It’s not even that close, either.
On all of the important financial lists to have been released this year, Kanye West has proven to us all that he can bounce back from a tough situation. When he was initially setting up the Yeezy brand, the living legend revealed that he was actually in major debt, going deep in his pockets to fund his dreams. West has a creative and entrepreneurial spirit and, coupled with Kim Kardashian’s business mastery, the two make a formidable team. Yeezy has experienced exponential levels of growth this year and he did it all without dropping an album (yet.) With Jesus Is King on the way, West is set to net an even larger profit before the end of the year but already, he’s made enough money before taxes in the last twelve months to show everyone else in the rap game who is truly the boss.
According to Forbes’ new Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Acts list, Kanye West took the crown with a whopping $150 million. That number is significantly higher than the man who stands behind him: his idol Jay-Z. Hov netted a respectable $81 million while Drake and Diddy were listed closely behind at $75 mil and $70 million respectively. Rounding out the top five is Travis Scott, who earned $58 million.
Elsewhere on the list, Eminem proved that he’s still making loads of dough, clocking in at a cool $50 million. Cardi B, Kendrick Lamar, the Migos, Nicki Minaj and J. Cole were also named on the chart. Who are you most surprised to see here? Check out the list below:
15. Meek Mill ($21 million)
14. Swizz Beatz ($23 million)
13. Cardi B ($28 million)
12. Nicki Minaj ($29 million)
11. J. Cole ($31 million)
10. Childish Gambino ($35 million)
9. Migos ($36 million)
8. Kendrick Lamar ($38.5 million)
7. DJ Khaled ($40 million)
6. Eminem ($50 million)
5. Travis Scott ($58 million)
4. Diddy ($70 million)
3. Drake ($75 million)
2. Jay-Z ($81 million)
1. Kanye West ($150 million)
