Fleetwood Macs place on this list is partly due to the viral Ocean Spray TikTok video set to Dreams (and its several homages) that sent the 1977 No. curtailing chances for any artists to tour in 2020. Rod Wave is among the many hip-hop artists who dominated last year and earned a spot on Billboard'sranking of the highest-paid musicians of 2020, including Travis Scott, DaBaby, Kanye West, Roddy Ricch, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Lil Uzi Vert. Touring: $0. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic curtailing chances for any artists to tour in 2020, several big-name rappers still made money through streaming and other means last year.. Published by on 30 junio, 2022 While the pandemic had a disastrous effect on touring revenue, it lifted other royalty streams as music fans listened to more recorded music from the relative safety of their homes, through radio, streaming platforms or the turntable setups they bought with the money they ordinarily would have shelled out for concerts and festivals. Post Malone $23.2 million3. After a return-to-form with 2009sThe Ecstatic, the reinvigorated MC-turned-actor (Brown Sugar, Dexter) changed his name to Bey in 2011. 2 on the Billboard 200, and her biggest hit of the year was Lifes a Mess with Juice WRLD, which hit No. When Black Thought joins forces with supreme lyricists such as Eminem (Yah Yah), Royce da 59 (Rap on Steroids), Big Pun (Super Lyrical) or Joey Bada$$ and Russ (Because), the combination elevates the craft and technique of rap to another level. #1 of 29. Snoop Dogg. The single spent seven nonconsecutive weeks at No. Changes, Biebers first album in more than four years, became his seventh Billboard 200 No. Drizzy is at No. The White Teeth rapper ranked No. He earned $10 million in combined streaming royalties including over 1.4 billion in video streams, 6.2 billion in audio streams, and almost 7 billion in overall combined streams. 1 at the end of that year and kept on selling and streaming through 2020, as well as delivering two 2020 Hot 100 hits, Watermelon Sugar, which topped the chart in August, and Adore You, which hit No. 1s with Mo Money Mo Problems and Hypnotize. Big completed two classic solo albums, 1994s Ready to Die and 1997s double-disc Life After Death the latter spending four weeks at No. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox, A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry. Last years rank: You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Taylor Swifts return to No. see charts legends Sales: $970K The rollout began with the Jan. 11 reveal of the rappers ranked 50-41. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many delayed their albums and did not get the chance to tour, but thanks in large part . and 2Pac, show his romantic side on the smash Mary J. Blige collab All I Need and just have fun with Redman on the duos How High films and Blackout! Running down the road for five decades, the Eagles played 10 shows in 2020 that grossed $33 million and netted $11.4 million in income. Lonnie Rashid Lynn was seemingly carrying the hopes, dreams and aspirations of the entire Chicago rhyme community on his back with 1992sCan I Borrow a Dollar? 1 on the Billboard 200 and finished 2020 as the No. They accounted for close to 20% of his 4.1 billion combined streaming plays. Jonathan Lyndale Kirk released his third studio album, Blame It on Baby, in April 2020, which debuted atop the Billboard 200 and produced his highest-charting song, Rockstar featuring Roddy Ricch. 4 in physical album sales after moving 517,000 copies of their recordings. Before Ice Cube, born OShea Jackson, became a Hollywood heavyweight and basketball league owner, he wrote brilliant and incisive verses for his N.W.A groupmates (Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Arabian Prince, DJ Yella and MC Ren) and himself on Straight Outta Compton, the groups classic 1988 debut. Net worth: $820 million. 14. 1, El ltimo Tour del Mundo. The albums smash single, The Box, spent 11 consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100, and Ricchs feature on DaBabys No. Last years rank: It was one of five songs she landed on the chart that year: Three were collaborations, with Marshmello (Be Kind), Machine Gun Kelly (Forget Me Too) and Kelsea Ballerini (The Other Girl), while the fourth was her country-flavored solo track, You Should Be Sad, which peaked at No. The haunted hip-hop persona of Nayvadius DeMun Wilburn scored his seventh Billboard 200 No. 11 ($10.4M), while Eminem holds down the No. The pandemic interrupted Joels quasi-monthly residency at Madison Square Garden, cutting the $23.2 million he took home from those shows in 2019 to $2.5 million in 2020. Cole is one of the highest-paid rappers in the world. Touring: $0. The band also remains strong in physical album sales: It sold 412,000 copies last year, 272,000 of them on vinyl. Touring: $3.9M. His lyrical intensity and fearless aggression are battle-tested, as he sparred with the likes of 50 Cent and Beanie Sigel in the 2000s before single-handedly dismantling Dipset in a 2021 Verzuz battle. BTS $8.9 million20. Lil Waynes cultural, sonic and lyrical influence will forever be embedded into the fabric of hip-hop, by way of his talent as both an artist and as an A&R. Bolstered by two mammoth deals with luxury giant LVMH and Jack Dorsey's Square, Jay-Z has lapped the competition to become the highest-paid rapper of 2021; and as per Rolling Stone, the 2nd highest-paid musician behind Bruce Springsteen and his US$590 million / AU$811.9 million music catalogue sale.. Hip-hop's first billionaire managed to rake in a grand total of US$470 million / AU$646.75 . 