Hip-hop entrepreneur Sean “P. Diddy” Combs performs at Caesars Entertainment “Escape to Total Rewards” kick-off at Gotham Hall on Thursday, March 1, 2012 in New York. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)
LOS ANGELES – Rapper P Diddy has been named the world’s highest-paid hip-hop star, according to Forbes’ Hip-Hop Cash Kings list.
Diddy, whose real name is Sean Combs, is said to have earned $60 million (about M831 million) over the past year, according to the list released on Tuesday, reports aceshowbiz.com. Although he rarely performs these days, Combs is best known for his albums including 2001 record The Saga Continues and 2010’s Last Train To Paris – and he’s currently working on new music.
His earnings largely come from his ventures outside the studio, including his TV network Revolt, his clothing line Sean John, alkaline water brand Aquahydrate and Ciroc vodka. The Last Night rapper is also readying for a new album.
Trailing close behind Diddy is Jay-Z with $56 million earned from his sold-out On the Run tour with his wife and singer Beyoncé Knowles, as well as business ventures like his entertainment company Roc Nation and Armand de Brignac champagne.
Drake has taken the third spot after earning $39 million from his 50 shows with a nightly average gross of nearly 1 million. Nicki Minaj was the only woman to break into the Top 10, taking the ninth spot with earnings of $21m
While Dr Dre, last year’s No.1 with earnings of $620 million, the highest annual takings of any musician ever thanks to Apple’s record-breaking $3 billion purchase of his Beats brand, is down to fourth with an annual income of $32 million. However, it is thought that takings from his critically-acclaimed Compton album and the NWA biopic, Straight Outta Compton, will likely make a bigger contribution to next year’s list, with the film taking $157.5 million at the US box office.
Forbes calculated its list using pre-tax income figures from factors such as record sales, touring, streaming and endorsements using data from Nielsen SoundScan, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and interviews with managers, lawyers and in some cases, the artists themselves. Top 10 List of Forbes’ Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Acts 2015:
1.P. Diddy – $60 million
2.Jay-Z – $56 million
3.Drake – $39 million
4.Dr. Dre – $33 million
5.Pharrell Williams – $32 million
6.Eminem – $31 million
7.Kanye West – $22 million
8.Wiz Khalifa – $21.5 million
9.Nicki Minaj – $21 million
10.Birdman – $18 million – Reuters.
