Former Forbes editor Zack O'Malley Greenburg just released his Hip-Hop’s Wealthiest Artists 2022 list.
The top spot isn't surprising — it's held by Jay-Z. His fortune increased to $1.5 billion, which O'Malley attributes to "the success of a diversified empire, with investments in everything from records to real estate and spirits to startups."
Next in line is Diddy, whose fortune is at $1 billion. His Cîroc partnership with Diageo accounts for a large part of his wealth. Other assets include DeLeón tequila of which he owns half, Revolt, where he's the majority shareholder, his music catalog, and his start-up investments, all of which bring in the rest of his massive earnings.
Kanye West is in third place at $500 million for three major reasons— his 5% stake in ex-wife Kim Kardashian's $3.2 billion shapewear line, his master recordings and publishing, and Yeezy since he still owns the trademark to the footwear line (Adidas is still the "sole owner of all design rights to existing products as well as previous and new colorways under the partnership.”)
The fourth spot may surprise you — it belongs to Berner with $410 million. His wealth is attributed to his massive cannabis empire, Cookies, which sells 70 strains of weed and 2,000 different marijuana-related products across its 55 stores in seven countries and 20 U.S. states. O'Malley says it's the foundation of Berner's fortune "thanks to an unusual business structure that could one day allow him to buy out local partners and create a unified multibillion-dollar cannabis conglomerate. He’s managed to retain an estimated 30% stake in the company."
The final spot belongs to Dr. Dre at $400 million. While he proclaimed he was the first billionaire a while back when Beats sold to Apple, his net worth peaked at $800 million. Since then, it's gone down to "just over $450 million before the first half of a $100 million settlement was paid to his ex (the second half is said to be due by the end of 2022)."
You can check out the list here, along with O'Malley's methodology for calculating the list.
