According to XXL Magazine, Lil Wayne broke into the rap game by getting Birdman’s attention at just eight years old. His new mentor signed him to Cash Money Records at 12, placing him in both a duo and a four-person group before allowing him his first solo record at just 17. An iconic stream of solo records and mixtapes followed during the early 2000s, and thanks to his smooth flow and intelligent lyricism, Lil Wayne soon became one of the decade’s biggest rappers. 

Thanks to the success of his solo career, Wayne was able to start his own label, Young Money Entertainment, as an imprint of Birdman’s Cash Money. Young Money has featured powerhouses like Nicki Minaj, Drake, DJ Khaled, and Tyga and has produced five albums that hit number one on the Billboard Hot 200. He is often credited for raising a new generation of rap and hip-hop, and many of music’s biggest names cite him as their inspiration.

Although his music and label bring in the majority of his cash, bringing his possible net worth to $150 million, Lil Wayne has made some efforts to diversify his earnings. He wrote a book in 2016 about his time in New York’s infamous Rikers Island jail and has signed several brand endorsements, including for Apartments.com, Beats by Dre, and Bogey Cigars.

After founding minor hip-hop group C.I.A. with two friends, Ice Cube went on to pen “Boyz-in-the-Hood,” which he sold to Easy-E at Ruthless Records. The song eventually became a smash hit and led to the formation of the influential gangsta rap group N.W.A., which was made up of Easy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre. The three were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of fame in 2016 for their contributions to hip-hop music and culture and are often viewed as central figures in the gangsta rap movement. After making multiple records with N.W.A., Ice Cube broke out on his own for a lucrative solo career and even went on to write tracks for other artists. 

In addition to music, Ice Cube has found success in the acting world. He is most known for appearing in feature films “Boyz N the Hood” and “Ride Along,” although he has 81 acting credits and counting on IMDb, including multiple voice acting roles for video games. He has even made some ventures into the business world, making headlines in 2019 for forming a group which would bid on Disney’s regional sports networks, valued at $10 billion. (Variety reports that Ice Cube and his partners lost out to Sinclair Broadcast Group.) His net worth could be as much as $160 million.

Between solo records, producing and writing for others, touring, judging on “The Voice,” and participating in a variety of business deals, Pharrell Williams has a lot of ways to make money. In fact, Forbes listed him as one of the most “diversified performers on the Celeb 100” for his varied gigs. His net worth has been estimated as high as $200 million.

Although he isn’t the most traditional rapper on the list, Pharrell’s genre bending rap-rock, experimental hip-hop, and progressive punk stylings helped him find broad appeal, increasing his net worth. His unique sound has also helped him remain relevant throughout the ages, from his beginnings as a producer on the 1992 hit “Rump Shaker” to his writing on Snoop Dogg’s 2004 smash “Drop it Like its Hot,” his 2010 soundtrack for “Despicable Me,” and his 2017 N.E.R.D revival track with Rihanna, “Lemon.” Pharrell’s continued presence in the music industry is proof of his many talents — and will keep his pockets lined for years to come.

Eminem got his start by competing in the Los Angeles Rap Olympics in 1997. Despite placing second, his performance got the attention of some major record executives, one of which handed his tape off to renowned rapper-turned-producer Dr. Dre. After hearing the demo, Dre is quoted as saying, “Find him. Now,” (via Rolling Stone).

Since them, Eminem has gained a slew of milestone achievements, such as the top-selling rapper of all time, fastest-selling hip-hop album of all time (for “The Marshall Mathers LP”), and 14th best-selling musical artist of all time.

With such impressive accolades, it’s no wonder that a large chunk of Eminem’s wealth comes from his recording career. But the rapper doesn’t stop at solo recordings: His label Shady Records, which gave 50 Cent his start and birthed the top-selling “8 Mile” soundtrack, is constantly earning him royalties. Additionally, most of his money comes from his tours. He earned $3 million for a two-night gig in the U.K., brought in $12.4 million with the help of Rihanna for a two-night deal at Metlife Stadium, and gained $5 million per show on the pair’s co-headlined Monster Tour. Additionally, he maintains smaller sums from film appearances and brand endorsements, making his potential net worth as high as $230 million.

P Diddy is an accomplished rapper, record executive, and entrepreneur. He got his start at Uptown Records as a talent director but was eventually fired, according to Celebrity Net Worth. In protest, he founded his own record label, Bad Boy Entertainment, at just 24 years old. From here, he made two crucial decisions in starting his fledgling label. First, he was able to poach Uptown newcomer The Notorious B.I.G., whose rise to fame help cement his label’s reputation. His second move was to form an illustrious production crew, The Hitmen, who were able to pull big names from Usher to Aretha Franklin and TLC. Diddy’s success with his label, coupled with his critically acclaimed studio albums, helped him achieve legendary status in the hip-hop community.

Like many of the other rappers on this list, P Diddy has created some seriously lucrative entrepreneurial endeavors. He is most known for Ciroc vodka, whom he partnered with in 2007, and his clothing line Sean John. Thanks to his long career in music and business, his net worth could be as much as $900 million.

The now-infamous Kanye West broke onto the scene in 2000 with a production role on Jay-Z’s second studio album, “The Blueprint.” Since then, he has released nine studio albums and three collaborative albums and produced for a variety of artists, including Mariah Carey and Jermaine Dupri (via Rolling Stone). In recent years, his marriage to Kim Kardashian, struggles with mental illness, and political views have brought him much controversy. But despite his struggles, he maintains his spot as the richest rapper in the entire world.

West’s net worth has been highly disputed as of late. In early 2021, Bloomberg released an article about his upcoming brand deal with Gap, saying it could potentially be worth nearly $5 billion. This figure would put his net worth at $6.6 billion. However, Forbes wasn’t happy with the estimate, placing his net worth instead at $1.8 billion. Their reason? Forbes says their figure is based on West’s net worth at the time of writing, while Bloomberg’s is speculative and based on the projected value of the upcoming deal.

Even at the conservative end of the estimates, West is still the richest rapper by several hundred million dollars. His wealth mostly comes from his music sales in addition to stocks and royalties of his clothing brand, Yeezy. If his net worth of $6.6 billion is to be believed, he would be the richest Black person in America by about $2 billion and the richest Black person in the world. (At $1.8 billion, he’s still in fourth place worldwide.)