And rap artists have similarly dominated the Billboard Hot 100 charts in 2020 as well. Billie Eilish $14.7 million6. and his solo-headlined studio albums The Chronic and 2001 cant be denied. 40 Richest Rappers of All Time. Sales: $1.8M Thee Album became an instant hip-hop classic with its early use of funk samples and hilarious punchlines. The Stones, who were 2019's top Money Maker with $65 million in take-home pay 92% of it from touring placed in the bottom 25% of this ranking without playing a single show in 2020 and . Eight out of the top 10 artists according to the Nielsen Music mid-year report, are rappers. Touring: $253K. The bubbly and perky Katy Perry (or Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson) has remained a staple in the music industry since 2001. 5 most-played act of 2020 the band also generated nearly $4.9 million in income from its recorded masters, which is almost 30% of the bands overall earnings. 39 The action you just performed triggered the security solution. These days Kendrick's name is on every hip hop lover's lips. Read through our list of the highest-paid musicians to see just how rich the most successful performers can be! Further showcasing his versatility, the rapper detoured into reggae as Snoop Lion on 2013s Reincarnated, before reclaiming his Snoop Dogg persona for 2018s Bible of Love, which debuted at No. Starting with 1993s riotous Party and Bullshit, the Brooklyn, New York kingpin later signed with Diddys Bad Boy Records. Meanwhile, his enduring combination of lyrical prowess, classic albums and envelope-pushing evolution continue to support the widely held consensus that hes the best rapper of his generation. Publishing: $1.1M They did even better internationally and topped the 2020 Global Money Makers ranking. And if you ask him, its also a testament to the power of hip-hop. 2020 At 11:17 pm. Iggy . The Staten Island lyricist draws from a Technicolor palette of inimitable slang, colorful character profiles, luxurious wares and slippery flows to craft vibrant, imaginative stories. Touring: $3.9M. The songs helped give her a nice mix of sales, streaming and publishing revenue. And Kanes skill set remains sharp, whether hes tackling police brutality on his 2020 cut Enough or reeling off a fantastic guest cameo on mentee Busta Rhymes 2022 song Slap.. Sales: $310K Sales: $4.3M 1 albums and 10 top 10 Hot 100 hits to his name. The first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Jay-Z believes everyone has genius-level talent. Lil Baby $11.7 million11. Publishing: $1.8M The Tally Of The Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Acts Of 2021 Is In! And he did all of it as one of the Souths first real rap stars, showcasing lyrical complexity and emotional depth in a region that was once wholly dismissed while also making classic cuts with legends from both coasts, like Jay-Z, Nas and 2Pac. And that was only the tip of the iceberg: After releasing 2022s I Never Liked You, featuring current Grammy nominee and No. His robust output yielded a record 20th top 10 entry on the Top Rap Albums chart in 2019, claiming the title belt from Tech N9ne. 1 live touring revenue generator for 2020, that amounts to $17 million in take-home pay, which puts Dion at the top of the concert earnings ranking and accounted for over 98% of her overall 2020 income. When he partnered with fellow Long Island native Eric B., they became the mighty DJ and MC combo Eric B. 1. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. (As in past rankings, DJs are included on Money Makers because they rarely report their live earnings, which constitute most of their income. In a year with little touring, hip-hop/R&B acts dominated . Touring: $1M. Tariq Trotter, co-founder of the legendary Roots crew and the long-running Phillybands lead MC, still amazes rap fans with electrifying stream-of-consciousness radio freestyles and brilliant live performances. Between his Geto Boys tenure in the late 80s and his illustrious solo career stretching through the 2010s, Scarface laid bare the pitfalls of street life by presenting a stoic, pragmatic approach to hustling that differed from the flashy images glamorized by other artists. Capital Punishment also topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and peaked at No. In 2022, he relaunched the Rock the Bells Festival in Queens, which included performances from Rick Ross, The Diplomats, Ice Cube and more. Like many hip-hop artists, his sales royalties were minimal. Sales: $4.3M The combined royalties from those streams add up to just shy of $10 million, which makes him the fourth top-earner in that category. He earned $2 million in publishing and $712,500 in sales. 5 in digital track sales (close to 1 million). As the No. Publishing: $2.4K Sales: $635K Q-Tip, co-founder of the alternative hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, has been on point for over 30 years. NBA YoungBoy $11.9 million10. Her fans fascination with her music videos helped her rack up nearly 671 million video streams putting her at No. Top earning rappers. In 2020, Forbes ranked Kohli 66th in their list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world for that year, with estimated earnings of $26 million. 