Jay-Z, Diddy And Kanye West Top Forbes 'Hip-Hop's Top Earners List'

A lot of rappers talk money but who's really living the millionaire lifestyle?

Forbes Magazine compiled their annual Hip-Hop Cash Kings List and ranked this year's top earners in rap music. Forbes' Cash Kings editor, Zack Greenburg, tells Vibe about the experience and surprise of putting this year's list together:

"Putting together this list is always the highlight of the year. To me, the biggest surprise was that the top three guys on the list -- Jay-Z, Diddy and Kanye -- didn't really tour much over the past year and still out-earned everybody. Jay and Kanye should make even more next year with the Watch The Throne tour, but you can never count out Puff. Birdman and Lil Wayne also made a strong showing (tied for No. 4), especially considering Wayne spent part of our scoring period in jail. Next up: Wiz Khalifa. Don't let the weed buzz fool you -- this guy is super-dedicated, tours more than anybody, and stands to keep raking in lots of cash."

Check out who came in on top below:

1.  Jay- Z $37 Million

2.  Diddy $35 Million

3.  Kanye West $16 Million

4.  Lil’ Wayne $15 Million

5.  Bryan “Birdman” Williams $15 Million

6.  Eminem $14 Million

7.  Dr. Dre $14 Million

8.  Snoop Dogg $14 Million

9.  Akon $13 Million

10.  Ludacris $12 Million

11.  Wiz Khalifa $11 Million

12.  Drake $11 Million

13.  Pharrell Williams $10 Million

14.  Timbaland $7 Million

15.  Swizz Beatz $6.5 Million

16.  Nicki Minaj $6.5 Million

17.  Rick Ross $6 Million

18.  50 Cent  $6 Million

19.  Pitbull $6 Million

20.  T- Pain $5 Million / B.O.B. $5 Million

 

Note: Zack Greenburg is also the author of the Jay-Z business book, Empire State of Mind, check the link: http://jayzbook.com