Unfortunately, the same demons that bore his provocative art led to his unfortunate demise: he died of a cocaine-induced heart attack in 2021. Touring: $0. highest paid rappers 2020 billboardkristen wiig daughter. Her 2009 mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty established her as a lyrical powerhouse, shortly before she emerged as the First Lady of Young Money, solidifying the labels ineffable trinity of chart-conquering rap beasts with Lil Wayne and Drake. Blow may not possess his descendants complex rhyme skills, but he was a star in his own right thanks to a magnetic voice and charismatic stage presence. They did even better internationally and topped the 2020 Global Money Makers ranking. 10. The first rapper inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Jay-Z believes everyone has genius-level talent. Sales: $218K 1. And he did all of it as one of the Souths first real rap stars, showcasing lyrical complexity and emotional depth in a region that was once wholly dismissed while also making classic cuts with legends from both coasts, like Jay-Z, Nas and 2Pac. Billboard's findings are different from last year's Forbes' Highest-Paid Celebrities, which placed . Other key performance drivers for the beerbongs & bentleys artist include his No. He earned an additional $2.2 million from publishing and $253,000 from two concerts. With a collection of brilliant solo albums and one of the most unmistakable styles in hip-hop history, Ghostface Killah is arguably the most accomplished rapper within the Wu-Tang Clan, which already has its own stake on any GOAT rap group list. Rhymes about experiencing a mental health crisis? But even after writing rhymes that triggered FBI attention and radio bans, Ice Cube launched an even more extraordinary solo run. Sales: $1.3M 1 mover of digital albums (1.06 million), digital tracks (1.09 million) and on-demand audio streams (4.3 billion) for 2020. Metallica $9 million19. 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. Run the Jewels, "Walking in the Snow". Streaming: $6.8M , as there seem to be some shenanigans involved with their accounting. Those concerts grossed $12.6 million, which yielded $4.3 million in take-home pay, and earned them the No. Last years rank: Name a subject covered by your favorite rapper, and Scarface probably addressed it first. Cheryl James is an American songwriter and rapper who is best known for being a member of the rap trio Salt-H-Pepa which also includes Sandra Denton and Spinderella. Billboards Top New Artist of 2020 released his debut album, Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial in December 2019, when it debuted at No. His touring take came from two concerts. Sales: $126K The multi-talented artist may write, rap, produce, act and more but his wealth comes mainly from his clothing line and stakes in companies like Croc Vodka, Revolt TV and Aquahydrate. While her 2.37 billion in combined streams is the main reason she made the cut, she also ranked at No. 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. Touring: $1M. curtailing chances for any artists to tour in 2020. 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. georgia forensic audit pulitzer; pelonis box fan manual. 1. The act made another $1.33 million from the 785.6 million combined streams it amassed, which is typical for a group whose fans have been slow to adopt streaming. . Sales: $185K Last years rank: No. 35 Streaming: $7.3M The timeless Ms. Lauryn Hill straddles the line between Motown soul, boom bap, R&B, jazz and rap defying convention and introducing a new standard for genre-bending rappers. Last years rank: The Brooklyn teens opening salvo was I Cram to Understand U (Sam), a song that spoke about the perils of falling in love with a crack addict. He is one of the highest-paid rappers and his net worth is around $100 million. Christopher The Notorious B.I.G. Wallace is the ultimate rap phenomenon. Publishing: $1.8M After collaborating on projects by Aaliyah and others, the pair focused their attention on Elliotts solo career, beginning with her arresting 1997 debut, Supa Dupa Fly. Sheeran landed on the Hot 100 twice in February 2020. Collection download grand theft auto v m The world of hip hop still found a way to get to the bag in a pandemic-plagued 2020.. Last years rank: Kid Rock, Detroit rapper Esham and Record Time's Mike Himes at the fighting for a name on the scrappy Detroit hip-hop scene of the '90s, . (1989) were eloquent hood testimonies. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Last years rank: No. He remains the overall most-streamed act with almost 8 billion streams, accounting for $11.7 million, only second to Taylor Swift in streaming royalties. His executive producer status grew as he created his Junior Mafia clique writing and producing their 1995 Conspiracy album, then releasing JM breakout star Lil Kims Hard Core debut in 1996. 