25 (7.37 million), Kanye West at No. Plutos epic mixtape three-peat of Monster, Beast Mode, and 56 Nights followed by thecritically acclaimed DS2 and his What a Time to Be Alive joint project with Drake all within the calendar year of 2015 could be the best use of 365 days that rap has ever seen. When you consider the evolution of hip-hop, Rakim is the source material for pioneering the use of internal and multisyllabic rhymes, penning intricate lyrics and shifting the overall use of simple flows to more complex deliveries. 2023 Billboard Media, LLC. Iggy . Streaming: $10.6M Sales: $336.6K Posty . Publishing: $1.7M He can turn the mundane into something sweet (Foldin Clothes) or act out in rebellion (Fire Squad). Other Hip Hop figures include Future at 22 with $8.2 million Roddy Ricch at 24 with $7.4 million, Rod Wave at 25 with $7.4 million, and Kanye West at 30 at $6.6 million. Publishing: $1.6M 38 The first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Jay-Z believes everyone has genius-level talent. 1 twice on the Billboard 200, while all six of the groups albums were certified either gold or platinum. The Stones, who were 2019's top Money Maker with $65 million in take-home pay 92% of it from touring placed in the bottom 25% of this ranking without playing a single show in 2020 and . With one of the deepest catalogs in hip-hop history including 18 top 10s on Billboards Top Rap Albums chart Forty Water personifies the hustle of forging a successful independent career. Rhymes about experiencing a mental health crisis? Sales: $10M Billboard has released its highest-paid musicians of 2020. Now a rap elder statesman, Bun keeps a keen eye on next-gen talent, offering key co-signs to such contemporary stars as Drake and Kodak Black. James is the 6th richest female rapper in the world. 26. Last years rank: The star-studded set was executive produced by Dreamville. Publishing: $2.4M Their lyrical skirmish ended in tragedy when Pac was shot and killed in a Las Vegas shooting in 96, rocking the entire music world. Few lyricists possess the dexterity to pull off a brilliant allegory about the history of hip-hop on I Used to Love H.E.R. while also firing off a savage takedown of a fearsome Ice Cube on The Bch In Yoo, and then later becoming a Grammy-nominated hitmaker on The Light. And in 2017, Common became the first rapper to get the first 3/4 of the way to an EGOT by winning an Emmy (Letter to the Free, from 13th), Grammy (Love of My Life with Erykah Badu) and Oscar (Glory with John Legend, from Selma). Last years rank: 11. All Rights Reserved. (Billboard counts her siblings share as part of the artists revenue base.) Song Quiz. He led Run-DMC to historic heights, as they became the first hip-hop group to flex B-Boy minimalism to the masses(Sucker MCs), go gold (1984s King of Rock), appear on MTV, reach multiplatinum status (with 1986s landmarkRaising Hell, punctuated by the boundary-breaking Aerosmith collab Walk This Way), headline arena tours and ink a major endorsement deal (Adidas). Buoyed by his first Billboard 200 No. Surprisingly, for a heritage artist, his combined streams for the year were 907 million, which put $1.7 million in his pocket. From battle rhyming (Shut the Eff Up-Hoe) to heartfelt storytelling (Poor Georgie), Lyte roared into the 90s racking up three gold singles most notably the Puffy Combs-produced Cold Rock a Party (1996), featuring an then-up-and-coming Missy Elliott. Dre e ha ottenuto il primo successo due anni pi tardi con il singolo My Name Is. 24 ($7.4 million), Rod Wave at No. Streaming: $6.8M Last years rank: So for example, as estimable as his career is, British rapper Slick Rick isnt on this list. Sales: $218K A recent Billboard revealed that such big-name rappers who saw the most cash in 2021 are Post Malone, Drake, YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Lil Baby.They're at the top in the least of the top paid musicians of 2020. Last years rank: A year later, the first universally hailed God MC demystified the allure of the Big Apple (New York, New York) and distilled the crisis of the cocaine epidemic (White Lines [Dont Dont Do It]) before crashing pop radio with his 1984 appearance on Chaka Khans Grammy-winning, No. Alongside Phife, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White, ATCQ also part of the Native Tongues collective (Queen Latifah, De La Soul, Jungle