If there's one industry known for spending loads of money, it's the rap music scene. Rappers have
built up a reputation for splashing out on lavish lifestyles - it's all about the drugs, girls,
parties, and expensive jewelry. But all that spending has created another well-known fact
about rappers - they all eventually go broke. Well, almost all of them anyway. An elite few
actually manage to maintain their wealth and even grow it! I know - it's pretty hard to believe.
But how, exactly, did these rappers live that expensive rap lifestyle and still end up rich?
We're going to investigate. In this video, we'll look at the rappers who didn't go broke and became
super-rich. Make sure you watch until the end for the most surprising names. Let's get to it.
26. T.I - $50 Million T.I has been making a name for himself since
1999. Sometimes going by his other name, T.I.P., he sure stands out in the rap game. He has seven
top-five albums, including three number ones, more than one T.V. show with his name in the title,
and several acting roles under his belt. He's even appeared in Marvel's Ant-Man, so you know
he's a big deal. Like most rap artists, he's got an impressive collection of controversies under
his belt - he's got into fights with more celebs than you can count, plus he's faced sexual assault
charges, and he's facing criticism for checking his daughter's virginity every year! None of this
seems to have harmed his bank account, though - he still has a net worth of $50 Million.
25. Chamillionaire - $50 Million Chamillionaire, who sometimes goes by the name
Mixtape Messiah, is a Grammy-nominated rapper and businessman. But you probably know him as one of
the founding members of The Color Changin' Click. Sure, he could've made enough cash off his music
career alone. But he decided to also open up a tour bus company which looks like it's pretty
successful. His net worth is currently estimated to be about $50 million, but he does seem to spend
a lot of that money on custom cars. 24. Wiz Khalifa - $60 Million
Wiz Khalifa needs no introduction - he's been a household name since he released his single
"Black and Yellow." He's still pretty young, at only 33 years old. Still, he's sure cemented
his fame in the business, not just with his own hugely successful singles. He's also worked with
some of the biggest stars in the business, like Miley Cyrus and the legend that is Snoop Dog.
It doesn't look like he has a side hustle, so his $60 million was earned through rapping alone.
23. J. Cole - $60 Million J. Cole spent his early career
under Jay-Z's record label, releasing mixtapes that received some impressive critical acclaim.
He's now widely considered one of the most influential rappers of his generation.
But he hasn't stopped working. Even though he's still rapping, he's also opened up his own record
label called Dreamville Records, which definitely brings in even more cash. It looks like he's using
his $60 million to do good deeds too. He actually turned his childhood home in North Carolina
into free housing for single mothers! 22. Rev Run - $60 Million
Even people who don't know about Rev Run will have heard of Run-D.M.C. They're one of the most
influential rap groups of all time. But you can bet he didn't think that's enough. Despite all
the success that Run-D.M.C has had, Rev Run has loads of other side hustles. He's also a producer
and D.J., and he has more than his fair share of T.V. shows with his name in the title. Plus,
if you're thinking the "Rev" part of his name is a lie, it's totally not - he is actually a
practicing minister, going by the name Reverend Run. I don't know how much money that gets you,
but he's got a net worth of roughly $60 million today with all that work.
21. Nas - $70 Million Nas has a career that's gilded
in platinum. Of course, I'm talking about his incredible success in the rap game,
with eight platinum or multi-platinum albums in the U.S. But as far as money is concerned,
there was a time when the only platinum he had was his record sales. He did actually go
totally broke at one point in his career. He's sure bounced back, though. He's furthered his
success in the rap game, and he's also well known as a businessman and investor. Combine
the cash from his illustrious rap career with his record label, FILA sneaker store, and Mass Appeal
magazine, and these days he's worth roughly $70 million. Now that's what I call a comeback.
20. Will.I.Am - $75 Million After all the fame and success that the hip-hop
group Black Eyed Peas gave him, Will.I.Am probably could've quit and still had enough money to live
the rest of his life in style. But he sure didn't stop there. He's had a super successful solo
career. But he's also been having a great time as a record producer. He's worked with some of the
biggest names in the business, including Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Justin Timberlake,
Rihanna, Usher, Britney Spears... basically, it's too many big names for one video. All this work
has added up to a $75 million bank account. 19. Kendrick Lamar - $75 Million
Kendrick Lamarr shot to fame almost in the blink of an eye. He's now one of the most influential
rappers of our time, even though he hasn't been in the business very long. I guess that's what
happens when you start at the age of 16. His laser focus on writing and performing music saw him
crowned "New King of the West Coast" by The Game, Dr. Dre, and Snoop Dogg back in 2011. These days,
his career is only getting bigger, so you can bet the $75 million he has will keep growing.
18. Akon - $80 Million Senegalese-American rapper,
Akon, has made a big name for himself in rap and business. He owns more than one big business,
including his own clothing brand called Konvict and his Kon Live record label.
