Born out of Bronx block parties in the 1970s, hip-hop started from the bottom. Five decades later, it's on top of the world. The most popular music genre in the US since 2017, and number one across swathes of the globe, hip-hop now generates many billions of dollars a year and has minted a wave of centimillionaires, plus one outright billionaire.
Read on to discover the world's richest rappers today, based on personal wealth estimates by Celebrity Net Worth. All dollar amounts in US dollars.
A founding father of gangsta rap, Ice-T, aka Tracy Morrow, jolted the fledgling industry in the late 1980s when his debut Rhyme Pays became the first hip-hop album to carry an ‘Explicit Lyrics’ warning sticker, heralding rap's raw, unfiltered future. Landmark releases Power and O.G. Original Gangster followed, alongside the metal crossover project Body Count.
Beyond music, Ice-T has pulled off one of hip-hop's smartest pivots. A reality TV star and fixture on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since 2000, he's now the longest-running male actor in American TV series history, reportedly earning a tidy $250,000 (£187k) per episode.
Born Cameron Jibril Thomaz, Wiz Khalifa emerged from Pittsburgh's mixtape circuit in the mid-2000s, breaking through worldwide with 2010 smash Black and Yellow. Known for his laid-back delivery and hook-heavy anthems, he became one of rap's leading hitmakers of the 2010s.
Khalifa's fortune is rooted in music sales, touring, and blockbuster collaborations like See You Again. But he's also cleaned up from various business ventures and parlayed his social media clout into plum endorsement deals with everything from mass-market brands like Oreo to high-end fashion house Céline.
Nelly, real name Cornell Iral Haynes Jr, exploded out of St Louis in 2000 with Country Grammar, one of the bestselling rap albums ever, before delivering crossover perfection with Nellyville, and monster Y2K hits like Hot in Herre and Dilemma with Kelly Rowland.
Years of chart-busting records, touring, acting, fashion labels, and brand hookups have worked wonders on the rapper's net worth. But the real financial masterstroke came in 2023 when he sold 50% of his music catalogue to HarbourView Equity Partners for a reported $50 million (£37m).
Timothy Zachary Mosley, better known as Timbaland, revolutionised pop, R&B, and hip-hop in the late 1990s and 2000s with futuristic, syncopated beats, off-kilter percussion, and unmistakable vocal ad-libs. His stuttering signature sound powered era-defining hits for Missy Elliott, Aaliyah, Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado, OneRepublic, Jay-Z, and Beyoncé, effectively ruling the noughties.
Timbaland's fortune is driven by the publishing and songwriting income from these hits, alongside revenues from his Beat Club label and ventures such as the hugely popular Verzuz music battle web series.
Hip-hop's collaboration king, DJ Khaled, aka Khaled Mohamed Khaled, rose from Miami radio DJ in the late 1990s to become one of the genre's most reliable hit architects. Less rapper than talent curator, he's turned all-star line-ups into chart fixtures with anthems like All I Do Is Win and I'm the One.
That knack for creating hit hook-ups paid off handsomely in 2022 when Khaled sold a stake in his catalogue to Influence Media Partners for a reported nine-figure sum. He's also cashed in from top-paying endorsements with Weight Watchers, T-Mobile, Apple, and other major brands.
A core pillar of Beastie Boys, Ad-Rock, aka Adam Horovitz, helped propel the trio from New York’s underground in the mid-1980s to global superstardom. Their 1986 debut Licensed to Ill made history as the first rap album to top the Billboard 200, with the band peaking commercially and culturally through the late 1980s and 1990s.
Ad-Rock's wealth is the result of decades of catalogue royalties, publishing, and touring, reinforced by film, TV, and documentary projects.
Drummer and vocalist Mike D, aka Michael Diamond, was the Beastie Boys' rhythmic anchor.
Since the group called it a day in 2012 following the death of MCA, aka Adam Yauch, Mike D has kept busy with production work and stewarding the band's legacy. Like his former bandmate, his centimillionaire status is anchored in the Beastie Boys' evergreen catalogue, publishing income, and the perennial value of one of hip-hop's most enduring brands.
