50 Cent Tops Forbes’ ‘Hip-Hop Cash Kings’ List

Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson wears the crown on Forbes.com’ inaugural Hip-Hop Cash Kings list of the top-earning hip-hop artists in the business last year. The Queens-bred MC tops the list, earning $150 million over the past 12 months—almost twice what No. 2-ranked Jay-Z made.
The new king of hip-hop wealth banked $100 million after taxes on one deal alone when his stake in VitaminWater was bought by Coca-Cola as part of a $4.1 billion deal. 50’s portfolio also includes G-Unit Records, films, video games, platinum albums, and a mining partnership with South African billionaire Partrice Motsepe.
See the full list below.

Hip-Hop’s 20 Biggest Earners For 2008

1. 50 Cent - $150 million

2. Jay-Z - $82 million

3. Diddy - $35 million

4. Kanye West - $30 million

5. Timbaland - $22 million

6. Pharrell Williams - $20 million

7. Swizz Beatz - $17 million

8. Snoop Dogg - $16 million

9. Dr. Dre - $15 million

10. Ludacris - $14 million

11. T.I. - $13 million (tie)

11. Lil Wayne - $13 million (tie)

12. Eminem - $12 million (tie)

12. Common - $12 million (tie)

12. Akon - $12 million (tie)

13. Jermaine Dupri - $11 million (tie)

13. Lil Jon - $11 million (tie)

14. OutKast - $10 million (tie)

14. Chamillionaire - $10 million (tie)

14. The Game - $10 million (tie)