1 in February 2020, a year in which he also landed five songs in the top 10 of the Hot 100, including his duet with Ariana Grande, Stuck With U, which debuted at No.1. Performance & security by Cloudflare. 1 Hot 100 hit to the top 10 of the Streaming Songs chart in October 2020. Based in Philadelphia, he gained recognition after releasing his debut single, "Money .more. Rappers Have Dominated Billboard Charts in 2020 | Complex By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. Here Are the Highest Paid Rappers of 2020 - King Mag YoungBoy Never Broke Again breaks into Money Makers for the first time, due almost entirely to the prodigious number of streams his music generated. Once a tag-along member in Digital Underground, Pacs larger-than-life demeanor became too big to shelter. The evolution continued with the R&B, psychedelic soul, and pop-infused DAMN. Floridas not-so-sunny hip-hop crooner saw his second album, Pray 4 Love, debut at No. Ed Sheeren. Another strong year in streams, fueled by the rappers first Billboard 200 No. Additionally, he earned $126,000 in sales and $129,000 in touring before the pandemic. Sandra Denton. But there are simply none who can match his entire career his longevity, the breadth of his accomplishments, and what hes meant to hip-hop from a musical, cultural and financial standpoint for the last three decades. It took a minute, but Common (then Common Sense) finally garnered national praise after launching one of the most celebrated three-album runs in rap history: 1994sResurrection, 1997sOne Day Itll All Make Sense and 2000sLike Water for Chocolate. 1 on Top Gospel Albums. The Beatles $12.9 million9. 8. Publishing: $967K Last years rank: No. While not enough to make the top 10 in that category, he ranked second in album download sales with 314,000 copies and No. Forbes ranking: #21. regained his swagger with his 2003 breakthrough album Trap Muzik. Publishing: $1.6M 1s on the Billboard Hot 100and anotherfour on the Billboard 200 albums chart are nothing to scoff at, as Ludacris chart resum can stand up to just about any of his rap contemporaries. 2020's Top 10 Highest Paid Musicians | Music Times Is President, Paid in Full and Microphone Fiend. Rakims influence is felt in all corners of hip-hop: A$AP Rocky, born Rakim Mayers, is named after him, DMX and Eminem are self-proclaimed fans, and rappers as big as 50 Cent (via The Games Hate It or Love It) and Lil Wayne (on Lloyds Girls Around the World) have paid in-song homage to his distinctive flow. Touring: $4.3M. History is also on his side: Hov has 14 Billboard 200 No. Even the title of the original queen of raps 1988 seminal debut album, Lyte as a Rock, was metaphorically heavy. Streaming: $290 Pink Floyd hasnt released a studio album since 2014 and it still managed to finish at No. All the above sales and streaming royalty rates then had a 4% producers fee deducted. #nelly #stlunatics #ynwmelly #liltecca #juicewrld #playboicarti #dancingrappers #nbayoungboy #2000 #soreuzi #ride #wit #met #comes #radio. He is one of the highest-paid rappers and his net worth is around $100 million. James is the 6th richest female rapper in the world. 9 with $11.9 million. Forbes list of highest-earning musicians - Wikipedia (The genre dates back to 1973, when DJ Kool Herc first set up his two turntables to rock a Bronx party.) Streaming: $1.33M He earned $23.2 million, of which $12.4 million is from touring prior to the pandemic shutdown. 30 ($6.3 million) and Travis Scott at No. By genre, rock artists landed the most spots, 13, down one from last year; pop acts accounted for nine entries, down from 14; country, three spots, down from eight; and Latin, two berths, up one from 2019. Last Played. But even after writing rhymes that triggered FBI attention and radio bans, Ice Cube launched an even more extraordinary solo run. 2 To this day, the album remains an undisputed classic, and he continued evolving and staying relevant, scoring No. 1 with $23.8 million, Post Malone moves up to No. . The 20 Best Rap Songs of 2020: Critics' Picks - Billboard While the pandemic had a disastrous effect on touring revenue, it lifted other royalty streams as music fans listened to more recorded music from the relative safety of their homes, through radio, streaming platforms or the turntable setups they bought with the money they ordinarily would have shelled out for concerts and festivals. Post Malone $23.2 million3. The duos 1994 debut, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, used gospel-influenced tracks (produced by Organized Noize)to introduce the many nuances and characters of Atlanta. Song Quiz. He set a new benchmark for erasing musical boundaries and ignoring popular trends, influencing a host of generation-next talents like Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and Tyler, the Creator. As a result, Billboard estimates that the pop phenomenon took home 46% of her sales and streaming royalties (after deducting a 4 percentage-point producers cut) compared with the 33% that superstar artists typically earn when they dont own their masters. It was one of five songs she landed on the chart that year: Three were collaborations, with Marshmello (Be Kind), Machine Gun Kelly (Forget Me Too) and Kelsea Ballerini (The Other Girl), while the fourth was her country-flavored solo track, You Should Be Sad, which peaked at No. 1. Last years rank: Under his now-retired moniker Mos Def, Brooklyn native Bey broke into the underground scene on Rawkus Records influential 1997 compilationSoundbombingwith a charismatic presence that recalled the early 80s chief rocker days of Busy Bee Starski. 