The numbers are in, and Kanye West has taken the crown from Jay-Z in becoming the No. 1 highest-paid hip-hop artist in 2019. The list includes the top 20 biggest earners in hip-hop, and it’s not all about live performances as many of the top-earners ranked high due to sponsorship deals.
With West’s shoe line, Yeezy, touting $1.5 billion in sales this year, he will be bringing home $150 million in 2019. For the first time, West topped the list, making more money than Jay-Z, who came in second with $81 million thanks to his “On The Run II” tour with Beyoncé .
Drake took the No. 3 spot on the list, coming in at $75 million. According to Forbes, Drake is the most-streamed artist of any genre.
Diddy ranked fourth on the list, which really comes as no surprise. The rapper recently received the Phoenix Award from Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for his musical efforts and contributions to the city.
Riding the wave of his “Astroworld – Wish You Were Here Tour,” Travis Scott took the No. 5 spot, followed by DJ Khaled who came in seventh due to new partnerships with Air Jordan and Luc Belaire.
Atlanta-native Donald Glover, also known as Childish Gambino, made the list for the first time with $35 million, coming in at the No. 10 spot.
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj were the only female rappers to make the list. Minaj came in at No. 12 earning $29 million, and Cardi was at No. 13 with $28 million.
The logic behind the list is pretax income figures from June 2018 to June 2019. All of the artists on the list made a combined income of $860 million, which is up 33% from 2018.
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