Brothers, Monie Love) claimed No. Some of the names on the list are expected . Touring: $4.3M. Streaming: $2.97M 2021-2022 earnings: $73 million. From there, Pusha became a fashion icon and served as president of Wests label, while continuing to release well-received solo albums full of vivid descriptions of his drug hustling and emotional struggles. He had a point, and OutKast certainly played a key role in that. 9. Basic Statistic Highest-paid women in . Before Power-ing up his TV empire, 50 Cent continued to top the charts with follow-ups like The Massacre and Curtis, while also making stars of his G-Unit label roster mates, including Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and The Game. He also remains a streaming giant with $8.1 million in overall royalties, plus an additional $2 million from publishing. Eve - $10 Million. Last years rank: No. 22 During his 30+-year career, the global best-selling producer, often cited as hip-hops GOAT behind the boards, boasts a treasure trove of lyricists who have written for him, from Ice Cube, the D.O.C. 2 with $23.2 million, most of which came from streaming ($8.1 million) and touring ($12.4 million) before he had to shut it down due to the pandemic. 100 Greatest Music Video Artists of All Time. Lucky for us, Jay found his early in life, and has since become your favorite rappers favorite rapper. The Wu-Tang Clan member possesses it all: unmistakable voice, impenetrable flow, witty rhymes, dark sense of humor, charm and good looks that also translated into Hollywood success. Streaming: $9.1M From there, the teams took into account the following criteria, not in any particular order: body of work/achievements (charted singles/albums, gold/platinum certifications), cultural impact/influence (how the artists work fostered the genres evolution), longevity (years at the mic), lyrics (storytelling skills) and flow (vocal prowess). However, the Port Arthur native born Bernard James Freeman twangy flow ended up being far more influential than his initial underground career aspirations. The Compton native has become one of musics most influential artists thanks to his vivid, thought-provoking and sometimes controversial lyrics, fearless genre experimentation, and agile-yet-masterful flow. 1 The first became his 10th consecutive Billboard 200 No. Those releases helped Slim Shady reach No. Hip-hop artists remain music's top money makers. As the No. The LOX frontman fostered his hip-hop breakout with a co-sign from The Notorious B.I.G., then stomped his way to prominence with his Timberlands and hard-nosed raps. According to Billboard 's report, published on Monday (July 19), rappers Post Malone, Drake, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Lil Baby are among the publication's Top Paid Musicians of 2020. Q-Tip, co-founder of the alternative hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, has been on point for over 30 years. His performance made him the sixth-place finisher in the streaming royalties category, with a $7.6 million payday a big difference from the $89,300 he made in sales royalties, the sixth-lowest total on this list. Starting in the early 00s with production on hits for Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel and Talib Kweli, Kanye West moved in front of the mic in 2003 with his solo debut, Through the Wire, then scored his first Hot 100 No. Forbes ranking: #21. , as there seem to be some shenanigans involved with their accounting. Celine Dion $17.5 million4. But like King James, he relished the pressure, releasing his seismic debut album Illmatic in 1994 a quintessential hip-hop opus that transcended the genre and became the Holy Bible for every budding lyricist. His award-winning 2002 biographical film 8 Mile even depicted the Detroit-bred MCs real-life struggle to be accepted as a white rapper in hip-hop, a genre created and dominated by Black people. 1. But, also like Strait, Sheltons box-office appeal earned him his berth on Money Makers. Last years rank: Touring: $0. 10. Unlike most other R&B/hip-hop acts, The Weeknd also generated strong sales royalties. Here are the richest rappers in the UK. Bring the crowd and Im loud in living color/ It is Weezy Fkin Baby, got these rappers in my stomach, Lil Wayne opens his 2005 deep cut, Best Rapper Alive, foreshadowing the years to come. Publishing: $1.4M The Staten Island lyricist draws from a Technicolor palette of inimitable slang, colorful character profiles, luxurious wares and slippery flows to craft vibrant, imaginative stories. 