Emerging from the Memphis rap scene in the late 1990s, Yo Gotti, real name Mario Mims, is now among hip-hop's biggest movers and shakers. Confirmed by Forbes, his $100 million (£75m) net worth comes courtesy of multiple revenue streams. As founder and CEO of Collective Music Group (CMG), he's the man behind one of hip-hop's most powerful labels.
Sitting atop a veritable empire, Gotti has also raked it in from touring, publishing, restaurants, and a minority stake in MLS side DC United. Super-ambitious, the rap luminary's goal is generational wealth and he's already amassed a formidable fortune to pass down to his heirs.
Pitbull, aka Armando Christian Pérez, turned Miami party rap into a global sensation. Blowing up in the mid-2000s, he killed it in the 2010s with chart-crushing crossover collaborations like On the Floor and Timber, becoming one of pop's biggest hit machines. Needless to say, his coffers have been overflowing.
Ample royalties, relentless touring, brand deals with Bud Light, Kodak, and Dr Pepper, his own vodka line, SiriusXM radio channel, and sports investments have made Mr Worldwide very rich indeed.
Known to his legions of Gen Z fans as KSI, Olajide Olatunji has carved out a credible rap career, scoring UK number-one albums and singles chart hits. With a fortune of $100 million (£75m), he's now Britain's richest hip-hop artist and one of only two non-Americans in this round-up. But music isn't where most of his money comes from.
The bulk flows from YouTube, boxing events, brand deals, and his hugely profitable stake in Prime, the viral energy drink he founded with Logan Paul. Incidentally, the wealthiest UK rapper primarily from music is Stormzy, who is worth $25 million (£19m).
Reggaeton's global pioneer, Daddy Yankee blasted the genre worldwide in 2004 with Gasolina, playing an instrumental role in turning Latin street music into mainstream chart gold. In 2023, he sold his entire music catalogue to Concord for over $217 million (£163m) in one of the biggest deals of its kind.
That headline figure doesn't translate directly to personal wealth after taxes, but decades of hit records, touring, and publishing still leave the Puerto Rican-born trailblazer comfortably rocking centimillionaire status.
One of only two female rappers in this round-up, Cardi B's big break came on reality show Love & Hip Hop: New York, where the rapper's sharp wit and no-filter personality made her a standout. It also set the scene for a stellar hip-hop career.
Released in 2017, her debut track Bodak Yellow stormed to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and went multi-platinum worldwide. She's since put out a string of hit singles and two top-selling albums and now ranks as the most followed rapper on Instagram and X, underscoring her immense popularity.
Born James Todd Smith, LL Cool J ('Ladies Love Cool James') helped take hip-hop mainstream in the mid-1980s with his debut album Radio and hit singles like I Need Love and Mama Said Knock You Out. He's gone on to enjoy a stunning four-decade music career, not to mention a dazzling second act on screen.
The rap veteran has starred in NCIS: Los Angeles for 14 seasons, reportedly earning around $350,000 (£263k) per episode. He's also hosted shows like Lip Sync Battle and has even taken the reins at the Grammys.
Busting out of Los Angeles in the early 2010s, Kendrick Lamar Duckworth broke through with good kid, m.A.A.d city before redefining modern rap with To Pimp a Butterfly and the Pulitzer-winning DAMN. He's now the second-most-streamed rapper on Spotify, behind his arch-nemesis Drake.
Multiple Grammys, blockbuster tours, and bountiful catalogue royalties underpin his fortune, crowned by a legend-making slot headlining the Super Bowl LIX halftime show, which sealed Lamar's place as one of hip-hop's most revered and influential figures.
Bronx-bred super-producer Swizz Beatz, real name Kasseem Daoud Dean, transformed late-1990s and 2000s rap with explosive, minimalist beats, breaking through as a teenager with DMX's Ruff Ryders’ Anthem before racking up credits for Jay-Z, Eve, Beyoncé, and Kanye West.
Beatz's reported $150 million (£112m) net worth is combined with that of his wife Alicia Keys, and reflects a split mix of production royalties, publishing, solo releases, brand partnerships, art collecting, and property investments.
