These Are the Richest Guys in Hip-Hop in 2022
"Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don't," Jay-Z once declared. No truer words have been spoken, especially for hip-hop's wealthiest stars today. In a list by former Forbes editor Zack O’Malley Greenburg, hip-hop currently has two (well, it used to be three, but Ye lost that status after all the crap he's been talking the past few weeks) billionaires in 2022. Still, these dudes have a combined worth of $3.8 billion (P222 billion), which is a 20-percent increase from the last time Greenburg tracked the data in 2019. We get the usual suspects, of course.
Topping the list is none other than Beyonce's husband, Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter (yes, he's lost his gangsta status now). The rapper is a certified mogul these days. His total worth skyrocketed to $1.5 billion (P87 billion) because of some key investments in real estate, as well as in Roc Nation entertainment, Rihanna's Savage x Fenty, and Fenty Armand de Brignac champagne, among others. Due to some recent cash-outs, people are also speculating that he might just buy a sports team now. Wait to go, Hov.
Joining him in the Billionaire Boys Club is Sean "Diddy" Combs with $1 billion (P58 billion). Diddy became a billionaire over the course of the past three years because of his Ciroc vodka brand and a half-stake in DeLeón tequila. He's also invested in a couple of start-ups and even the entertainment brand Revolt. Oh yeah, that catalog is pretty nice, too.
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Ye is still here, folks. He may not be a billie boy anymore after losing his Adidas sneaker deal, but he's still here. Currently, his worth stands at $500 million (P29 billion). He still has a 5-percent stake in his ex-wife Kim Kardashian's shapewear line and retained rights to his master recordings and music catalogue.
Meanwhile, Bay Area rapper Gilbert “Berner” Milam, comes next on the list with $410 million (P23 billion). How did he make his money, you ask? Well, it's because of his Cookies cannabis empire, where he has a 30-percent stake. It sells about 70 strains of weed and 2,000 different kinds of marijuana products. He's doing it across 55 stores in seven countries and 20 U.S. states.
Rounding out the top five is Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, who is worth about $400 million (P23 billion). The self-proclaimed "first billionaire in hip-hop" made his money when he sold his Beats headphones empire for $3 billion to Apple a decade back. At his peak, Dre once made $800 million. Since then, he's been pretty chill with his money. Who wouldn't, after all? It's like what that old Biggie song used to say: "Mo money, mo problems."