6 spot in box-office revenue. Streaming: $2.7M Despite these monster numbers, the band finished fifth in the sales royalties category with $4.3 million because the members do not own their masters. Although heritage country and rock acts remain far behind hip-hop and pop when it comes to streaming plays, their numbers are beginning to swell, and AC/DC is an example: The band amassed almost 1.5 billion overall plays. The Mac amassed 1.8 billion combined streams, including 511 million web radio plays. Cole is one of the highest-paid rappers in the world. 2 Money Maker thanks to a world tour, but without any live dates in 2020, her rank was achieved by strong streaming numbers largely due to her fourth-quarter release, positions. Ed Sheeran - $200 Million. Publishing: $1.5M Alongside Phife, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White, ATCQ also part of the Native Tongues collective (Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Monie Love) claimed No. Last years rank: 1 albums (the most amongst solo acts), and over 140 million records sold. Looking at revenue streams, touring income, based on Billboard Boxscore data, fell tenfold, from $779 million in 2019 to $79 million and accounted for just 20% of artists collective 2020 take-home pay. 8 Touring: $0. At this point, hip-hop purists know Nas path to greatness all too well. 7 with $35 . Dr. Dre would be the first to tell you that he is not a traditional MC. The timeless Ms. Lauryn Hill straddles the line between Motown soul, boom bap, R&B, jazz and rap defying convention and introducing a new standard for genre-bending rappers. Unfortunately, the same demons that bore his provocative art led to his unfortunate demise: he died of a cocaine-induced heart attack in 2021. Touring: $5M. Shes undeniably blazed the trail for the next generation of female MCs, while at the same time, building a legacy whose impact is hardly limited to the hip-hop world: Nicki is one of only a dozen artists to have more than 100 Billboard Hot 100 entries, and earned the MTV Video Vanguard Award in 2022 for her provocative music videos. He was also the beneficiary of almost 1.7 million terrestrial radio spins, which made him the fifth-most-played artist in that format. He wasnt necessarily the best lyricist, nor did he possess the craziest flow. The band also remains strong in physical album sales: It sold 412,000 copies last year, 272,000 of them on vinyl. According to Billboard's report, published on Monday (July 19), rappers Post Malone, Drake, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Lil Baby are among the publication's Top Paid Musicians of 2020. see charts legends In previous years, it has made up 75% to 80% of the top 40 Money Makers income. 9 on the Hot 100. Aventura $10.2 million13. 1 Billboard 200 albums and three RIAA-certified Diamond singles (Lose Yourself, Love the Way You Lie and Not Afraid), his unprecedented commercial success makes for one of the most noteworthy rags-to-riches tales in popular music. 14. 30 The shows grossed close to $25.8 million, giving the band almost $8.8 million in take-home pay. In 1987, MC Lyte bumrushed her way into hip-hops boys club with a throat-grabbing voice and dynamic lyricism that seemed well beyond her 16 years. One fan learned the hard way when she tried to capture the moment. The murder trial of rapper Lil Boosie has taken several twists and to commit the killing - Michael "Marlo Mike" Louding - had admitted . His flamboyant rhymes helped him become one of the first West Coast rappers to sign a major deal when he signed with Jive Records in the early 90s. Snoop Doggy Dogg. Publishing: $1.3M Queen $13.2 million8. Can you pick the top 11-20 highest paid rappers Of 2019 (Top 11-20)? The group also generated over 1.8 billion streams, which is impressive for a rock band. Touring: $0. 