According to the most recent data, the world's highest earning hip-hop artists is Kanye West, who made an estimated 150 million U.S. dollars in the year leading to June 2019. Also in the ranking were Jay-Z with 81 million, Drake with 75 million, and Diddy with 70 million.
Hip-hop and rap music – additional information
Hip-hop and rap as a music genre and culture dates back to 1970s. Hip-hop started as movement in South Bronx in New York City, spreading among wider African American communities in the 1980s and finally gaining mainstream attention in the 2000s, with artists like OutKast and Kanye West.
Since its boom, the music genre maintains strong presence in its home country. It is estimated that almost 6.3 million people in the U.S. visited R&B/rap/hip-hop concerts within a period of six months in 2018, a figure that is expected to grow to 6.93 million by 2020.
The ranking was compiled by taking a snapshot of estimated wealth from stock prices and exchange rates, as well as exploring financial documents, assessing the value of major assets, consulting with analysts/managers/attorneys and industry insiders.
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Forbes. (September 19, 2019). World's highest earning hip-hop artists and rappers as of July 2019, by yearly income (in million U.S. dollars) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 19, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/223233/forbes-ranking-of-the-worlds-richest-hip-hop-artists/
Forbes. "World's highest earning hip-hop artists and rappers as of July 2019, by yearly income (in million U.S. dollars)." Chart. September 19, 2019. Statista. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/223233/forbes-ranking-of-the-worlds-richest-hip-hop-artists/
Forbes. (2019). World's highest earning hip-hop artists and rappers as of July 2019, by yearly income (in million U.S. dollars). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 19, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/223233/forbes-ranking-of-the-worlds-richest-hip-hop-artists/
Forbes. "World's Highest Earning Hip-hop Artists and Rappers as of July 2019, by Yearly Income (in Million U.S. Dollars)." Statista, Statista Inc., 19 Sep 2019, https://www.statista.com/statistics/223233/forbes-ranking-of-the-worlds-richest-hip-hop-artists/
Forbes, World's highest earning hip-hop artists and rappers as of July 2019, by yearly income (in million U.S. dollars) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/223233/forbes-ranking-of-the-worlds-richest-hip-hop-artists/ (last visited November 19, 2024)
World's highest earning hip-hop artists and rappers as of July 2019, by yearly income (in million U.S. dollars) [Graph], Forbes, September 19, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/223233/forbes-ranking-of-the-worlds-richest-hip-hop-artists/