A low-profile kingmaker, Ronald ‘Slim’ Williams co-founded Cash Money Records in 1991 with his younger brother Birdman and quietly built one of hip-hop's most prosperous empires.
Slim's masterstroke was Cash Money's famously bulletproof 1998 Universal distribution deal, dubbed the greatest hip-hop deal of all time, which allowed the label to retain ownership of its masters, cementing his fortune, and then some.
With Slim handling the business behind the scenes, Bryan Christopher Williams, aka Birdman, became the public face of Cash Money. Unlike his older brother, the rapper scored hits both as a solo artist and part of the duo Big Tymers. But it's the label that has provided the really big bucks.
Secured courtesy of that gold-plated 1998 deal, long-term royalties and publishing from Cash Money's enviable catalogue, especially Lil Wayne and later Drake and Nicki Minaj, have funnelled vast sums of money his way.
Born William Leonard Roberts II, Rick Ross surged out of Florida in the mid-2000s with Port of Miami and swiftly entered rap's upper echelon, piling up number-one albums across the late 2000s and 2010s with his gravel-voiced paeans to excess, power, and ambition. But putting out music is only part of the story.
Living up to his 'Biggest Boss' nickname, Ross is the founder of Maybach Music Group, the enormously successful label that has launched major names like Meek Mill and Wale. Add in non-stop touring, Wingstop restaurant franchises, and heavyweight property investments, and Ross has fashioned a sprawling empire that keeps his fortune firmly in centimillionaire territory.
The richest female rapper on the planet, Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty, aka Nicki Minaj, skyrocketed from New York mixtape buzz in the late 2000s to global superstardom with Pink Friday and a decade-plus run of chart-smashing singles, features, and pop crossovers. Her rapid-fire flow and theatrical personas rewrote the commercial ceiling for women in rap.
Minaj's wealth stems from mammoth music sales, touring, publishing, and high-value brand deals, including fashion, beauty, and fragrance lines. Indicative of her massive reach, she was the most-followed rapper on Instagram with 230 million followers until she abruptly left the platform in October.
Discovered by Dr. Dre in the early 1990s, Snoop Dogg, who was born Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr, became the laid-back face of West Coast rap with Doggystyle and has never left the limelight.
While music formed the foundation, his wealth today is powered by extensive diversification, from film and TV work, including a cooking show with Martha Stewart, to endorsement deals, brand partnerships, business ventures, and ownership of the Death Row Records name. Few rappers have monetised longevity as smoothly or as profitably.
Straight outta Compton in the late 1980s as N.W.A.'s chief lyricist, Ice Cube helped define West Coast gangsta rap before going solo with groundbreaking albums like AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted and The Predator.
Cube made his acting debut in 1991's Boyz n the Hood and has since become a major Hollywood player, starring in hit franchises like Friday, Barbershop, and 21 Jump Street, while amassing prestige writing and directing credits. On top of pulling off one of hip-hop's most successful pivots from mic to movie set, the rap veteran has a clothing line, numerous endorsement deals, and even his own basketball league.
A child prodigy first spotted by Birdman and signed to Cash Money at just 12, Lil Wayne is now considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. His Tha Carter series set the tone for mainstream hip-hop in the 2000s, while his prolific mixtape run upended the genre's release culture.
Wayne's fortune was supercharged in 2020 when he sold his Young Money masters to Universal Music Group, reportedly for more than $100 million (£75m). As founder of Young Money, he also launched Drake and Nicki Minaj, locking in a legacy that's been as lucrative as it's been impactful.
East Coast titan Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, aka Nas, set a new bar for realism and wordplay with his 1994 debut Illmatic. He followed it with commercial heavyweights like It Was Written and Stillmatic, anchoring his place among the GOATs of the genre.
Beyond music, Nas has emerged as one of hip-hop's savviest investors. Through QueensBridge Venture Partners, he made shrewd early bets on companies including Dropbox, Coinbase, Lyft, and Ring, generating bumper returns that have dwarfed his music earnings.
