10 Richest Rappers Of 2009

The 10 richest rappers of 2009 have all ventured into aspects other than music including clothing lines, movies, and television. The majority of the rappers cash flow still comes from the music industry with many of them releasing successful albums and embarking on sold out tours in 2009.

1. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter. Earning $35 million the richest rapper of 2009 Jay-Z made his money from the release of the album "The Blueprint 3" which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 200. The album had the third highest first week sales and the ninth best selling album of 2009. Jay-Z also makes an income from shares in the New Jersey Nets and the New York nightclub 40/40.
2. Sean "Diddy" Combs. Rap mogul Sean Combs grossed $30 million with the help of his successful clothing line Sean John, premium vodka Ciroc and reality television shows "I Want to Work for Diddy" and "Making the Band". Diddy's biggest cash flow comes from his record label Bad Boy which in 2009 released two number one U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums, "Notorious: The Soundtrack", and Day 26's "Forever in a Day".
3. Kanye West. Controversial rapper Kanye West earned $20 million in 2009 with the help of  "808s and Heartbreak" which was released the end of 2008. The album was sold over one million copies and was certified platinum by the end of January 2009. The rapper embarked on his successful "Glow in the Dark" tour which included a headlining slot at Lollapalooza.
4. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. Grossing $20 million 50 Cent dropped from the richest rapper in 2008 to fourth in 2009. A true entrepreneur 50 Cent earned income from his G-Unit clothing line, record label, video games, cologne, and budding film career. The rapper released his fourth studio album "Before I Self Destruct" in 2009 and after only being released for seven weeks it became the 111th best selling album of 2009.
5. Aliaune "Akon" Thiam. Rapper Akon earned $20 million which is an increase from the previous year, something few rappers achieved in 2009. Constant touring paired with producing and appearing on tracks for Whitney Houston, Flipsyde, and Pitbull has tied Akon for third place in the richest rappers of 2009.
6. Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter. Bad boy rapper Lil Wayne made $18 million in 2009 which over half was earned headlining the sixty-five date 'Young Money Presents: America's Most Wanted Music Festival'. His album "The Carter III" reached platinum status the opening week and won Best Rap Album at the 51st Grammy Awards. One million of his earning was allegedly a gift from fellow rapper Birdman for Lil Wayne's 26th birthday.
7. Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley. Producer and rapper Timbaland earned $17 million in 2009, by producing songs and albums for some of the biggest names in the music industry, including Nelly Furtado, Katy Perry, Mariah Carey, Wyclef Jean, and Jay-Z. The super producer also collaborated on rocker Chris Cornell's third studio album "Scream," which the pair wrote and recorded in six weeks together.
8. Pharrell Williams. Song writing, producing, investing, and designing all contributed to his $16 million in 2009. Pharrell is an example of how rappers can mainstream into fashion by designing sunglasses for Louis Vuitton and owning both Ice Cream and Billionaire Boys Club clothing lines. Venturing into fashion did not stop Pharell from producing songs for Jennifer Lopez, Snoop Dogg, Brandy, and The Game, which helped earn his spot at number eight for richest rappers of 2009.
9. Faheem "T-Pain" Najm. T-Pain's third studio album "Thr33 Ringz" sold over 700,000 copies and reached number four on Billboards Top 200 chart. Earning $15 million came easy by appearing in Kanye West's "Good Life," Flo Rida's "Low" and The Lonely Island's platinum single "On a Boat."
10. Marshall "Eminem" Mathers. In 2009 Eminem earned $14 million due to releasing his sixth studio album "Relapse," which was his first album in five years. The album landed at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 Charts and has sold over 1.9 million copies in the United States.

Reference:

Forbes