Rap Radar

It’s all Benjamins for real. Once again, Sean Combs reigns supreme as Forbes wealthiest hip hop mogul with an estimated $580 million net worth.

“It is one of the fastest-growing brands within vodka,” says Jack Russo, an equity analyst at Edward Jones & Co. “Consumers are feeling a little bit better about their situation, and with that, they’re willing to spend more on premium products.”

2. Jay-Z – $475 million

3. Dr. Dre – $350 million

4. Birdman – $150 million

5. 50 Cent – $125 million

After claiming Forbes’ 2012 Cash King, the Doc remains on top as the highest paid musician with $110 million. Trailing behind is Rihanna (#12 / $53m), Diddy (#15 / $45m), Beyoncé (#18 / $40m), Jay-Z (#20 / $38m) and Kanye (#22 / $35m). Forbes says:

Hip-hop superproducer Dr. Dre leads the pack this year with $110 million, thanks largely to his Beats headphone line. He collected $100 million pretax when handset maker HTC paid $300 million for a 51% stake in the company last year, at the beginning of our scoring period; he and his partners later bought back half of what they sold.

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It’s that time of the year and Forbes has released this year’s Cash King’s top 20 list. Dr. Dre cashes in at numero uno. Peep the remaining below.

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Due to his $110 million profits from his Beats by Dre headphones, the Doc comes in at numero 5 on Forbes highest-paid celebrity list as the only Hip-Hop celebrity. Full list here.

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Pardon their backs. With a combined total of $78 million from May 2011 to May 2012, Bey ($40 million) and Jay ($38 million) tops the Forbes list as the highest paid celebrity couple.

The Carters take the throne from last year’s highest paid couple Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady with Will and Jada Smith trailing not too far behind.

It’s deja vu all over again. Coming in at number one on Forbes richest hip-hop artist list is baddest boy of ‘em all, Sean “Diddy” Combs. The publication estimates Diddy net worth at $550 million. Rounding out the top three are Jay-Z and Dr. Dre.

1. Sean “Diddy” Combs – $550 Million

2. Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter – $460 Million

3. Andre “Dr. Dre” Young – $270 Million

4. Bryan “Birdman” Williams – $125 Million

5. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson -$100 Million

Iron Solomon is no stranger to the battle scene. And recently, he pulled up a chair with Forbes’ Zack O’Malley Greenburg to discuss the business side of the circuit.

Sidebar: ShowOff Radio Freestyle

While at the CES convention in Las Vegas last week, Forbes caught up with LL Cool J. After plugging his musical venture, boomdizzle, he addressed his gripe with the music business. From Todd’s perspective, radio is mostly to blame. Somethings, we just can’t live without.

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Mac’s back and this time, he chopped it up with the suits over at Forbes. He spoke on his independent hustle and overall success. Mr. Miller is featured in the magazine’s 30 Under 30 Music feature.

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photo: arthur pitt

Mac Miller ran into Forbes editor-in-chief, Steve Forbes, in the lobby of the magazine’s building. In a few weeks, the rapper will make his debut in the publication.

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