1. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, $37 million
Hip-hop’s reigning Cash King continues to reap the benefits of a 10-year $150 million Live Nation deal, as well as stakes in the New Jersey Nets, the 40/40 more »
2. Sean "Diddy" Combs, $35 million
Music now accounts for less than 20% of earnings for the artist formerly known as Puff Daddy, thanks to big stakes in clothing lines Sean John and Enyce, more »
3. Kanye West, $16 million
The self-proclaimed Louis Vuitton Don returns to the top three for the first time since 2009. His new album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, more »
4. Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter, $15 million (tie)
The lyricist reportedly wrote his first song at age 8 and signed a record deal with Cash Money a year later. Today he's one of rap's richest, despite serving more »
4. Bryan "Birdman" Williams, $15 million (tie)
The Cash Money chief continues to rake in cash from the label he cofounded, home to fellow Cash Kings Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj. Excluded from previous more »
6. Marshall "Eminem" Mathers, $14 million (tie)
Eminem doesn't tour as much as many rappers and his outside business interests are limited, but music alone was enough to blast him back into the upper more »
6. Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, $14 million (tie
The man who launched the careers of fellow Cash Kings including Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent keeps bringing in cash—namely from producer fees and Beats more »
6. Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus, $14 million (tie)
The ageless wonder of the West Coast turned in another strong year, boosted by new album Doggumentary, heavy touring and endorsements with companies more »
9. Aliuane "Akon" Thiam, $13 million
The Senegalese-American singer-songwriter-producer extraordinaire caked up on a string of international concerts from Australia to Zimbabwe, a lucrative more »
. Wow
