The richest rappers of 2025, ranked
From luxury liquor partnerships to founding record labels and signing sneaker deals, these ten artists prove that rap is big business. Here's who’s getting paid in 2025
By Cayle Reid
RAP AND HIP-HOP have always been about more than just music. The culture surrounding the genres is part of what makes them so popular. But despite humble beginnings and a grounding in street culture, rap has really become more than just music, serving as the foundation of vast financial empires for a select few.
Today’s richest rappers have become moguls in every sense of the word. They’ve leveraged their art into brand deals, music labels and luxury products. Some built from the ground up, others pivoted into fashion, real estate and private equity, while a few parlayed early commercial success into global influence. In any case, the rappers on this list didn’t make millions from their beats and bars alone; they learned how to build their brands.
As we rank the ten richest rappers of 2025, what becomes clear is that financial success in hip-hop is now as much about ownership and investment as it is about musical talent. It’s not enough to top the charts. You’ve got to own the masters, launch the brands and negotiate the deals. Here, we rank the richest rappers with the highest net worths, according to a variety of sources, from ten to one.
All figures are in AUD, are estimates only, and are accurate as of June 20, 2025.
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Who are the richest rappers in 2025?
10. Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar net worth: $220
Kendrick Lamar’s wealth may rank him tenth on this list, but his cultural value is higher than ever. His latest tour, Super Bowl performance and feud with Drake have done wonders for his wallet, while his partnerships with brands like Nike and American Express provide another boost. His creative agency, pgLang, has begun expanding into multimedia ventures, and his music continues to generate strong revenue from both sales and streaming.
9. Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj net worth: $250 million
Nicki Minaj’s world tours have brought in massive revenue, and she’s capitalised on her brand with successful fragrance lines and major endorsements. Whether it’s fashion, cosmetics or plain-old social media influence, Nicki has leveraged her platform to build a consumer base made up of her loyal fanbase.
8. Usher
Usher net worth: $280 million
With over 75 million records sold and numerous Billboard chart-toppers, Usher’s music has always been lucrative. In recent years, his Las Vegas residency has become one of the highest-grossing in the business, bringing in millions annually. Offstage, he’s made key investments in entertainment and tech, and has dipped into real estate and brand partnerships. His half time performance at the 2024 Super Bowl also came with a sizeable cheque.
7. Pharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams net worth: $375 million
Pharrell has built his fortune by constantly finding new ways to utilise and monetise his creative expertise. As a producer and vocalist, Pharrell has churned out a steady stream of chart toppers, with a penchant for creating family-friendly sounds that lend themselves to kids movies – ‘Happy’ and ‘Double Life’, both from the Despicable Me franchise, are two of his most streamed songs. He’s less active in music nowadays, but has stepped into a new role as men’s creative director of Louis Vuitton, which keeps the money and cultural output flowing. He also founded fashion label Billionaire Boys Club, further adding to his wealth.
6. Eminem
Eminem net worth: $385 million
With over 220 million records sold worldwide, Eminem’s musical catalogue generates huge royalties. He also owns Shady Records, which helped launch the careers of 50 Cent and more. The semi-autobiographical film 8 Mile brought box office success, and he’s made millions through licensing, merchandise and touring. Eminem has remained relatively private in recent years as critical success has dried up, but his financial empire is still going strong.
5. Drake
Drake net worth: $400 million
Drake is the undisputed king of the streaming era. With record-breaking numbers on Spotify and Apple Music, his music alone brings in tens of millions annually. But Drake’s success isn’t limited to royalties. He co-founded OVO Sound and OVO clothing, both of which have become cultural staples. His endorsement deals (notably with Nike) and stake in the betting platform Stake.com have added serious cash to his portfolio.
4. P. Diddy
P. Diddy net worth: $600 million
Given the severity of the allegations against the man, we’ll keep this brief. Just know that Diddy accumulated most of his wealth from founding Bad Boy Records. He also previously had a partnership with Cîroc vodka, launched Revolt TV, invested in DeLeón tequila and dabbled in tech and cannabis ventures.
3. Kanye West
Kanye West net worth: $650 million
At its peak, Kanye’s Yeezy brand was valued in the billions thanks to a blockbuster partnership with Adidas. That deal collapsed in 2022 and the rapper’s net worth plummeted. He still has plenty of cash left, however, with investments in real estate, an extremely valuable music catalogue and a five per cent share in his ex-wife’s shapewear brand, Skims.
2. Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre net worth: $800 million
While his music is what helped him ascend to fame, it was the sale of Beats Electronics to Apple in 2014 for $3 billion that vaulted Dr. Dre’s wealth into the stratosphere. His Aftermath Entertainment label continues to pay dividends, thanks to having artists like Eminem and Kendrick Lamar signed. Dre has also invested in tech and real estate, and while he maintains a lower public profile than some of his peers, his bank account speaks volumes.
1. Jay-Z
Jay-Z Net worth: $3.70 billion
At what point do we stop calling Jay-Z a rapper and start calling him a business mogul? The 55-year-old has had a stellar musical career, winning 24 Grammys and routinely topping the charts, but his earnings from his music are just the tip of his net worth’s iceberg. Jay-Z launched Roc-A-Fella Records when he released his first album in 1996, with the label steadily growing in value since. He went on to found Roc Nation Entertainment, the Rocawear fashion line and alcohol brands D’usse Cognac and Ace of Spades. Jay-Z’s investment portfolio is similarly impressive, with stakes in companies like Uber and SpaceX. Ultimately, no other artist comes close to Jay-Z’s net worth, putting him safely atop the list of the world’s richest rappers.
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