1 on the Billboard 200, and its title track did the same on both the Hot 100 and Top Streaming Songs charts, contributing to more than 4 billion combined streams and generating $6 million in streaming royalties. Whether its her work on Fugees blockbuster 1996 album The Score or her game-changing 1998 debut The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, she has influenced a host of hip-hop artists over the decades. Highest-Paid Rappers Of 2021 Revealed - Including JAY-Z & Diddy Top 20 richest rappers in the world: Their net worth & early life Touring: $11.4M. Sales: $89.3K Streaming: $6M 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time. 6 The other two were Las Que No Iban a Salir and his first Billboard 200 No. 10 in physical sales with 334,000 copies scanned in 2020 47% of those purchases were in the higher-priced vinyl format. But even among those heavy-hitters, Kane more than held his weight: Tracks like Aint No Half Steppin, Set It Off and Smooth Operator sound as spirited now as they did decades ago. Sales: $14.4K But few rappers, if any, have repped the Bay longer or stronger than E-40. Touring: $0. Touring: $0. Publishing: $2M Some McDonalds locations refuse to promote the celebrity meal. Lonnie Rashid Lynn was seemingly carrying the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the entire Chicago rhyme community on his back with 1992sCan I Borrow a Dollar? KISS managed to play 20 shows in 2020, generating $14.8 million in ticket sales and $5 million in take-home pay, the sole reason the road warriors made the Money Makers list this year (and last year, too). After signing with Dr. Dres Interscope imprint Aftermath Entertainment a year later, Lamar hit the ground running with second studio album good kid, m.A.A.d City becoming an instant creative and cultural force. 5 on the Billboard 200, due to Big Puns expert wordplay, vivid storytelling and ability to craft catchy hooks. 1 on the Billboard 200. In a year with little touring, hip-hop/R&B acts dominated streaming sales and accounted for nearly a third of the 40 artists on the list. Post Malone, Drake and YoungBoy Never Broke Again are - REVOLT 25 (7.37 million), Kanye West at No. Click to reveal He had a point, and OutKast certainly played a key role in that. Last years rank: Hes the artistic, esoteric and philosophical rapper who juxtaposed the streetwise and humble delivery of the groups late Phife Dawg. Touring: $0. 5 So now, lets run throughBillboard/Vibes Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time and let the debate rage on. Raised in Fayetteville, N.C., hes Southern to the core but also reps Queens asa St. Johns graduate. Forbes Magazine. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic curtailing chances for any artists to tour in 2020, several big-name rappers still made money through streaming and other means last year.. talladega high school basketball. That dollar total was also boosted by fans preference for vinyl copies of the bands albums, which accounted for 72% of physical sales. Ed Sheeran is among the highest-paid rappers globally, with an estimated net worth of $200 million. Queen, which owns its masters, ranked second in sales royalties with $5.3 million thanks, in part, to the 2020 rerelease of its $500-plus limited-edition colored vinyl Studio Collection box set of the bands 15 studio albums. Sales: $485K Sales: $768K Forbes: Highest Paid Rappers Of 2019 (Top 11-20) Tm top bi ht v album ca Self-Paid Fabo, bao gm Trapstar, Trust Nobody, v.v. And in a notable accomplishment for a rock band, Queen generated 1.2 billion on-demand audio streams in 2020, a feat that other legacy acts on this list including Pink Floyd, the Eagles, Metallica and AC/DC have yet to do. Touring: $0. A remix of the albums lead single Im Not a Player, it flipped a Brenda Russell sample into a salsa-adjacent jam and cemented the Big Punisher as a commercial force. Touring: $0. The White Teeth rapper ranked No. All the numbers are down this year because COVID limited touring. Your IP: Other Hip Hop figures include Future at 22 with $8.2 million Roddy Ricch at 24 with $7.4 million, Rod Wave at 25 with $7.4 million, and Kanye West at 30 at $6.6 million. Streaming: $4.7M However, Andre Youngslegacy as a lead rapper on three separate era-defining albums 1988s Straight Outta Compton with N.W.A. After collaborating on projects by Aaliyah and others, the pair focused their attention on Elliotts solo career, beginning with her arresting 1997 debut, Supa Dupa Fly. As of March 2023, Pitbull is the 15th richest rapper in the world, with a net worth of $100 million. Surprise, Surprise Jay-Z Was The Highest-Paid Rapper Of 2021 Lyrics Quiz. Those concerts grossed $12.6 million, which yielded $4.3 million in take-home pay, and earned them the No. Jonathan Lyndale Kirk released his third studio album, Blame It on Baby, in April 2020, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 and produced his highest-charting song, Rockstar featuring Roddy Ricch. 6 on last years list. As of March 2023, J. Cole's net worth is estimated to be $60 Million. 4 with $4.3 million because they own their masters and reap a higher royalty rate as a result. Streaming royalty rates applied were 22% for new hit artists; 33% for superstar artists, 46% for heritage artists and 74% for artists that own their master recordings. This year, artists should be able to stack some cheddar now that music festivals and tours are opening back up from coast to coast. He grossed over $12.3 million in ticket sales for five shows (two at Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena) for a $4.2 million payday and seventh place in the touring category. