Sophia Michaels
Kanye West was king in 2019.
Forbes has revealed its annual list of the year’s highest-earning musicians, which includes Beyoncé, JAY-Z, Drake, and Yeezus.
The Jesus Is King rapper lands at No. 2 on the list behind Taylor Swift with $150 million, thanks in large part to his Yeezy empire. His adidas partnership is expected to top $1.5 billion in sales this year.
“I am a product guy at my core,” Ye told the magazine. “To make products that make people feel an immense amount of joy and solve issues and problems in their life, that’s the problem-solving that I love to do.”
Music’s royal couple, JAY-Z and Beyoncé, tied at No. 6 with $81 million apiece. Drake ranks at No. 8 with $75 million, followed by Sean “Diddy” Combs with $70 million. Rihanna, who launched her Fenty fashion brand with LVMH this year, lands just outside the top 10 at No. 11 with $62 million in earnings.
The top 40 earners also include Travis Scott (No. 12, $58 million), Ariana Grande (No. 22, $48 million), The Weeknd (No. 29, $40 million), Kendrick Lamar (No. 34, $38.5 million), and Migos (No. 40, $36 million).
Overall, the 10 highest-paid musicians in the world earned just over $1 billion pre-tax from June 2018 to June 2019, up from $886 million last year.
Forbes World’s Top-Earning Musicians 2019
1. Taylor Swift – $185 million
2. Kanye West – $150 million
3. Ed Sheeran – $110 million
4. The Eagles – $100 million
5. Elton John – $84 million
6. JAY-Z – $81 million (tie)
6. Beyoncé – $81 million (tie)
8. Drake – $75 million
9. Diddy – $70 million
10. Metallica – $68.5 million
11. Rihanna – $62 million
12. Travis Scott – $58 million
13. Justin Timberlake – $57.5 million (tie)
13. Katy Perry – $57.5 million (tie)
15. Pink – $57 million (tie)
15. BTS – $57 million (tie)
17. Billy Joel – $52 million
18. Bruno Mars – $51 million
19. Jimmy Buffett – $50 million (tie)
19. Eminem – $50 million (tie)
21. Fleetwood Mac – $49 million
Written by: Rap
