HIP-HOP Kanye West Tops Forbes' List of Highest Paid Hip-Hop Acts

With his Yeezy brand expected to hit $1.5 billion in sales this year, Kanye West has jumped Jay-Z to become Forbes' highest paid hip-hop act for the first time in his career. The top 20 list for 2019, which was unveiled on Thursday (Sept. 19), charted pre-tax income from June 2018 through June of this year.

“There was a beam of light on the idea of me making athletic footwear,” West told Forbes in August of his Yeezy empire. “A paradigm shift. Like the Yeezy is desired as much as a Jordan."

The Chicago native's $150 million estimated income nearly doubles hip-hop's first billionaire, Jay-Z, who clocked in at a cool $81 million to claim the second spot.

Drake, Diddy, and Forbes newcomer Travis Scott round out the rest of the top five. Other notables making the cut include DJ Khaled at No. 7, J. Cole at No. 11 with $31 million, which is immediately followed by Nicki Minaj and Cardi B, who raked in a reported $29 million and $28 million for the year, respectively.

Check out the entire list over at Forbes.