The "Empire State of Mind" versifier, and part owner of the New Jersey Nets, has a net worth of $450 million and has made the Cash King list three years running. He's running a close second place to Forbes' top billet moneymaker, Sean "Diddy" Combs' a native New Yorker from the "Boogie Down Bronx," with a net worth reported at $475 million -nearly half a billion dollars.
Combs financial interests in joint venture, Ciroc - a new brand of Vodka-record label "Bad Boy," and his Sean John clothing line have no doubt helped launch him to such ranking.
On Forbes' 2010 richest performers list, Carter led with a net worth of $63 million, while Combs made a cool $30 million. Aliuane "Akon" Thiam followed Combs with $21 million and Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter came in at number four with $20 million.
The list's third-place runner-up, former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records, Dr. Dre whose real name is Andre Young. The producer and former rapper, from Los Angeles, is the married father of five, two with wife Nicole Threatt (former wife of retired NBA star Sedale Threatt). His net worth is placed at $125 million. Young is credited for launching the careers of Michel'le, the mother of one of his sons, rappers 50 cent, Snoop Dogg and Eminem.
According to Young's Wikipedia page, in 2001, he earned a approximately $52 million from a buyout of his share in record label Aftermath Entertainment to Interscope Records in addition to producing hits songs by several artists, including Mary J. Blige's Family Affair." That same year, Rolling Stone magazine named Young the second highest-paid artist of the year.
Forbes says the artists rankings are calculated based upon their current account holdings, past earnings and financial documentation. Magazine editors, responding to Russell Simmons fans wondering why the media and fashion mogul did not top their list say they limited their list to performers only. Simmons, a resident of Saddle River, is the co-founder of pioneering hip-hop record label Def Jam and creator of the popular fashion line, Phat Farm. He is noted as the third richest figure in hip-hop, with a net-worth estimated at $340 million.
reported by BY ALICIA CRUZ
NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM
