With earnings totalling US$620mil, Forbes magazine crowns Dr Dre as the King of Hip Hop.
With US$620mil (RM2bil) in estimated pre-tax earnings, veteran rapper and record producer Dr Dre tops Forbes' Cash Kings of 2014 list of highest-paid hip hop artists, ousting Sean Combs aka Puff Daddy/Puffy from the top spot.
According to Forbes, Dre's estimated annual earnings for the 12 months between June 2013 and 2014 are the highest of any musician in any genre it has ever evaluated, and more than the combined takings of the other 24 names on the hip-hop list released on Sept 23.
Much of the 49-year-old's earnings this year came thanks to the US$3bil sale to Apple of the Beats high-end headphone company he founded with music executive Jimmy Iovine and other financial ventures, including cognac and vodka brands.
King of Hip Hop: Legendary rapper and producer Dr Dre tops Forbes' list of the highest paid hip hop artists of 2014, with earnings coming in at a very cool US$620mil.
Combs, 44, tied for second place with Jay-Z, 44, with US$60mil, with earnings from drinks, clothing and television deals. Jay-Z, who toured with his wife, Beyonce, for the first time with their On the Run concerts, pulled in money from lucrative performances, his latest album and his Roc Nation entertainment empire, which assured him a place in the top five.
Drake, 27, came in fourth with US$33mil (RM105.6mil) with takings from his album Nothing Was the Same, an endorsement deal with sportswear firm Nike and a concert tour. Grammy-winning duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis rounded out the top five with US$32mil (RM102.4mil). Meanwhile, Happy singer and music producer Pharrell Williams, who joins the NBC television singing competition The Voice as a coach this season, slips into the top 10 with US$22mil (RM70.4mil).
Forbes: Highest Paid Hip-Hop Artists 2014
1. Dr Dre – US$620mil
2. Jay-Z – US$60mil (tie)
2. Puff Daddy – US$60mil (tie)
4. Drake – US$33mil
5. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – US$32mil
6. Kanye West – US$30mil
7. Birdman – US$24mil
8. Lil Wayne – US$23mil
9. Pharrell Williams – US$22mil
10. Eminem – US$18mil
11. Nicki Minaj – US$14mil
12. Wiz Khalifa – US$13mil
13. Pitbull – US$12mil
14. Snoop Dogg – US$10mil
15. Kendrick Lamar – US$9mil
16. Ludacris – US$8mil (tie)
16. Tech N9ne – US$8mil (tie)
16. Swizz Beatz – US$8mil (tie)
16. 50 Cent – US$8mil (tie)
20. Rick Ross – US$7mil (tie)
20. J. Cole – US$7mil (tie)
20. DJ Khaled – US$7mil (tie)
20. Lil Jon – US$7mil (tie)
20. Mac Miller – US$7mil (tie)
Forbes compiled the list by looking at income from record sales, publishing, merchandise sales, tours and endorsement deals and talking to managers, agents, lawyers and some of the artists. The earnings were calculated based on data from Pollstar, RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and Nielsen SoundScan. Fees for agents, managers and lawyers were not deducted from the estimates. – Reuters
Source : http://www.thestar.com.my/Lifestyle/Entertainment/Music/News/2014/09/25/Dr-Dre-King-of-Hip-Hop-with-RM2bil-Forbes
