Who Are Going to Be The Richest Rappers in the World in 2024?
Paying close attention to wealth and status, often termed 'pocket-watching,' is a fundamental aspect of Hip-Hop culture and its history. This competitive spirit has seen M.C.s flaunting lavish jewelry, sporting elite fashion labels, driving high-end vehicles, and residing in luxurious homes as a show of superiority over their counterparts (See Mannie Fresh's "Real Big" for a classic masterclass on the subject ). Yet, the impact of this cultural phenomenon goes far beyond mere displays of affluence. Over the last three decades, Hip Hop has skyrocketed in popularity, becoming a significant influence in realms ranging from fashion to design. This surge has not only shaped cultural trends but has also led to remarkable financial gains for many of the genre's leading artists.
Ever so entrepreneurial, those big homes have evolved into lucrative real-estate portfolios, clothing sponsorships have transformed into black-owned billion-dollar fashion brands, and jewelry is being traded in for franchises and plain jane investment timepieces. (mostly). The new mission is to build generational wealth with a little flexing on the side.
So, who's the current richest rapper in Hip Hop? Ever changing, especially amid Kanye West's recent drop in net worth because of a string of controversies, the list of rap's biggest moguls is a complex one.
Let's take a look at how these super-rich artists made it big. It's not just about talent; you've got to have a sharp mind for investments and a knack for spotting cool business opportunities if you want to land on the list of America's wealthiest. So, who are these top-earning rappers, you ask? Starting from number eleven and working our way to the very top, here's the scoop on the world's richest rappers, according to sources like WealthyGorilla, Rolling Stone, and Forbes.com, and the savvy moves they made to build their fortunes.
Check out the richest rappers in the world for 2024.
13. Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg's Net worth: $150 Million
We all love "Uncle Snoop," with the Long Beach native being one of hip-hop's most recognizable faces globally. This constant visibility should be an indication of the rapper's wealth. Snoop has appeared in movies, music videos, T.V., on tracks on prominent songs, and is still dropping compelling music. Snoop Dogg has acquired a lot of impressive investments through his venture capitalist firm, Casa Verde. Some of these assets include tech start-ups like Klarna, Reddit, and Robinhood. Amid all of this, Snoop has sold over twenty-three million albums in the United States and thirty-five million albums worldwide.
12. Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne's Net Worth: $160 Million
The radio silence on Lil Wayne's front over the past few years, as Tha Carter V experienced delays and the rapper clashed with his Young Money colleague Birdman, meant many had assumed that Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. had lost his riches. But fear not! While his net worth of $150 million might not fully reflect the cash that sits in his bank account (Carter has admitted that himself), he's still going strong as one of the richest rappers in the game thanks to a series of lucrative live shows and clever business moves. Late in 2018, Wayne took full control of the Young Money brand, so when that deal kicks in his value is set to soar in the coming years.
But what kind of things could Wayne do with that serious wad of dough? Well, if he was game to visit space, he could fund one of Elon Musk's Falcon Heavy shuttle launches and shoot off into the stars. Or, if he wanted to stay a little closer to earth, he could bring his favourite underdog football team into the major leagues!
11. Ice Cube
Ice Cube's Net Worth: $160 Million
If you want to make it big in the rap world, diversification is key; O’Shea ‘Ice Cube’ Jackson knows all about that. Having made his first round of cash as a founding member of N.W.A., Cube avoided fading into the backdrop as the new millennium arrived – not by continuing to release music, but by planting some seeds that would grow tall in the years that followed. He still releases records every so often, but the bulk of Cube’s cash comes from his movie ventures; he’s produced and starred in the xXx series, box office smash comedies and, of course, the N.W.A. biopic Straight Outta Compton, earning him a cool $160 million.
10. Ronald ‘Slim’ Williams
Ronald 'Slim' Williams' Net Worth: $170 Million
Sometimes, opting to take the backseat instead of flaunting your wealth can earn you a wild amount of money. In the case of Ronald ‘Slim’ Williams, it was his role as the co-founder of Cash Money Records alongside his vocal younger brother, Birdman, that earned him his fortune. Since he carries an obligatory executive producer credit on every Cash Money record, he’s been raking in a serious amount of cash on every Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Young Thug song that smashes the charts. With his elusive nature and fat wallet, it’s no surprise he’s known as ‘The Godfather’ of the label.
And if you’re wondering exactly what $170 million can buy you in this day and age, get this: there’s a 15,000 sq ft condo on Manhattan’s West 42nd Street up for sale, that includes 10 bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, a Lamborghini, courtside seats for the Brooklyn Nets and, for some mad-hatter reason, a trip to space in its price tag. Coming in at $85 million, Ronald ‘Slim’ Williams could buy two of these bad boys.
9. Drake
Drake's Net Worth: 180 million
This one is controversial. As I believe Champagne Papi has much, much more money than this. Bro signed a Universal Music Group deal allegedly worth $400 million dollars. But I digress. In addition to all those record-breaking albums that topped the charts and sold out on international headlining tours, the Canadian entertainer profited from investing in real estate properties, launching Virginia Black whiskey, and securing a residency at X.S. Nightclub in Las Vegas.
The October's Very Own label is also still in business, and the clothing stores are fully functioning all year round.
8. Pharrell Williams
Pharrell William's Net Worth: 200 million
You might know Pharrell for being "Happy." The culture knows Skateboard P for producing some of Hip Hop's most melodic, grimiest, and essential hits. Outside of hip-hop, I bet your favorite pop star has at least one song with P's signature sounds. To give you an example of Pharrell's rich history, back in 2003 that Pharrell produced 43% of the Radio— an unprecedented event in today's industry. Aside from dominating the realms of music, Pharrell Williams has his media venture, i am OTHER, his fashion label Billionaire Boys Club, the beauty brand HUMANRACE, a new agency in the works dubbed Mighty Dream, and impressive string on partnerships including one with the Hyper-luxury watchmaker Richard Mille.
