Page 88 - Forbes Magazine-September 30, 2018

LeaderBoard

Nas averaged over $320,000 per
tour stop, playing 46 shows during
our 12-month scoring period.

ENTERTAINMENT

THE TOP-EARNING RAPPERS
1. JAY-Z | $76.5 MIL
MONTHS-LONG TOURS and endorsement deals with companies such as Sprite and Hennessy enabled 2. DIDDY | $64 MIL
the highest-earning hip-hop artists on our annual list to bring in an average $44 million over the past 3. KENDRICK LAMAR | $58 MIL BY ZACK O’MALLEY GREENBURG. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NATALIE ROBEHMED.
year. Some of them also have acquired lucrative equity stakes, including Nas, 45, who makes the list for 4. DRAKE | $47 MIL
the first time a quarter-century after releasing his debut album. A few years back, Nas kindled a friend- 5. J. COLE | $35.5 MIL
ship with venture capitalist Ben Horowitz at a dinner party and has since snagged stakes in Silicon Valley 6. DR. DRE | $35 MIL
darlings (Lyft, Coinbase) and online media (Genius, Mass Appeal). His interest in these startups is only
6. NAS | $35 MIL
natural, he says. “[Hip-hop artists] are always advancing technology—from one turntable to two turn-
8. PITBULL | $32 MIL FRANCO VOGT FOR FORBES
tables and a fader.” He has already enjoyed some exits, including the reported $1.1 billion sale of doorbell
9. FUTURE | $30 MIL
startup Ring to Amazon in February. “There wasn’t a time when [rappers] didn’t think about investing.
10. KANYE WEST | $27.5 MIL
It just so happens that the world is opening up.” For more, go to forbes.com/hip-hop.
28 | FORBES SEPTEMBER 30, 2018