1 alongside Twista and Jamie Foxx on Slow Jamz. Then came a torrent of beloved albums (Graduation, 808s & Heartbreak and My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy). Like AC/DC and Queen, Metallica owns its masters, which means the bands royalties are calculated at a rate of 78% (from which 4% goes to the producers of its albums). He was also the beneficiary of almost 1.7 million terrestrial radio spins, which made him the fifth-most-played artist in that format. Revenue from featured artist appearances is credited to the main artists but other recording collaborations usually denoted as a duet with, + or & or X are generally split evenly by the artists. Touring: $2.7M. Last years rank: Rozays Hustlin dreams turned to gold when he rattled the cages of raps mainstream with his 2006 summer anthem and pledged his allegiance to Def Jam and its ex-president Jay-Z. He received the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, the highest sporting honor in India, in 2018. Down to earth and humble, Cole possesses a passion that pulsates throughout his raps and beats. The forum calculated she made $13.6 million from flowing and $1 million at the crate office, with an aggregate revenue tallied to be $32.8 million. highest paid rappers 2020 billboardkristen wiig daughter. The genre with the biggest gains is R&B/hip-hop, which is represented by 12 artists this year, up from three in 2019. It took a minute, but Common (then Common Sense) finally garnered national praise after launching one of the most celebrated three-album runs in rap history: 1994sResurrection, 1997sOne Day Itll All Make Sense and 2000sLike Water for Chocolate. He also squeezed in seven live shows in early 2020, which amounted to a $91,500 paycheck for those performances. For the first time, YoungBoy Never Broke Again scores a spot on the top Money Makers at No. 35 We're always a bit suspicious of Forbes highest-paid musician lists, as there seem to be some shenanigans involved with their accounting. Last years rank: No. After the album went platinum, he became the first Latino solo rap act to sell over a million copies. Pink Floyd $8.8 million. Sales: $2.1M Last years rank: His 2002 mixtape Guess Whos Back? 26 source: instagram. So well never know what the then-24-year-old could have accomplished if hed been allowed a career as long and as storied as his peers. Like Roddy Ricchs, Waves video streams were particularly robust 793.5 million, the fifth-highest in the category. 1s on Billboards Hot Rap Songs chart No Time, Not Tonight (Ladies Night Remix) and Crush on You making her the first female rapper to do so. Last years rank: No. While not enough to make the top 10 in that category, he ranked second in album download sales with 314,000 copies and No. We also opted not to include thesignificant contributionsof reggaetn and dancehall MCs on this list,just to keep our pool of nominees a little more focused. According to Billboard's report, published on Monday (July 19), rappers Post Malone, Drake, YoungBoy Never Broke Again and Lil Baby are among the publication's Top Paid Musicians of 2020. BILLIE EILISH. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100and anotherfour on the Billboard 200 albums chart are nothing to scoff at, as Ludacris chart resum can stand up to just about any of his rap contemporaries. ), among the catchiest singles in hip-hop history. after his scene-stealing verse on their 1991 hit Same Song. Pacs duality as a solo artist was remarkable: One minute, he was endearing, scripting empathetic classics like Dear Mama and Keep Your Head Up; the other, he was explosive, lacing up his war boots, ready to ride on his enemies (Hit Em Up and Hail Mary). Drake $14.2 million7. Streaming: $3.74M The Top 10 Richest Female Rappers of 2023. 1 on the Billboard 200. In addition to topping the overall ranking, Swifts ownership position also vaulted her to No. Rapping since 1993, Black Thought continues to grow more polished as one of the genres greatest MCs. In early 2023, Billboard/Vibe is ranking the Top 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time as part of our salute to this year's golden anniversary of hip-hop. But in fact, his limitations were what made the 25-year-old wunderkind one of the greatest MCs to touch Gods green earth: He knew of his shortcomings, but relied on his voice and motivational messaging to resonate and crack through the toughest gangstas. His prolific output resulted in almost 3.7 billion U.S. audio streams, the 10th-largest in the category, and 4.7 billion combined streams, which netted him $6.8 million in royalties and secured him the No. 5 in digital downloads (261,000) for the year and No. They did even better internationally and topped the 2020 Global Money Makers ranking. A year with little touring resulted in many of rock and country musics regular road warriors giving up their spots to artists with strong 2020 streaming and physical sales performances many of them hip-hop acts. For the first time in the history of Money Makers, concert revenue did not determine the No. Im drivin Caddy, you fixin a Ford, Joseph Simmons boasted on Run-DMCs 1984 breakthrough Rock Box. While DMC was the majestic voice and the late DJ Jam Master Jay the heartbeat of the epochal 80s rap trio, Run was the undisputed star. Last years rank: While 2020 proved to be a huge setback for most artists' revenue, a new Billboard article says a number of rappers are among the highest-paid musicians of the year. 9 spot in that category. