Rap Stars With The Biggest Paychecks
They’re not just artists, they’re impresarios. Hip hop’s highest earners own record labels, restaurants and million dollar clothing lines. And when they’re not topping the charts, they’re hawking everything from booze to books. Here’s a look.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
50 Cent
50 Cent? Try $150 million. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson is a hip hop conglomerate. He’s sold more than 20 million albums as an artist and his record label, G-Unit Records, has sold an additional 8.9 million albums by other artists. Jackson also boasts a sneaker line that, according to Forbes, has sold more than 4 million pairs. Lately everything this former drug dealer touches turns to gold:
- Jackson made $100 million after taxes when the Coca Cola company bought his stake in VitaminWater’s parent company, Glacéau.
- G-Unit Clothing, 50 Cent’s apparel line, rake in $75 million in sales last year.
- His video game, “Bulletproof,” has sold 1.3 million copies.
- Ringtones of “Candy Shop” and “Just A Lil Bit” have been downloaded 3.14 million times.
- “Get Rich or Die Tryin,’” the film based on the rapper’s life story, took in $46 million at box offices worldwide.
Jay-Z
Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter pulled in a paltry $82 million last year, making him the second-highest earning hip hop star of the year. Jay-Z signed a $150 million, 10-year recording, touring and merchandising deal with concert promoter Live Nation last year. He’s also a part owner of the New Jersey Nets and co-owns the upscale sports bar, the 40/40 club, which started in New York and has since expanded to Atlantic City. Plans are in the works to open 40/40 Clubs in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Singapore. Jay-Z also works as a co-brand director for Budweiser Select, collaborating with the company on strategic marketing programs and creative ad development.
P. Diddy
Sean “Diddy” Combs, one of rap’s first “hip-hopreneurs,” earned $35 million last year. Diddy presides over a media empire that includes the Bad Boy Records, the clothing lines Sean John and Sean by Sean Combs, a movie production company, and two restaurants. He has taken the roles of recording executive, performer, producer of MTV’s “Making the Band,” writer, arranger, clothing designer, and Broadway actor. His catalog of hits, both as a producer and a rapper, includes collaborations with the likes of Jay-Z and the Notorious B.I.G., as well as rap anthems such as “Mo Money Mo Problems” and “Been Around the World.”
Kanye West
“Graduation,” the famous college dropout’s best-selling album last year, outsold 50 Cent’s “Curtis” by almost two to one after West issued a public challenge to this year’s top earning hip hop artist. West earned $30 million last year when his album went multiplatinum and won four Grammys. In addition to his solo career, West has written hits for Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Diddy, among others. But West isn’t confining himself to music. He plans to open 10 Fatburger restaurants in and around his native Chicago within the next year. And expect to see West’s Pastelle Clothing line in stores next year.
Timbaland
Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley has churned out hundreds of hits as a producer for hip-hop’s biggest stars, including Jay-Z’s “Big Pimpin’ ” and Ludacris’ “Roll Out.” Timbaland has also produced pop songs for Björk and Madonna. His second solo album, Shock Value, went platinum after its release in 2007. Forbes says the artist earned $22 million last year.
Pharrell Williams
Pharrell made his name writing hits for rappers and pop artists as part of the production team, the Neptunes. He gained worldwide recognition in 2001 when he produced the Britney Spears single, “I’m a Slave 4 U.” He also fronts the funk-rock band N*E*R*D. Williams designs sunglasses for Louis Vuitton and owns apparel lines Ice Cream and Billionaire Boys Club. Named him Esquire magazine’s best dressed man in 2005, Pharrell earned $20 million last year. And word has it that the artist will replace Jerry Seinfeld as spokesman for Microsoft in a series of commercials in which he’s teamed with Eva Longoria.
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Dean got his start as a producer at age 16, penning the “Ruff Ryders’ Anthem” for DMX. Since then, he has produced more than 90 gold and platinum songs including Busta Rhymes’ “Tear Da Roof Off,” Jay-Z’s “Jigga My N*gg*” and Drag-On’s “Down Bottom. The founder of the label Full Surface Records earned $17 million last year after releasing his debut solo album, One Man Band Man. Dean supplements his income by appearing in ads for the Gap. He also owns a stake in the toy company Kidrobot.
Snoop Dogg
Introduced to the world through Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus quickly became the most famous star in rap. Since then, the former poster child of West Coast gangster rap, has morphed into a wholesome paterfamilias in his reality-TV show, “Snoop Dogg’s Father Hood,.” Snoop, who earned $16 million last year, has endorsed everything from chewing gum to malt liquor and has his own clothing and shoe lines.
Dr. Dre
Andre “Dr. Dre” Young earned $15 million last year in royalties; though he hasn’t had a hit in years. Considered one of hip-hop’s greatest producers, Dr. Dre pioneered gangsta hip-hop and his own variation of the sound, dubbed G-Funk. Dre has produced albums for and overseen the careers of some of the biggest stars in rap music, including Snoop Dogg, Eminem, 50 Cent, The Game, and Busta Rhymes. With over 80 million records sold, he is widely regarded as one of the most popular and powerful figures in rap music of all time. His final solo studio album, “Detox,” is set to be released this year after many delays.
Ludacris
Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges went from local Atlanta sensation to household name after Def Jam signed him n 2000. All five of the artist’s solo albums have gone platinum. Ludacris also co-owns Straits Atlanta with Chef Chris Yeo, which opened earlier this year. He’s currently appearing with rocker Tommy Lee in “Battleground Earth” on Planet Green.
This entry was posted on Friday, October 10th, 2008 at 4:23 am and is filed under Just For Fun. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