One of the OG hip-hop moguls, Master P, real name Percy Miller, first made his mark in the mid-1990s as the founder of No Limit Records, building a Southern rap juggernaut that lit up the charts with releases like Ice Cream Man, Ghetto D, and MP Da Last Don. But music was only the launchpad to a sprawling empire and $200 million (£150m) fortune.
The rapper wisely retained ownership, flooded the market with product, and reinvested aggressively, leveraging No Limit's success into film, fashion, property, food brands, and sports ventures.
A hitmaker with the Midas touch, Pharrell put himself on the map in the late 1990s and 2000s as half of The Neptunes, whose innovative beats became chart staples, while the duo’s side-project band N.E.R.D. built a cult catalogue.
Solo success came early with hits like 2003's Frontin’, but it wasn't until the 2010s that Pharrell truly went global, fuelled by blockbuster collaborations such as Get Lucky and Blurred Lines, followed by his international smash Happy. Beyond music, the rapper's fortune has been supercharged by fashion ventures including Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Footwear, and his landmark appointment in 2023 as menswear creative director at Louis Vuitton.
Seizing the spotlight in the late 1990s and early 2000s with The Slim Shady LP and Marshall Mathers LP, titled after his real name, Eminem rewrote the rules of rap and conquered global charts with singles like My Name Is and Stan.
The 2002 movie 8 Mile and its Oscar-winning anthem Lose Yourself sealed his crossover supremacy, and the Detroit-raised megastar has gone on to release hit after hit. Now the bestselling rapper of all time, he's shifted a breathtaking 224 million albums, more than Kanye West and Jay-Z combined. He's also enjoyed major success with Shady Records, famously launching 50 Cent's career.
Once hip-hop's most audacious innovator, Kanye West went from early-2000s super-producer to global icon with albums like The College Dropout and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Fashion moguldom followed, and his Yeezy-Adidas partnership briefly made him a billionaire.
Since 2022, the rapper's repeated antisemitic outbursts have effectively cancelled him and torched major deals, slashing his fortune. West, however, still claims he’s worth $2.7 billion (£2bn). Like convicted criminal Diddy, who is omitted from this round-up, his fall from grace has cost him dear.
The leading hip-hop artist of the streaming era, Aubrey Drake Graham, aka Drake, is the second best-selling rapper of all time after Eminem, and Spotify's most-played hip-hop artist, with 28 billion streams annually.
Since breaking through with 2009 mixtape So Far Gone, the Canadian colossus has delivered a succession of chart-toppers that blend rap, R&B, and pop, turning constant relevance into constant revenue. Royalties, touring, endorsements, and a wow-factor long-term Universal Music deal have made Drake one of the biggest earners in modern music, never mind hip-hop.
The patriarch of West Coast hip-hop, Dr. Dre, real name Andre Romelle Young, has gone from shaping the sound in the 1980s with N.W.A. and The Chronic to presiding over a gargantuan diversified business empire. As a producer and label boss, he introduced the world to artists including Snoop Dogg and Eminem and worked his magic on some of the genre's most seminal tracks.
A genius pivot to consumer electronics in the 2000s with his Beats by Dre brand netted him a staggering payday in 2014 when Apple bought it for $3 billion (£2.3bn). In 2022, Dre capped his cultural legacy by headlining the Super Bowl halftime show. The following year, he scored another whopping payday after selling a stake in his music catalogue for over $200 million (£150m).
Raised in poverty in the Brooklyn projects, Shawn Carter has turned street-level hustle into hip-hop's most successful business empire. Boasting more Grammys than any other rapper, Jay-Z is widely regarded as the genre's GOAT. Plus, alongside his wife Beyoncé, he sits at the centre of one of the most powerful partnerships in global entertainment.
With a diversified portfolio that has spanned Rocawear, Roc Nation, Tidal, and several luxury drinks brands, the hip-hop great became the genre's first billionaire in 2019. Since then, he's more than doubled his fortune after selling stakes in his Armand de Brignac champagne and D'Ussé cognac to LVMH and Bacardi.
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