You probably also saw him in his Pepsi Soccer ad campaign. He also opened Akon Lighting Africa,
which was originally designed as an ambitious charity to bring solar electricity to poor
countries in Africa. He's since turned it into a for-profit business in the hopes of offering
good jobs to people who need them. I guess he deserves that $80 million bank account.
There are some pretty big names on this list already. Have we named your favorite yet?
Let us know in the comments! 17. Timbaland - $85 Million
It's hard to pinpoint what Timbaland is most famous for. He's seen major success as a rapper, a
singer, a songwriter, and a record producer. He is pretty influential in all those industries. But he
does seem to have almost supernatural powers for crafting hits in all areas of music. In the rap
game, he's produced hits for some of the biggest stars, including Jay-Z, Ludacris, and Snoop Dogg.
But he's since branched out into other genres with the same level of success, creating hits
for Justin Timberlake, Beck, Bjork, and Madonna. That explains the $85 Million bank balance.
16. Niki Minaj - $85 Million This list just goes to show that rap
is dominated by male artists. But Trinidad-born Niki Minaj hasn't let that get in her way. She's
cemented herself as one of the biggest names in the business, and she's got more smash hits under
her belt than most artists of any genre. Her music career has seen her collaborate with some huge
names like Lil Wayne, Drake, Tyga, Chris Brown, Rihanna, and Madonna! Plus, she still finds time
to have a pretty successful modeling career. This has all added up to an $85 million net worth.
15. Pitbull - $100 Million Pitbull only broke onto the scene in 2004,
but it didn't matter that this Latin star was a little slow to start. He instantly became
one of the biggest names in the business, and he's topped the charts in over 20 countries
with more than one huge hit. He learned to speak English by watching Sesame Street,
but that doesn't seem to have held him back as a songwriter. He hasn't stopped at rapping, though.
He now also has his own vodka line, which sounds like something every rapper should have. He's
currently in the top 15 richest rappers globally, with a staggering $100 million net worth.
14. Birdman - $100 Million Birdman can afford to be a
pretty flashy performer. Of course, he's best known for his rap music career,
but he's done a lot more than that. He's also a record producer, entrepreneur, executive producer,
and investor. That's a lot of job titles for one person to keep up with, but he doesn't seem to
have any problems. All that work does explain why he currently boasts a $100 Million net worth.
13. L.L. Cool J - $120 Million LL Cool J is just as well known as an actor as
a rapper. Not many people see that kind of success in two different careers, but he's seemed right
at home with both. But he's not only a star of NCIS: Los Angeles and one of the founding
fathers of pop-rap. He's also a successful author, record producer, and entrepreneur
with his own clothing line. Bet you didn't know that! Sure, it's a pretty varied portfolio,
but it's added up to a very nice $120 million! 12. Swizz Beatz - $150 Million
Swizz Beatz looks like a man with many interests. Of course, we know him for all his work in the
music industry as a rapper, D.J., and record producer. But he's used that success well
and grew his money with a series of clever investments, which looks like the key to not
going broke in the rap business. He saw such huge success from his Reebok collections that he's now
vice president of the company! He's also a passionate art collector, which some say is
a great way to invest your money. It sure worked for him - his net worth is now $150 million!
11. Lil Wayne - $150 Million Lil Wayne has had a pretty unique career.
In 1991, he joined Cash Money Records at just nine years old! It's not surprising he was the
youngest member of the label, but it is surprising that he had so much talent at such a young age.
He hasn't slowed down since, and he's still one of the biggest names in the business - which
explains why all the other big names seem to enjoy collaborating with him. His long
career has earned him $150 million so far! If you think we've mentioned all the big names
already, you're wrong. The rappers still coming up are real legends. Keep your eyes open for the
huge sum of money at number 1! 10. Snoop Dogg - $150 Million
Snoop Dogg is a man of many names, but all his name changes just prove how famous he is:
it doesn't matter what he's called, his fans will find him. He was discovered by Dr Dre
back in 1992, and we're all pretty grateful for that. With 35 million album sales worldwide and
a collection of merch based around weed, he sure is a fan favorite in the rap game. His image is
all down to how much money he spends, so it's a huge surprise that he's maintained
a net worth of $150 million. I guess we just can't resist giving him all our cash.
9. Ice Cube - $160 Million Ice Cube is one of those people
with talent to burn. Thanks to his success as a songwriter and rapper,
the whole world is familiar with him after he made a name for himself with C.I.A. and the N.W.A.
Nobody could forget the legendary album Straight Outta Compton. But he's also starred in some of
the most famous films of the last few decades, including modern classics Boyz N The Hood,
both 21 and 22 Jump Street, and Ride Along. You'd think that would be enough, but he's also a record
producer and filmmaker! He seems to be pretty successful no matter what career he chooses,
which is why he's now worth $160 million. 8. Drake - $180 Million
Did you know that Canadian rap star Drake started his career as an actor?
