Highest Paid Current Hip-Hop Artists Revealed

Jay-Z, Kanye & Eminem have established themselves as icons within the Hip-Hop industry. The artists have millions of fans across the globe with billions of streams to their name. It appears the trio made it to the well-reputed list of highest paid artists introduced by Forbes years ago.

However, it should be noted it is not the Forbes list anymore, but it is compiled by the same journalist who has been making these lists for the publication for years. Zack O’Malley Greenburg focused on hip hop artists and published the 2021 ranking of highest earners on his SubStack. He also added some interesting analytical points.

Zack stated that hip hop now accounts for 27.7% of US music consumption. It is the biggest share acquired by any genre. Jay-Z and Kanye West sit at the top two spots on the list and they are so much ahead of everyone else that it does not even look like a fair comparison.

There are hundreds of millions between them and it makes Diddy’s $75 million who sits at No.3, seem like a humble number. Jay-Z, who claimed the #1 spot made $470 million in 2021, more than ever in his career, after selling a solid share of his Tidal streaming service and champagne brand. 

Meanwhile, Kanye follows Hov with $250 million that came almost entirely from his Yeezy collaboration with Adidas shoes. Down from No.4, the list looks more consistent without any drastic gaps. Eminem earned No.8 on this list. In 2021, he was in the Top 5 most-consumed hip hop artists.

Hip Hop’s Highest Paid Artists Of 2021:

1. Jay-Z – $470 million
2. Kanye West – $250 million
3. Diddy – $75 million
4. Drake – $50 million
5. Wiz Khalifa – $45 million
6. Travis Scott – $38 million
7. DJ Khaled – $35 million
8. Eminem – $28 million
9. J Cole – $27 million
10. Birdman – $25 million
11. Doja Cat – $25 million
12. Tech N9ne – $25 million

Thanks to the longevity of his catalogue, Marshall put in $28 million in a year when he did not even release a new album. The list even has a tie for #10 between Birdman, Doja Cat, and Tech N9ne, each one of them pulled in $25 million in 2021.

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