Diddy Tops Forbes' List of Richest Hip-Hop Artists for 7th Year and Is Not Far Away From Becoming a Billionaire

Find out who were the runners-up

By Corinne Heller May 10, 2017 3:45 PMTags
Sean Diddy Combs, Met Gala 2017Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

Damn, Diddy.

The rapper needs just $200 million to become a billionaire and if he continues at the pace he's going, he'll probably get there in less than five years.

Sean "Diddy" Combs was ranked No. 1 on Forbes' recent list of the five richest hip-hop artists for 2017 and the financial news outlet estimates his net worth to be $820 million, marking his seventh consecutive year on top of the list.

Forbes notes how the rapper, who has also gone by the names Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, makes much of his money from endorsement deals with Diageo's Ciroc, the alkaline water brand Aquahydrate and DeLeon tequila, as well as his stakes in the Revolt digital cable TV network that he founded in 2013.

Diddy has topped Forbes' list since 2011, when his net worth was estimated to be $500 million.

In 2016, the rapper ranked No. 22 on Forbes list of all highest-paid celebrities, with estimated annual earnings of $62 million.

Watch
Cassie Ventura on Watching Sex Scenes With BF Diddy

Jay Z came in at No. 2 this year with $810 million. Forbes noted the rapper's Tidal streaming service, which is  valued to be $600 million—more than 10 times what he paid for it in 2015, as well as his Roc Nation entertainment company, which recently signed CNN commentator Van Jones, and his Armand de Brignac Champagne.

Dr. Dre placed third with $740 million. Forbes attributed most of his earnings from his cut from the sale of his Beats Electronics company to Apple for $3 billion in 2014.

Both rappers have swapped spots for No. 2 and No. 3 on Forbes' list of wealthiest hip-hop artists over the past seven years.

Birdman came in at No. 4 with $110 million, while Drake placed fifth with $90 million.

Latest News