . Like other hip-hop artists, he lags in sales royalties, taking home $161,000. Although the group hasnt put out a studio album since 2016s Hardwired To Self-Destruct, the August 2020 release of the live set S&M2 and digitally remastered versions of its 10-album catalog helped boost it to No. With 15 Grammy awards, 10 No. His award-winning 2002 biographical film 8 Mile even depicted the Detroit-bred MCs real-life struggle to be accepted as a white rapper in hip-hop, a genre created and dominated by Black people. 3 on the Billboard 200. 1 as a guest on Rae SremmurdsBlack Beatles.. We're always a bit suspicious of Forbes highest-paid musician lists, as there seem to be some shenanigans involved with their accounting. By genre, rock artists landed the most spots, 13, down one from last year; pop acts accounted for nine entries, down from 14; country, three spots, down from eight; and Latin, two berths, up one from 2019. Last years rank: Last years rank: No. 17 The highest-paid hip-hop artists of 2021 have been revealed and JAY-Z and Kanye West once again top the list. / 07.19.2021. He has definitely earned his place as one of the world's highest-paid rappers, with annual earnings of $21 million in 2020. More than any rock bands fan base, the KISS Army is very late to the streaming party: Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and company generated just 217 million combined streams. 9 with $11.9 million. Ghost continued the winning streak well into the 21st century, firstwith his 2000 sophomore opus Supreme Clientele and on through 2006s brilliant Fishscale and 2013s comic book on wax, Twelve Reasons to Die. Last years rank: No. 6 All Rights Reserved. Publishing: $967K In addition to topping the overall ranking, Swifts ownership position also vaulted her to No. Publishing: $1.6M Publishing: $1.3M Touring: $4.2M. Six months after the death of Tupac Shakur, Biggie was murdered in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles in 1997. Lindsey Buckingham. While 2020 proved to be a huge setback for most artists' revenue, a new Billboard article says a number of rappers are among the highest-paid musicians of the year. From there, the teams took into account the following criteria, not in any particular order: body of work/achievements (charted singles/albums, gold/platinum certifications), cultural impact/influence (how the artists work fostered the genres evolution), longevity (years at the mic), lyrics (storytelling skills) and flow (vocal prowess). 1 album since 1982. Hip Hop's highest earners of 2021 have been announced, and it appears the global COVID-19 pandemic . The Beatles $12.9 million9. Busta Rhymes scene-stealing feature on A Tribe Called Quests 1992 single Scenario introduced a Brooklyn MC that took over the late 90s and early 00s with his animated voice and exuberant rhymes. Snoop Doggy Dogg. Touring: $0. Once a tag-along member in Digital Underground, Pacs larger-than-life demeanor became too big to shelter. Cole Type Beat on procrastination (broke). He also went platinum with all five of his 2010s albums the last three (2014 Forest Hills Drive, 4 Your Eyez Only and KOD) with no features, of course. One of hip-hops pioneering polymaths, T.I. Read through our list of the highest-paid musicians to see just how rich the most successful performers can be! Paul McCartney ($535 million) No Beatles, no problem: McCartney continued an epic solo run, selling out stadiums and even getting his first No. Publishing: $759K (Billboard counts her siblings share as part of the artists revenue base.) The Wu-Tang Clan member possesses it all: unmistakable voice, impenetrable flow, witty rhymes, dark sense of humor, charm and good looks that also translated into Hollywood success. Despite laying low (for Ed Sheeran), he remained a staple of web radio, ranking at No. Fat Booty) to the inner-spiritual fight for Black liberation (UMI Says). Despite the COVID-19 pandemic curtailing chances for any artists to tour in 2020, several big-name rappers still made money through streaming and other means last year. Bring the crowd and Im loud in living color/ It is Weezy Fkin Baby, got these rappers in my stomach, Lil Wayne opens his 2005 deep cut, Best Rapper Alive, foreshadowing the years to come. Net worth: $820 million. Streaming: $3.7M But, also like Strait, Sheltons box-office appeal earned him his berth on Money Makers. Streaming: $3.9M talladega high school basketball. Last years rank: Luke Combs $9.2 million17. Sales: $970K The forum calculated she made $13.6 million from flowing and $1 million at the crate office, with an aggregate revenue tallied to be $32.8 million. 2 after placing No. Queen $13.2 million8. Signaling a major renaissance in West Coast and gangsta rap, his critically acclaimed sophomore project reeled off several commercial hits: Swimming Pool (Drank), Backseat Freestyle, and Bitch, Dont Kill My Vibe. Next came 2015s jazz-influenced To Pimp a Butterfly, his first Billboard 200 No. It took a minute, but Common (then Common Sense) finally garnered national praise after launching one of the most celebrated three-album runs in rap history: 1994sResurrection, 1997sOne Day Itll All Make Sense and 2000sLike Water for Chocolate. Song Quiz. Last years rank: So it took a lot of deliberation and deep discussion to reason our way to what we believe is a well-thought-out, authentic list that reflects hip-hops foundational pioneers, evolutionary trailblazers and contemporary mainstays. He also squeezed in seven live shows in early 2020, which amounted to a $91,500 paycheck for those performances. Em also certifiably spits a mile a minute, breaking Guinness World Records like