Diddy tops Jay Z on new Forbes list of richest rappers

LOS ANGELES | Rapper Sean “P. Diddy” Combs led Forbes’ list of the world’s highest paid stars in hip hop music on Tuesday, edging out Jay Z and Drake for the top spot. The bulk of Diddy’s earnings come from Ciroc vodka, but he’s had a hand in several other ventures, including TV network Revolt, clothing line Sean John and alkaline water brand Aquahydrate.

Jay Z put on a series of sold-out arena shows with his wife Beyonce and has earned money through assets such as Armand de Brignac, a champagne that he bought previous year. Rounding out the Top Five at $32 million is Pharrell Williams, whose diverse 2015 has included music production, tours, coaching on The Voice and work with clothing lines Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream.

Dr. Dre came in fourth with $33 million from his vast production catalogue and his new album and movie Compton. His earnings also come from endorsements with companies including Nike and Sprite.

“Harlem native Combs, 45, made an estimated US$60 million between June 2014 and June 2015 according to Forbes” calculations.

“That’s pretty much my objective every year”, Drake once said of making the FORBES list.

Diddy is in the process of readying his sixth studio album, “No Way Out II”, which will be the followup to his 2010 album “Last Train to Paris”. The new rap royalty raked in a comparatively small sum of $12 million past year, coming in at number 13 on the list. The singer bagged most of this wealth from his tours and his endorsements for sports and beverage brands. He was in the number four rank a year ago and aims to be one of the richest “other than making good music”.

Wiz Khalifa takes the No. 8 spot with $21.5 million, fueled by his Furious 7 duet “See You Again” and incessant touring, plus accompanying sales of his weed-themed merch. “It’s part of my personality”, he told FORBES.

Nicki Minaj is the only woman to make it on the Top 10 list at no. 9.