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic curtailing chances for any artists to tour in 2020, several big-name rappers still made money through streaming and other means last year. Doja Cat's debut album, The High Note, was released in 2020 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. The Dre-produced set further solidified the West Coasts status as a major player in the rap game and featured such enduring hits as Gin and Juice and Who Am I? All and all, rappers still made money in 2020 despite the impact of the pandemic on the music industry. He remains the overall most-streamed act with almost 8 billion streams, accounting for $11.7 million, only second to Taylor Swift in streaming royalties. Rod Wave among 'Billboard's list of the highest-paid artists in 2020 expunged any doubt about his MC credibility via his grit and lyrical precision. Touring: $0. But in fact, his limitations were what made the 25-year-old wunderkind one of the greatest MCs to touch Gods green earth: He knew of his shortcomings, but relied on his voice and motivational messaging to resonate and crack through the toughest gangstas. He also rolled deep with the Juice Crew, Marley Marls Queens-based squad whose members included MC Shan, Biz Markie, Kool G Rap and Roxanne Shante. Post Malone Money. Recorded-music royalties from sales, streaming and publishing collectively grew 56% from $197 million in 2019 to $308 million. More seminal, million-plus-selling albums followed, such as Tha Doggfather, Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told; R&G (Rhythm and Gangsta): The Masterpiece and Tha Last Meal as Snoop moved on from the G-Funk era to make albums with No Limit, score crossover hits with The Neptunes and even become an early adopter of Auto-Tune. Gallery: The Highest-Paid Entertainers Of 2022. Best Rappers of All Time - Billboard 7 in that revenue category. The late Juice WRLD displaced Drake as the top on-demand audio streaming artist in 2020, but Drizzy remains the No. According to Billboard's 2020 Money Makers list they published today (July 19), Post Malone, Drake and YoungBoy Never Broke Again were the three highest-earning hip-hop artists in 2020, a year that saw the COVID-19 pandemic effectively stop large-scale touring across the entire world. #4 of 97. A subscription per-stream rate of $0.0021 blended to reflect the different statutory rates for ad-supported and subscription streams was applied to programmed streams; per-play estimated rates of 74 cents and $46 were applied to Music Choice and SiriusXM plays, respectively. 1 single Wait for U with Drake and Tems, he now boasts eight No. Income: $110 million. Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. The following royalty rates were used: The album and track sales rate is 22% of retail revenue. Last years rank: & Rakim, producing classic albums like 1987s Paid in Full and 1988s Follow the Leader with eternal singles like Eric B. Publishing: $1.8M 7. Highest Paid U.S. Money Makers In Music: 2020 Rankings - Billboard Known for his versatility, Ed Sheeren's cross-genre success has brought him to the top. It's painful and heartbreaking to hear Killer Mike rap, "You so numb you watch the cops choke out a man like me/ Until my voice goes from a . Sales: $557K Billboard Quiz. Sales: $1.5M He has recently used Instagram to make paid partnership posts promoting Wrogn styles for Myntra. His $66,400 in sales royalties came entirely from digital downloads. Even if Hill never drops a proper sophomore album, she remains a peerless talent who can still outrap anyone as proven by her memorable verse on Nas KD2 gem Nobody in 2021. After coming up in freestyle rap battles, Eminem has continually wielded the mic as his weapon of choice and obliterated anyone who comes in his path as seen in the countless feuds hes engaged in over the years. BILLIE EILISH. Sales: $1.1M 1, topping the chart for three weeks Wayne successfully exploded onto the mainstream, setting the stage for rap hopefuls and fellow Billboard all-time chart stars Drake and Nicki Minaj, both of whom Wayne helped develop into the global icons they are today by way of his Young Money/Cash Money record label. Doja Cat is one of the most famous rappers globally and has won numerous awards . 8 in track sales (872,000). 1 overall streaming artist (as he was in 2019) with almost 8 billion streams when the on-demand video and web radio streams he amassed last year are included. 1 as a guest on Rae SremmurdsBlack Beatles.. has earned three Grammys andseven top five Billboard 200 albums and forged a successful film and TV career. 20 of Instagram's Highest Paid Stars in 2023 - Influencer Marketing Hub When Black Thought joins forces with supreme lyricists such as Eminem (Yah Yah), Royce da 59 (Rap on Steroids), Big Pun (Super Lyrical) or Joey Bada$$ and Russ (Because), the combination elevates the craft and technique of rap to another level.