fastest rap in a hit single with Godzilla, where he rapped 225 words in a 30-second segment. As a wellspring of talent, Virginia has had an outsized influence on popular music. Cheryl James is an American songwriter and rapper who is best known for being a member of the rap trio Salt-H-Pepa which also includes Sandra Denton and Spinderella. NBA YoungBoy $11.9 million10. The Dre-produced set further solidified the West Coasts status as a major player in the rap game and featured such enduring hits as Gin and Juice and Who Am I? Name a subject covered by your favorite rapper, and Scarface probably addressed it first. Rhymes about experiencing a mental health crisis? San Franciscos Bay Area has always been a key birthplace for unique hip-hop talent, from MC Hammer and Tupac Shakur to Too $hort. Following Taylor Swift, who ranks No. Billboard Quiz. The albums smash single, The Box, spent 11 consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100, and Ricchs feature on DaBabys No. Last Played. The single spent seven nonconsecutive weeks at No. Lil Uzi Vert. During raps golden age, I Need a Beat opened the door to the b-boy style, with unmatched energy and aggressive lyricism that became a genre hallmark. Some of her biggest hits include "California Gurls," "Roar," "Firework," "I Kissed a Girl," "Teenage Dream," and "Wide Awake.". Last years rank: No. After signing with Dr. Dres Interscope imprint Aftermath Entertainment a year later, Lamar hit the ground running with second studio album good kid, m.A.A.d City becoming an instant creative and cultural force. Last years rank: Streaming: $7.6M By Devin. Running down the road for five decades, the Eagles played 10 shows in 2020 that grossed $33 million and netted $11.4 million in income. They also placed No .7 in publishing royalties ($2.4 million) because the original members wrote all of their songs. Touring: $0. In 2015, she earned $154 million and was named Forbes' highest-earning . Sales: $1.8M Streaming: $6.4M source: instagram. 1 on the Billboard 200. Publishing: $436.3K Other acts in the top 30 include Lil Uzi Vert (No. Around that time, Wayne joined The Hot Boys with fellow rappers Juvenile, B.G., and Turk and they topped Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in 1999 with Guerilla Warfare. Down to earth and humble, Cole possesses a passion that pulsates throughout his raps and beats. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Drake $14.2 million7. 7. Sandra Denton. Ross has notched 58 Billboard Hot 100 entries spanning three decades, but his legacy doesnt end there: His Maybach Music Group laid the tarmac for Meek Mill and Wale to take off and become titans in the 2010s. Styles 2019 album, Fine Line, peaked at No. From there, Pusha became a fashion icon and served as president of Wests label, while continuing to release well-received solo albums full of vivid descriptions of his drug hustling and emotional struggles. He took home over $3.9 million from 12 shows that grossed $11.5 million in ticket sales, ranking at No. As a result, Metallica placed at No. Whether hes crooning his aches and pains on timeless gems (Marvins Room and Jaded) or slashing down hapless MCs (5 AM in Toronto and Omerta), Drakes virtuosic skillset has made him one of the most gifted (and most accomplished artists to ever touch down in music. 7 in that revenue category. Between his Geto Boys tenure in the late 80s and his illustrious solo career stretching through the 2010s, Scarface laid bare the pitfalls of street life by presenting a stoic, pragmatic approach to hustling that differed from the flashy images glamorized by other artists. Sales: $4.3M Now a rap elder statesman, Bun keeps a keen eye on next-gen talent, offering key co-signs to such contemporary stars as Drake and Kodak Black. Lil Kims raunchy, vicious rhymes turned hip-hop upside down. Touring: $0. The genre with the biggest gains is R&B/hip-hop, which is represented by 12 artists this year, up from three in 2019. 1 debut of Get Rich or Die Tryin in 2003. Tour revenue, after the managers cut, equals 34% of an acts Boxscore. This was nothing new for New Jerseys own Dana Owens: With her essential 1989 debut album All Hail the Queen, she not only delivered the classic Monie Love-featured Black feminist anthem Ladies First, she also got the party started (Come Into My House) and took out wack MCs (Wrath of My Madness). A report from Billboard has revealed the highest-paid musicians and artists of 2020, and many of Hip-Hop's favorites are topping the list.. Amid a year with very little touring due to the pandemic, some of the biggest names in the music industry still managed to come out on top of Billboard's 2020 Money Makers list bringing in millions and millions of dollars. 1 in February 2020, a year in which he also landed five songs in the top 10 of the Hot 100, including his duet with Ariana Grande, Stuck With U, which debuted at No.1. Before Power-ing up his TV empire, 50 Cent continued to top the charts with follow-ups like The Massacre and Curtis, while also making stars of his G-Unit label roster mates, including Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and The Game. (Whats My Name? Ed Sheeran - $200 Million. