With $900m net worth, Jay-Z dethrones Diddy as richest hip hop artiste

In the immortal words of Shawn Corey Carter, known professionally as Jay-Z, “people respect success, they respect big. They don’t even have to like your music. If you’re big enough, people are drawn to you”.

According to Forbes, the rapper is now the wealthiest hip hop artiste alive.

Here are the top five.

Jay-Z

The rap veteran comes in at number one for the first time since Forbes started counting in 2011.

With a humongous net worth of $900 million, the Brooklyn-born rap mogul’s jump to the top is largely due to the rising value of his interests in Armand de Brignac champagne and D’Ussé cognac, his ownership stakes in his Roc Nation empire and Tidal streaming service.

Diddy

Sean Combs is no stranger to this circle as he is known to be a regular in the Forbes top five list.

He comes in at number two with a net worth of $825 million despite increasing his fortune slightly in the past 12 months.

Dr. Dre

Andre Romelle Young takes the third position with a net worth of $770 million.

The American rapper and record producer’s rise is thanks to the market trends boosting his nine-figure windfall from Apple’s $3 billion buyout of Beats in 2014.

According to Forbes, Dr. Dre is also in line to receive a slug of Apple stock this summer worth well over $100 million; depending on the tech giant’s share price at the time. He could leapfrog Diddy and Jay-Z when that happens.

Drake and Eminem 

Aubrey Drake Graham (Drake) ties for the fourth position with Marshall Bruce Mathers (Eminem).

They both hold a net worth of $100 each.

Drake’s wealth is boosted by his equity stake in Virginia Black whiskey and real estate in Canada and California.

Eminem is not an active businessman like his colleagues in the music business, but he remains the best-selling rapper of all time. His debut on the list is aided by new album ‘Revival’.