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google, Visit Billboard Pro for music business news. Here's their take on the top 20 biggest money makers of 2020, with a YoungBoy surprise at number 9. Impeach the president, pulling out my RAY-GUN/ Zap the next one, I could be your shogun, he exploded over the Bomb Squads revolutionary, deconstructed production. . 15, $9.5M), DaBaby (No. Thee Album became an instant hip-hop classic with its early use of funk samples and hilarious punchlines. All the numbers are down this year because COVID limited touring. Touring: $0. Touring: $17M. Shawn Carter leads the rap pack with a career-best total of $470 million. 2 Money Maker thanks to a world tour, but without any live dates in 2020, her rank was achieved by strong streaming numbers largely due to her fourth-quarter release, positions. Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox, A daily briefing on what matters in the music industry. Additionally, the OVO Sound leader earned $635,000 in sales. Sales: $5.3M When he partnered with fellow Long Island native Eric B., they became the mighty DJ and MC combo Eric B. . Her unapologetic tone shattered barriers for women in hip-hop, allowing them to be more sexually expressive and liberated. 1 albums well into the 2010s. ! And with those iconic words from the powerful 1993 anti-domestic violence statement U.N.I.T.Y., Queen Latifah cut through all the misogynistic noise. Streaming: $8.1M She ranks even higher on the Global Money Makers list because of her strong global performance, particularly in streaming. highest paid rappers 2020 billboard. Individually, artist streaming royalties increased a whopping 82% year to year, from $106 million to $193 million, and accounted for just under 50% of the top 40 Money Makers total income. 7 in overall sales royalties with $3.7 million. Sales: $4M Other rappers gracing the list include Eminem at No. Rock Quiz. More than 20 years after making his debut on the Wus Enter the 36 Chambers, hes not done: a standout verse on Conway the Machines 2020 single Lemon found him just as sharp as ever. Billboard has officially released its list of the highest-paid music artists in 2020, which shows how hip-hop has dominated as a genre in the last year. 7 finish in on-demand audio streams (almost 4.2 billion) and No. His most potent project came when he released his double-disc album All Eyez On Me the next year. AC/DC $10.1 million14. In addition, that mix also encompasses 50 years of cultural milestones for a genre initially dismissed as a passing fad and now recognized as the industrys market-share leader. In 2020, however, they played 20 shows to 215,000 fans behind their 2019 No. 5 By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Notice and European users agree to the data transfer policy. The Weeknd made $10.4 million USD while Travis Scott reportedly raked in $5.82 million USD. As of March 2023, Cheryl James net worth is approximately 14 million. 7 in that revenue category. Streaming: $1.3M Last years rank: Trump Didn't Sing All The Words To The National Anthem At National Championship Game. 10 in streaming royalties. KISS managed to play 20 shows in 2020, generating $14.8 million in ticket sales and $5 million in take-home pay, the sole reason the road warriors made the Money Makers list this year (and last year, too). When his metal band Body Counts incendiary Cop Killer (1992) nearly derailed his career, Ice also helpedopen a new lane for hip-hop: acting (New Jack City, Law & Order: SVU). Streaming: $6.4M Listening to Black Thought is like enrolling in a masterclass on lyricism. Touring: $0. / 07.19.2021. Doja Cat's debut album, The High Note, was released in 2020 and debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart. Last years rank: No. Some McDonalds locations refuse to promote the celebrity meal. And though he generated almost 3 billion more streams than Taylor Swift, he takes second place in streaming royalties because Swift owns her masters and is paid more per stream. Name a subject covered by your favorite rapper, and Scarface probably addressed it first. Despite laying low (for Ed Sheeran), he remained a staple of web radio, ranking at No. 1 spot on the list and because of the pandemic had little influence over the ranking in general. As a wellspring of talent, Virginia has had an outsized influence on popular music. Streaming: $2.1M Sales: $89.3K That gave the band a $2.7 million touring payday. Sales: $1.84M Even though other genres of music had a head start, rap is a powerful force. Touring: $0. In previous years, it has made up 75% to 80% of the top 40 Money Makers income. He grossed over $12.3 million in ticket sales for five shows (two at Las Vegas T-Mobile Arena) for a $4.2 million payday and seventh place in the touring category. As is well known, GOAT and similar best-of lists always draw their share of criticism and praise from industry pundits and the public alike. The late rapper continues to be an inspiration to waves of rappers, particularly Bronx-bred MCs like Fat Joe, Remy Ma and Cardi B.