Hip hop titans: Diddy ahead in race to have billion-dollar net worth

Jay-Z, Diddy and Dr Dre, all American rappers, are miles ahead of their contemporaries in the net worth department.

One of the trio will in 5-6 years hit the holy grail of hip hop: a billion dollar net worth.

But for now, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs is in the clear lead in the three-man race.

The entrepreneur, worth $820 million, sits atop Forbes’ annual ranking of the world’s wealthiest hip hop artistes.

It is the seventh consecutive year that the Bad Boy Records founder would top the list which was released on Wednesday.

In compiling it, Forbes took into cognizance past earnings, financial documents, and value of current holdings.

The magazine also consulted analysts, attorneys, managers, and other industry players before carrying out any estimation.

According to Forbes, Diddy’s lucrative deals with Ciroc vodka, and his Sean John clothing line keep fetching him buckets of cash.

Fellow rapper and Roc Nation CEO, Jay-Z, is worth an estimated $810 million.

A much-needed $200 million investment in Jay-Z’s Tidal music streaming service from Sprint in January is said to be responsible for his increased net worth.

Despite all the talk of financial troubles, Tidal is reportedly valued at $600 million, a lot more than what Jay-Z paid for it in 2015.

Rapper/record producer, Dr Dre, came in at number three with a fortune of $740 million.

Forbes attributed most of his earnings from his share of the sale of his Beats Electronics company to Apple for $3 billion in 2014.

Cash Money Records co-owner Bryan ‘Birdman’ Williams ($110 million), and Canadian rapper Drake ($90 million) are fourth and fifth respectively.