7. Master P
Master P's Net Worth: $200 Million
Before Jay and Diddy decided that becoming businessmen as well as musicians seemed like a good idea, Master P (or P. Miller as he’s known in the boardroom) was setting the blueprint for the rap entrepreneurs to come. Having started No Limit Records back in the 1990s, his musical portfolio has developed into a dozen’s strong collection of rap talents that’s primarily managed by his son Romeo. Nowadays though, he’s earning his fortune by investing in just about anything: a portfolio of properties, film and TV shows, fast food outlets and sex toys. It’s racked him up a fair wad of cash: a quarter of a billion dollars, to be exact. And yet, he still finds the time to manage Gucci Mane.
But did you know that Master P could buy the Playboy Mansion, most recently valued at $200 million and still have some pocket change? With what he has left over, he could scrape together the coins to buy 490 brand-new Porsche 911 Cabriolets. All that’s left is finding a garage big enough to fit them in.
6. Eminem
Eminem's Net Worth: $230 Million
Eminem’s influence in certain hip-hop circles is unparalleled, and his records – even in the streaming era – continue to pull massive numbers. Last year, his surprise record Kamikaze dropped out of nowhere, soared to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and went platinum in the process – but musical success alone can’t earn someone over $200 million in this day and age. Instead, it’s some smartly placed investments in places like StockX and the online music encyclopedia Genius that are set to see Marshall Mathers move even further up this list in future.
He doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who’s into Crockery, but with his current fortune Eminem could almost buy the entire Chitra Collection, including teapots, fine china and statues dating back 13 centuries. In order to get it all though, he’d have to acquire a couple of extra million to match its $212 million price tag.
5. Russell Simmons
Russell Simmons' Net Worth:$340 Million
So who are the top 5 riches rappers in the world? Welcome to the second half of our list.
Widely credited as the dude that co-founded Def Jam, Russell Simmons enjoyed years of success as a music businesses titan before allegations of sexual misconduct came to light. He might have denied them in a clear Instagram post shortly after, but Simmons still decided to step down and have a younger crop of creative talents take over his companies, skirting scrutiny while still earning nearly $350 million.
With his fortune, Simmons could sell his house(s) and move into the most expensive hotel suite in the world: The Royal Penthouse Suite in Geneva’s Hotel President Wilson. At $80,000, he could live there comfortably for 11 years and 233 days.
4. Kanye West
Kanye West's Net Worth: 400 million
Sorry, Ye, but you fumbled the bag. Arguably, one of the stupidest geniuses in history, Mr. West, was a multi-billionaire, but amid his problematic comments and erratic behavior, Kanye has been dropped from a series of brands, including his most lucrative partner, adidas. Kanye West net worth plummeted from 1.8 billion to 400 million because of the termination of the deal. That still puts him closer to the top of the list. From other investments to his across fashion and design to his impressive catalog, Ye is very wealthy. I do not doubt that he could be a billionaire in the future through YEEZY and its subsidiaries. Nonetheless, currently, dude has far more important things to worry about than his net worth.
3. Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre's Net Worth: $400 Million
Dre made much of his fortune back in the mid-2000s with the Beats boom, as the rapper’s headphone company imploded into the hands of millennials everywhere. Since then, a lucrative buyout by Apple, worth an estimated $3 billion, has kept his pockets lined ever since. He’s sat comfortably on the list of the richest rappers for a few years now, but might see a spike happening soon. After all, late last year, Dre just shifted a healthy amount of Apple stocks worth an obscene amount of money. In 2020, he might pip his competitors to the top spot once again.
You know, when you’ve got that much cash sitting around, you must spend a lot of time hypothesizing how you could spend it. But if he’s really struggling to spread his wealth, Dre might consider buying a shit ton of his own headphones. Did you know, for £820 million, Dre could buy 27,300,000 pairs of Beats Studio 3 headphones? Sounds like a good idea to us.
2. Sean Combs (Diddy)
Diddy's Net worth: $1 Billion
With an estimated net worth of $900 million, Sean' Diddy' Combs (or Love) is officially the second richest dude in hip-hop, and one of the most well off in the world to boot. New beats might be on the back burner, but it's a luxury item that hip-hop artists often rap about that has helped Diddy see dollar signs: Ciroc. Yep, back in the mid-2000s, Sean agreed to sign a 50/50 profit deal with the luxury Vodka brand, and they've been raking it in ever since.
With his fortune most likely just sitting there, doesn't it make sense that Sean Combs would invest his money in some wildcard activities – like cloning himself? If he were to find a doctor to agree to the procedure, Combs could create over 50 mini versions of himself with his fortune and watch them grow, like he lives in some weird alternative reality. Just a thought!
1. JAY Z
Jay Z's Net Worth: $1.5 Billion
Jay spent about a decade perched on the second and third podiums of the hip-hop rich list, but the past year has seen him soar past his competitors and finally take the top spot. He might not have released a solo record since 2018 (the monumental Everything is Love by him and his beau Beyoncé was his only musical outlet), but his business ventures helped to rake in enough money to become the world’s richest musician last year, banking a cool $1.3 billion. That’s thanks to his ownership of Tidal alongside stakes in Roc Nation and liquor company Armand de Brignac. Pair his wealth with that of his wife’s (another $355 million), and you can see why Bey and Jay continue to be the quintessential American power couple. Long may they reign!
Curious about the history of Hip Hop Jewelery?
