Popfy Skribbles - Forbes Hip-Hop Cash Kings 2013

Skribbles about the infamous Forbes Cash Kings: Hip-Hop’s Top Earners 2013 list that dropped on September 24, 2013…

Forbes Magazine drops two much-ballyhooed wealth lists every year that I anxiously await. One being the Forbes 400, a net worth ranking of the 400 wealthiest Americans. The other is the Cash Kings 2013: The World’s 20 Highest-Paid Hip-Hop Artists.

The Hip-Hop’s Top Earners 2013 list is produced by Forbes staff writer and hip-hop head Zach O’Malley Greenburg. The highly-coveted list creatively showcases the work that these cultural arbiters put in to build their global brands. Throughout the years, the annual income instrument has manifested into the de facto rites of passage amongst the hip-hop community, a defining “Look ma I made it” moment.

Coming up next, I am going to provide a quick recap of the important points highlighted in the Forbes article on the top three Cash Kings as well as a few additional thoughts of my own on these ballers. I am specifically focusing on the three two-comma artists because I can best relate to their get money style!

1. Diddy - $50 million

We all know that Sean “Diddy” Combs puts the hustle in hustler and he now has the crown to back it up. The rapperpreneur pulled in 50 mill over the past 12 months to claim the top Cash Kings spot. Diddy has his hands in a range of things: Bad Boy record label, Sean John lifestyle brand, high-profile Ciroc vodka deal, and Blue Flame agency.

“With MTV we used to say "I want my MTV." It is going to be, "I have to have my Revolt."” ~ Diddy

Diddy’s twenty-plus years in the entertainment game proves that he not only has the staying power, but the business acumen to play with the best of them. Couple that with the debut of Revolt TV later this fall, and boy, if his track record is any indication, Main Street is soon going to have to give way to Wall Street for his attention.

2. Jay Z - $43 million

Over the past few years no other rapper has come close to building and reppin’ their brand identity on a global scale than Shawn “Jay Z” Carter. If you doubt me I can give you 43 million reasons to back this claim up. Oh yeah, did I mention how he is boasting a net worth of about 475 mill?!

If Jay Z can be measured solely by the mentions of wealth throughout his lyrics, then Mr. Big Pimpin’ himself is deserving of top two status. His “Yeah I balls a lot, now I own the team” humblebrag did hold true until recently. Jay was legally forced to sell his small stake in the Brooklyn Nets basketball franchise (for a cool 500 stacks) due to the April launch of Roc Nation Sports, his new agency. He still owns a 1.5 mill piece of the Barclays Center, the spot where the team plays, but he’s gotta dump that joint too! Don’t feel too bad for Blue Ivy’s daddy. He's still gettin' it in with his Roc Nation label and management firm, and scored platinum status as a result of a rumored 20 mill game-changing deal with Samsung that included giving away one million copies of his latest album, Magna Carta Holy Grail.

3. Dr. Dre - $40 million

Rounding out the top three is last year’s top Cash King, music producer turned CEO, Andre “Dr. Dre” Young. From NWA to Beats Electronics to having his namesake blasted on a new academy at USC, Dre is killin’ the game right now!

According to a Financial Times article earlier this year:

"Beats’ growth has fuelled the overall headphone market in the US, which rose from $1.8bn in 2011 to $2.4bn in 2012, according to NPD, the market research firm. Despite the increasing competition, Beats remains the market leader: it had 40 per cent of all US headphone sales and close to 70 per cent of premium priced headphone sales over the Christmas period. Its 2012 revenues rose from $298m to $519m. Unlisted Beats does not disclose whether or not it makes a profit."

Beats Electronics, the audio company that manufactures the premium-priced Beats by Dre headphones that has drawn the attention of celebrities, was founded seven years ago by hip-hop artist/producer Andre "Dr Dre" Young and music mogul Jimmy Iovine. Within the past year, Beats has expanded its product offerings to include an in-car stereo system for the new Dodge Charger, integrated Beats technology into HP laptops, and bought MOG, a music streaming service that it is merging into the yet to be launched Beats Music. It has even convinced Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails fame to join the team as creative director.

As a result of its strong growth, especially from international markets, and its razor sharp focus, Beats' financial future is looking pretty good. The hip-hop world better beware. I got a vibe that Dre is gonna be in a sweet position to reclaim the #1 Cash King spot next year while reminding us to not forget about Dre!

Update: As I was writing this piece, news broke that Beats received 500 mill from Carlyle, a private equity group, in a deal that values the company at more than $1 billion including debt. It was also noted that the company is on track to collect more than $1.2 billion in revenue this year.