Dr. Dre comes in at No. 2 with $800 million. was originally labeled hip-hop’s first billionaire at few years back but Forbes didn’t officially give him that title after Apple’s $3 billion purchase in 2014 of his Beats By Dr. Dre headphones. He had 20%-25% of the company at the time and $295 million was earmarked to cover debt payments. Nonetheless, Dre is still a legend in the game dating back to his NWA and Deathrow Records days. He’s gone on to sign superstars to his Aftermath label which includes Eminem and Kendrick Lamar. Even though he’s not at a billi, $800 mill is a very good place to be in life.
Of course, Jay Z takes the top spot at $1 billion. Many factors play into Jay’s success such as his music catologue, D’USSE liquor and Armand de Brignac liquors, investing in Uber, owning his TIDAL streaming service, art collection, real estate, and his legendary Roc Nation label. As a music artist, he’s easily in the conversation of the top five best of all-time.
It was definitely surprising to not see Birdman on here. He discovered Cash Money Records and has made millions by signing artists such as Drake, Lil Wayne, and Nicki Minaj.