He starred in the teen drama series Degrassi: The Next Generation before changing his focus to
rap. He still finds time for acting sometimes, but he's mainly known as a songwriter, rapper,
and record producer these days. And he has more music awards than you'd believe. All the
success has really translated to a serious bank balance - it's currently about $180 million!
7. Pharrell Williams - $200 Million Pharrell Williams is one of the biggest names in
the business, but he's another rapper who's found success in more than one field. Of course, he has
his own record label, but he's also a successful film producer - and let's not forget he wrote the
scores for the first two Despicable Me films, which would be enough fame for some people. He
also owns a multimedia collective called 'i am OTHER' that creates music, fashion,
entertainment, and art. All his creations have grown his net worth to $200 million!
6. Master P - $200 Million Master P has a list of business titles
as long as my arm. He was once a basketball player, but now he's known as a rapper,
actor, entrepreneur, author, and record producer. And that's all excluding his philanthropy work.
You've got to wonder how he finds the time to keep it all going. He sure doesn't look like
one of those rappers who will go broke anytime soon. He's currently worth $200 million.
5. Eminem - $230 Million Eminem is the most successful white rapper
of all time, but he wasn't always that popular. He started out battle rapping in Detroit, but it
didn't go as well as he'd hoped. He got a lot of racial abuse thrown at him during those battles.
He's spoken openly about being bullied at school too. But it seems like the hardships he faced when
he was young contributed to the artistry in his writing. You can bet all the people who bullied
him regret it now because he's filthy rich these days with a $230 million net worth!
4. Dr Dre - $780 Million Dr Dre is another hugely successful rapper and
record producer who made a name for himself with N.W.A. After that, he went solo and became one of
the most successful record producers of all time. But that's not his only crazy successful venture.
His famous brand Beats by Dr Dre is hugely popular. It's so popular, in fact, that it was
sold to Apple a few years ago for the unbelievable sum of $3 billion! That for sure contributed to
his staggering $780 million net worth. 3. Sean Combs - $900 Million
You might know Sean Combs a little better by the names Diddy or Puff Daddy. He had a pretty hard
childhood. He grew up in New York, where his dad was murdered when he was just three years old. But
his life is pretty different now. He left college to intern at a record company and amazingly
leveled up to vice president within a year! These days, he's one of the most famous people alive.
With his kind of fame, we could all guess he's also hugely successful, and for a long time,
he was actually the richest rapper in the world. That was before other rappers started seeing
success with business ventures instead of just rapping. Still, Combs is one of the busiest men in
the industry, juggling rapping, record producing, acting, songwriting, and a successful career as an
entrepreneur. He's currently worth $900 million - that's just short of a billion dollars!
2. Jay Z - $1.3 Billion Jay Z is the first rapper in history to
cross the $1 billion mark! Even though he's had a huge career as a rapper, he made most of his money
out of clever investments. He wasn't always living the good life, though. He spent his childhood in a
notoriously dangerous area of Brooklyn, New York, and had more than his fair share of experience
with drug dealing. But he hit the big time in 1996 when his debut album became a hit that sold over a
million copies. Today, he's got his hands in so many cookie jars, and they're all the kinds of
businesses that rappers love - he's got record labels, clothing brands, nightclubs, and more!
He's now worth an incredible $1.3 billion! That's pretty far beyond a billion, and for a while,
he was the richest rapper in the world until the person in our top spot overtook him.
I'll bet you're dying to know who's at number one. So here he is!
1. Kanye West - $6.6 to 10 Billion Kanye West is easily one of the most famous people
on earth. Some rappers reach star-level fame and still go broke, but Kayne is doing the opposite.
He's still heavily involved in the music business as a rapper, songwriter, and record producer. But
his entrepreneurial and fashion design work has bulked up his bank account big time since Yeezy
became a household name of its own. And if you're thinking he can't be that much richer than Jay Z,
you're wrong. Kanye is pretty serious about making sure the world knows exactly how much he's worth,
and he goes to great lengths to prove his wealth. Maybe a little more than he should.
He recently claimed his net worth has reached $10 Billion. We can't confirm that,
but Forbes has documents proving that Kanye's current net worth is at least $6.6 billion!
Something that he has struggled over years, since he claims that Forbes always falls short
on his actual net worth. Anyways, whatever the real amount is, this amount of wealth is something
that only Kanye could pull off. REFERENCES:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/nov/07/ti-rapper-daughter-hymen-check-outrage
https://wealthygorilla.com/chamillionaire-net-worth/
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https://wealthygorilla.com/kendrick-lamar-net-worth/
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https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jay-Z