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. E-40s contributions, including his 2006 top 10 rap hit and hyphy movement anthem Tell Me When to Go, helped bring the Bay Area into the hip-hops mainstream. 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. 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? Meths total package of street-savvy raps and heartthrob sex appeal made him a dominant force in the 90s and 2000s: he could carry his weight with his Wu brothers, spit muscular rhymes alongside Notorious B.I.G. Ever since signing to Roc Nation, Meek Mill has become more passion-driven and has ventured into business. Streaming: $6M The star-studded set was executive produced by Dreamville. Sales: $348K Sales: $152K Publishing: $194.5K Despite teasing a July release for a new album named after his mother, Donda, West dropped just one song in 2020, Nah Nah Nah, which was tied to his unsuccessful presidential run, and a remix that featured DaBaby and 2 Chainz. 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. Lucky for us, Jay found his early in life, and has since become your favorite rappers favorite rapper. He has recently used Instagram to make paid partnership posts promoting Wrogn styles for Myntra. 7 in both overall streams (4.8 billion) and streaming royalties ($7.3 million). Top earning rappers. Ed Sheeren. The songs helped give her a nice mix of sales, streaming and publishing revenue. In 2020, Forbes ranked Kohli 66th in their list of the top 100 highest-paid athletes in the world for that year, with estimated earnings of $26 million. Last year . A defining byproduct of raps blog era, J. Cole made a name for himself with celebrated mixtapes like 2007s The Come Up, 2009s The Warm Up and 2010s Friday Night Lights. On Public Enemys 1987 Rebel Without a Pause, the seminal groups mighty orator backed by raps archetypal hype man in Flavor Flav made it clear that hip-hop would never be the same. Queen, which owns its masters, ranked second in sales royalties with $5.3 million thanks, in part, to the 2020 rerelease of its $500-plus limited-edition colored vinyl Studio Collection box set of the bands 15 studio albums. AC/DC, which owns its catalog and receives a higher royalty rate because of that, released its 17th studio album, Power Up, in 2020, and it contributed to physical sales of 427,000 records from its catalog ranking the Australian headbangers seventh in that category and sixth in sales royalties. He was the first rapper signed to a major label, created one of hip-hops earliest hits with Christmas Rappin, earned the first gold plaque for a rap single with The Breaks and became the first rapper to embark on a national (and then international) tour. Ghost continued the winning streak well into the 21st century, firstwith his 2000 sophomore opus Supreme Clientele and on through 2006s brilliant Fishscale and 2013s comic book on wax, Twelve Reasons to Die. Snoop Dogg. Touring: $0. Last years rank: 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. "Things got bigger and betterGod is great," says DJ Khaled, who ranks No. Streaming: $3.9M The former honors student dropped out of school at 14 to focus on his music career, five years after entering the mentorship of Cash Money Records co-founder Birdman. Streaming: $3.74M Taylor Swift. Down to earth and humble, Cole possesses a passion that pulsates throughout his raps and beats. 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. Touring: $3.9M. In 2020, Elliott ranked No. Most of his income has come from tours, with the Divide Tour . Tariq Trotter, co-founder of the legendary Roots crew and the long-running Phillybands lead MC, still amazes rap fans with electrifying stream-of-consciousness radio freestyles and brilliant live performances. At 19 years old, Billie Eilish is indestructible. 95.216.46.57 LL spent his entire career at Def Jam, becoming their jack-of-all-trades a hitmaker for the ladies and a multi platform trailblazer for artists to cross over into such other fields as TV and philanthropy. Publishing: $1.6M The groups streaming performance was in line with other Latin heritage acts: Aventura generated 731.8 million in combined streams, which translated to just shy of $1 million in streaming royalties. Sales: $336.6K And hearing him master the double-time flow on 1999s Slim Shady-featuring Forgot About Dre, from the six-times-platinum-certified masterpiece 2001, is still a shock to the system. Streaming: $4.3M Publishing: $986K But, also like Strait, Sheltons box-office appeal earned him his berth on Money Makers. Click to reveal 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. 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! Tips laid-back, smooth-talkin flow came peppered with immortal lyrics in playful songs like Bonita Applebum. His body of work further established the creative link between hip-hop and jazz. #1 of 29. 