Born in Atlanta, Kanye West has become one of the world’s most popular and wealthy rappers. West first became known in the 2000s, as a producer of the famous Roc-A-Fella Records, and then went on to release his first solo album in 2004, called ‘The College Dropout’. Then, he founded his own record label, GOOD Music. The rapper is known for having experimented with a broad range of styles, from hip hop, soul, electro, gospel, and indie rock, to baroque pop, synth-pop and industrial.
In recent years, Kanye West has become super famous for another reason – being the husband of the famous Kim Kardashian. Also, he’s attracted a significant amount of media attention for his very outspoken and controversial views and his conduct at public events and shows.
$40 Million
Leonard Cohen was a Canadian singer-songwriter and author. Cohen was the true definition of a word's smith. He published his first official poetry book in the 50s and relocated to New York to attend Columbia University, which he ended up leaving after only a year. Upon returning to Canada he wrote his second book of poetry, "The Spice Box of Earth" it was during that time when he took adding melody to his words more seriously.
With his iconic, almost haunting voice, he sang about love and hate, politics and spirituality, peace and war, bliss and depression, and all the other eternal dualities that went on inside his soul.
$30 million
50 Cent, born Curtis Jackson III, is a very famous American rapper, producer, businessman and actor. A New York-native, 50 Cent had a very hard childhood and teenage years, starting off selling substances at the young age of 12, in the 1980s. He got into music at an early age, and in 2000, after a failed attempt at an album release after he got shot, he laid low for a while. However, in 2002, he released 'Guess Who's Back?', which got him signed to Eminem's Shady Records.
Eminem and Dr. Dre helped 50 Cent become one of the most famous and best-selling rappers in the world, especially after his album 'Get Rich or Die Tryin''. He also rose to fame with the hip hop group G-Unit, and went on to form G-Unit Records in 2003. The rapper has sold more than 30 million records worldwide and won numerous accolades, such as a Grammy Award, 6 WMAs, 3 AMAs and 16 BMAs. He's also starred in several shows and movies.
$825 million
Jackson was an influential singer, songwriter and dancer. Commonly named the "King of Pop", he is remembered as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century.. He is regarded as one of the greatest entertainers of all time. His fame in music, dance, and fashion, along with his spotlighted personal life, made him a figure in popular culture for over four decades.
He is the third best-selling music artist of all time - with sales of over 350 million records worldwide. He has won well over 100 awards, which makes him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He is also one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame.
$80 Million
Onika Tanya Maraj, known professionally as Nicki Minaj, the rapper, singer and songwriter, was born in Trinidad and raised in Queens, New York City. Minaj has received numerous awards and accolades, including six American Music Awards, 11 BET Awards, 4 Billboard Music Awards, 4 MTV Video Music Awards, a Billboard Women in Music Rising Star Award, and 10 Grammy Award nominations. The Hip Hop/Pop superstar has sold over 20 million singles as a lead artist, 60 million singles as a featured artist, and 5 million albums worldwide, ranking her among of the best-selling music artists in the world.
With all of her accomplishments, it's not uprising that sh'es also one of the highest paid in her genre. Minaj is listed as No. 15 on Forbes Magazine’s Hip-Hop Cash Kings, currently, the only woman on the list. Besides music, Minaj first made her debut in a motion picture in 2012 in the animated film Ice Age: Continental Drift, and in 2013, she was a judge on the twelfth season of American Idol. She has played supporting roles in the films The Other Woman (2014) and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016). She has a stake in streaming service Tidal and is a philanthropist who has awarded dozens of college tuition scholarships to her fans.