Rap music is alive and well, and in fact is still a very profitable industry. Many rappers every year make millions from record sales, merchandise sales, touring, streaming, publishing, endorsements and other business ventures.
According to Forbes, in 2015, these 10 rappers all made $18 million dollars or more:
#1 - P. Diddy: earned $60 million from a variety of investments including Ciroc vodka, water brand AQUAhydrate, Revolt TV and his Sean John clothing line.
#2 - Jay Z: brought in $56 million, generated from his entertainment company Roc Nation, his recently acquired luxury champagne brand Armand de Brignac, and 22 concerts he did with his wife Beyoncé.
#3 - Drake: made almost $40 million, grossing an average of nearly $1 million per show across 50 tour dates. He also has huge endorsement deals with Sprite and Nike.
#4 - Dr. Dre: made $33 million from royalties, his executive-produced NWA biopic Straight Outta Compton, and his long-awaited comeback LP.
#5 - Pharrell: made $32 million from music production, tours, his coaching role on The Voice and his profits from clothing lines Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream
#6 - Eminem: made $31 million from royalties and touring
#7 - Kanye West: made $22 million from royalties, production, touring, and an endorsement deal with Adidas.
#8 - Wiz Khalifa: made $21.5 million from record sales, touring, and an endorsement deal with Converse
#9 - Nicki Minaj: made $21 million from record sales, touring, and endorsement deals with Adidas, MAC Cosmetics and Pepsi.