8 in track sales (872,000). Queen $13.2 million8. He also picked up a nice chunk of change from 132,000 vinyl album sales in 2020, including the 10th-anniversary three-LP release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The list breaks down to 22 contemporary artists and 18 heritage artists. Touring: $0. This year, artists should be able to stack some cheddar now that music festivals and tours are opening back up from coast to coast. Aventura $10.2 million13. (Only living acts were included on this list.) 9 Sales: $394.9K Like other hip-hop artists, he lags in sales royalties, taking home $161,000. Based in Philadelphia, he gained recognition after releasing his debut single, "Money .more. As of March 2023, J. Cole's net worth is estimated to be $60 Million. Hes the artistic, esoteric and philosophical rapper who juxtaposed the streetwise and humble delivery of the groups late Phife Dawg. The Dominican American bachata group, fronted by Romeo Santos, played 15 pre-pandemic U.S. shows in 2020 its first tour since breaking up in 2011. 8 in digital album downloads with 114,000 copies. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. Touring: $0. YoungBoy Never Broke Again breaks into Money Makers for the first time, due almost entirely to the prodigious number of streams his music generated. Redmans popularity skyrocketed when he joined forces with Method Man in the late 90s and released the first of their two albums together Blackout!, which debuted at No. Publishing: $759K I will not lose. Brooklyns Shawn Jay-Z Carters defiant-yet-confident declaration has proven true through his legendary career. In 2015, she earned $154 million and was named Forbes' highest-earning . Publishing: $3.2M 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. The rockers also racked up 1.3 billion in combined streams that translated to $3.9 million in royalties. In 2020, hip-hop came on strong because its artists often have a strong streaming game. He set a new benchmark for erasing musical boundaries and ignoring popular trends, influencing a host of generation-next talents like Pharrell Williams, Kanye West and Tyler, the Creator. One of hip-hops most creative visionaries, Missy Misdemeanor Elliott began honing her skills as a rapper, singer, songwriter and producer as a member of the R&B/hip-hop collective Swing Mob in the early 90s with childhood friend/producer Timbaland. Publishing: $2.2M In addition, deceased artists are excluded from the rankings. Sign Up to track. Publishing: $1.6M Doja Cat is one of the most famous rappers globally and has won numerous awards . The evolution continued with the R&B, psychedelic soul, and pop-infused DAMN. Streaming: $6.4M After finding God, Rev. 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. Streaming: $8.1M Touring accounted for the $9.6 million more he made then, but the hip-hop artists April 2020 virtual Fortnite concert, Astronomical, which drew 12.3 million concurrent players, boosted his streams by as much as 160% from the day the show was announced (April 20), thanks, in part, to the post-show release of a new single with Kid Cudi, The Scotts. The day after the event, digital downloads of his catalog blew up 1,488% from 2,000 to 34,000. However, after the murder of the groups DJ Scott La Rock, he shifted to socially conscious rap aimed at empowering Black people and resolving the ills plaguing inner-city communities. Last years rank: Last years rank: Tm top bi ht v album ca Self-Paid Fabo, bao gm Trapstar, Trust Nobody, v.v. 1 Hot 100 hit to the top 10 of the Streaming Songs chart in October 2020. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Streaming: $2.1M Touring: $0. Certified double-platinum, the album spun off three consecutive No. Last years rank: No. After serving a two-year prison sentence in 2016 for firearm possession by a convicted felon, a rejuvenated Guwopsubsequently went on a mainstream run like he was a new artist. Outside of the top 10, The Weeknd ranks at No. Streaming: $6.6M These days Kendrick's name is on every hip hop lover's lips. Listening to Black Thought is like enrolling in a masterclass on lyricism. 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. Artists with most songs in the Billboard Top 100 in the U.S. 2012-2021 . Touring: $0. Touring: $4.2M. 1 album since 1982. albums all without missing a beat. He also squeezed in seven live shows in early 2020, which amounted to a $91,500 paycheck for those performances. Touring: $17M. She ranks even higher on the Global Money Makers list because of her strong global performance, particularly in streaming. Touring: $1M. The embattled rapper finished at No. 5 most-played act of 2020 the band also generated nearly $4.9 million in income from its recorded masters, which is almost 30% of the bands overall earnings. Out of 40 artists, Taylor Swift returned to the number-one spot on the 2020 list, earning $23.8 . Eminem surprise-released two albums in 2020, Music To Be Murdered By and a deluxe version, Music To Be Murdered By Side B. The Stones, who were 2019s 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 releasing just two new tracks, Living in a Ghost Town and Scarlet, a Goats Head Soup-era recording with Jimmy Page on guitar.