Top 10 Richest Rappers of 2011

You really wanna know the richest rappers of 2011??

Here's the list of the top 10 rappers who sing in millions and we follow them loyally:

Jay-Z

It should come as no surprise that the richest rapper is none other than Jay-Z. Like many of his rapping counterparts, Jay-Z has made roughly $63 million this year thanks to his rap career and superb business skills. Jay-Z released his eleventh studio album ‘The Blueprint 3′ in September 2009, producing several hits including ‘Empire State of Mind’ featuring Alicia Keys and ‘Run This Town’ featuring Kanye West and Rihanna. On top of this, Jay-z also co-owns the 40/40 Club and the New Jersey Nets. He also created the Rocawear clothing and is the CEO of Def Jam Recordings. As the husband of Beyonce Knowles and the richest rapper of 2011, Jay-Z seems to be unstoppable.

2. Diddy

There can’t be a top 10 richest rappers countdown without Sean "Diddy" Combs somewhere in the running. Diddy’s business ventures, along with his career as a rapper, have made him the second richest rapper on the planet. Diddy is the owner of Bad Boy Records, the Sean John and Enyce clothing lines, Ciroc vodka, and has recently talked about opening a business school in New York. Diddy also released a single with his new group Diddy-Dirty Money called ‘Hello Good Morning.’ Diddy has made $30 million as of April 2011 and from the looks of things, that sum will keep rising.

 

3. Akon

Singer/rapper Akon has had a very busy year. In 2007, he signed a young woman going by the name of Lady Gaga to his Konvict Muzik label. Fast forward to 2011 and Lady Gaga is now the most successful female artist in the music industry today. In 2010, Akon was also featured on David Guetta’s single ‘Sexy B—-,’ which reached No. 1 on the charts in 6 different nations, and he has a new album in the works which should be released in the near future. With the combined revenue from his record labels and his recording career, Akon has grossed approximately $21 million as of  2011.

 

4. Lil Wayne

The road towards notoriety as one of the top 10 richest rappers is no cakewalk — no one knows this better than rapper Lil Wayne. In  2011, Lil Wayne entered prison at Rikers Island to serve a one year sentence for illegal weapons charges, but prison bars couldn’t stop him from making millions. Lil Wayne’s seventh studio album ‘Rebirth’ was released in February 2010 and debuted at No. 2 on the charts. In addition to his album’s success, his latest single ‘Drop the World’ was certified platinum. As of April 2010, Lil Wayne is also a certified millionaire, making more than $20 million.

 

 

5. Dr. Dre

Although Dr. Dre hasn’t released an album in almost 10 years, he still makes more money than most of us could even fathom. His record label Aftermath Entertainment is home to several rap legends including Eminem, whose 2010 album ‘Recovery’ has already had two No. 1 singles. Dr. Dre has left fans in suspense as to when his next and supposed final record ‘Detox’ will be released, but rumors are circulating that it will be within the next year. Dr. Dre has made about $17 million in 2011.

 

6. Ludacris

Unlike the other rappers appearing on the list thus far, Ludacris has made his millions from working in various artistic fields. Ludacris has had two wildly popular singles off of his newest album ‘Battles of the Sexes.’ ‘Get Low’ and ‘My Chick Bad,’ which features Young Money rapper Nicki Minaj, have both been chart-toppers. Ludacris also spends his "spare time" acting in movies such as ‘Gamer’ with film stars Gerard Butler and Kyra Sedgwick. As of  2011, Ludacris’ bank account boasts around $16 million.

 

7. Snoop Dogg

Coming in at $15 million, Snoop Dogg is number seven on our list of the top 10 richest rappers of 2011. One of the most resilient artists of the past two decades, Snoop released his tenth studio album ‘Malice in Wonderland’ in December of 2011 and has even been involved with television, most recently creating a video tribute to the HBO vampire drama ‘True Blood.’ He is also featured on Katy Perry’s summer hit, ‘California Gurls.’

8. Timbaland

The number eight spot on our countdown belongs to producer/rapper Timbaland. Timbaland released his album ‘Shock Value II’ in December of 2010 and collaborated with one of the front runners in the pop world, Katy Perry, on his hit ‘If We Ever Meet Again.’ He also owns Thomas Crown Studio in Virginia Beach which is frequented by recording artists such as Justin Timberlake and Missy Elliott. Timbaland is doing quite well for himself, making around $14 million this year.

 

9. Pharrell Williams

As one of the most sought after producers in the music industry, it is obvious why Pharrell Williams is one of the top 10 richest rappers of 2011. In the past year, Pharrell has produced records for major artists like Jennifer Lopez, Shakira and Kid Cudi and according to Forbes, Pharrell has made approximately $13 million dollars as of  2011. That is pretty impressive considering Pharrell hasn’t recorded an album with his rap group N.E.R.D. since 2008.

 

 

10. Kanye West

Kanye West has been known to speak his mind, which can sometimes get him into trouble (ahem, Taylor Swift’s VMA acceptance speech). However, speaking his mind has also made him roughly $12 million dollars as of 2011. In the summer of 2011, Kanye released his single ‘Power’ and another single entitled ‘See Me Now,’ which features vocals from Beyonce Knowles. So people can keep judging Kanye, but they shouldn’t waste their energy because it only seems to make him richer.