Jay-Z raps $63 million a year, says Forbes
Jay-Z is on top of the list of richest rappers in 2010. The 'Empire State of Mind' rapper earned twice as much as Sean 'Diddy' Combs who was second on the list.
Between June 2009 and June 2010, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter took in $63 million in personal income according to Forbes.com. Diddy earned $30 million, ahead of Senegalese-American rapper Aliuane "Akon" Thiam with $21 million.New Orleans-born rapper Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter is fourth with an earning of $20 million, followed by California rap icon Andre "Dr. Dre" Youngwho took in $17 million.
Forbes' Zack O'Malley Greenburg said the real money isn't from record sales.
Almost all stars on the list had diversified. The top-earning rappers pulled in cash from alcohol sponsorships, clothing lines, nightclub properties and film appearances, in addition to concert tours and record sales. "Eminem tied at number 14, even though he's sold more records than any artist since 2000," Greenburg said. Eminem earned just $8 million this year even though his album "Recovery" sold 741,000 copies in the first week of sales. "It's pretty shocking to see him so low down on the list," said Greenburg. "Compared to his peers, he doesn't really do much outside of music."