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2ad8190c8c380f Before rap became a cultural and commercial powerhouse, Kurtis Blow provided early proof of the genres future capabilities. Shawn Carter leads the rap pack with a career-best total of $470 million. Jay Z the best rapper . A 10% managers fee was deducted from artist and publishing recorded-music royalty pools. Billboards Top New Artist of 2020 released his debut album, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial in December 2019, when it debuted at No. Drizzy is at No. #1 of 29. The highest-earning musicians, also published as the "highest-paid musicians", have been reported annually by Forbes since at least 1987. They made the cut because the band owns about half of its catalog the rest belongs to the late Allen B. Kleins label, ABKCO Music & Records and collects 60% of its streaming royalties and 40% of the royalties it receives for physical sales. Hip-hop artists remain music's top money makers. after his scene-stealing verse on their 1991 hit Same Song. Pacs duality as a solo artist was remarkable: One minute, he was endearing, scripting empathetic classics like Dear Mama and Keep Your Head Up; the other, he was explosive, lacing up his war boots, ready to ride on his enemies (Hit Em Up and Hail Mary). Touring: $4.3M. Sales: $1.8M Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. After a return-to-form with 2009sThe Ecstatic, the reinvigorated MC-turned-actor (Brown Sugar, Dexter) changed his name to Bey in 2011. Known for his versatility, Ed Sheeren's cross-genre success has brought him to the top. In 2020, Elliott ranked No. In addition, that mix also encompasses 50 years of cultural milestones for a genre initially dismissed as a passing fad and now recognized as the industrys market-share leader. The Disturbing Tha Peace label co-founders industry acclaim finally caught up to his mainstream appeal when he took home the Grammys for best rap album and best rap song Grammys in 2007, thanks to the introspective Release Therapy and its Pharrell-featuring smash lead single Money Maker., Gucci Mane went from teenage drug dealer to Atlanta rap deity in the 200s, with sedated raps and a Hollywood story Spike Lee couldnt script. The band also remains strong in physical album sales: It sold 412,000 copies last year, 272,000 of them on vinyl. Streaming royalty rates applied were 22% for new hit artists; 33% for superstar artists, 46% for heritage artists and 74% for artists that own their master recordings. The embattled rapper finished at No. The multi-talented artist may write, rap, produce, act and more but his wealth comes mainly from his clothing line and stakes in companies like Croc Vodka, Revolt TV and Aquahydrate. . Streaming: $431K 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time. Lyrics Quiz. Despite his gaudy wins, the mercurial MC had his fair share of battles, most notably with Brooklyn titan The Notorious B.I.G, which turned into heartbreaker for both coasts. And he did all of it as one of the Souths first real rap stars, showcasing lyrical complexity and emotional depth in a region that was once wholly dismissed while also making classic cuts with legends from both coasts, like Jay-Z, Nas and 2Pac. Those concerts grossed $12.6 million, which yielded $4.3 million in take-home pay, and earned them the No. As the No. They did even better internationally and topped the 2020 Global Money Makers ranking. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Ludacris became Atlantas first crossover superstar of the 2000s, dominating theairwaves and the clubs with an arsenal of Dirty South anthems at his disposal, coupled with his uniquely charismatic twang. Jay-Z came in second with 81 million, Drake came in third with 75 million, and Diddy came in third with 70 million. BILLIE EILISH. Despite breaking several Billboard records in 2019, when the group also made its albums available to digital platforms, fans seem to be adapting slowly to streaming: Tool logged just 604 million combined streams for the year. Publishing: $1.5M Sales: $635K Billboard, on the other hand, is all about the statistics. He struck special chemistry with Wu compatriot Raekwon when the two adopted prominent roles on each others classic 90s debuts, Ironman and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, respectively. 5 in digital track sales (close to 1 million). Whether its her work on Fugees blockbuster 1996 album The Score or her game-changing 1998 debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she has influenced a host of hip-hop artists over the decades. And that was only the tip of the iceberg: After releasing 2022s I Never Liked You, featuring current Grammy nominee and No. The former honors student dropped out of school at 14 to focus on his music career, five years after entering the mentorship of Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman. Despite teasing a July release for a new album named after his mother, Donda, West dropped just one song in 2020, Nah Nah Nah, which was tied to his unsuccessful presidential run, and a remix that featured DaBaby and 2 Chainz. 9 with $11.9 million. 8 BTS $8.9 million20. Those releases helped Slim Shady reach No. Publishing royalties were estimated using the statutory mechanical rates for album and track sales. Few lyricists possess the dexterity to pull off a brilliant allegory about the history of hip-hop on I Used to Love H.E.R. while also firing off a savage takedown of a fearsome Ice Cube on The Bch In Yoo, and then later becoming a Grammy-nominated hitmaker on The Light. And in 2017, Common became the first rapper to get the first 3/4 of the way to an EGOT by winning an Emmy (Letter to the Free, from 13th), Grammy (Love of My Life with Erykah Badu) and Oscar (Glory with John Legend, from Selma). 2 on the Billboard 200, and her biggest hit of the year was Lifes a Mess with Juice WRLD, which hit No. Last years rank: Here are the highest-paid musicians and their estimated net worth, according to Forbes as of 2020: Kanye West - $241M Kanye Omari West is a rapper with a variety of musical genres and .