Hip hop's 5 highest paid acts

1. Dr. Dre: $620 million

Thanks to Apple's Beats buyout, Dre had the highest yearly earnings total of any musician ever evaluated by FORBES. The $620 million sum is also more than the remaining 24 names on the Hip-Hop Cash Kings list—combined. Perhaps now the superproducer will have time to finally finish long-awaited album Detox.

2. Jay-Z: $60 million (tie)

Hov’s total is his highest since 2010, bolstered by a diverse list of ventures. There's his growing Roc Nation empire; 68 concerts in our scoring period; his D'Ussé cognac; and his latest album, which was certified platinum before it was released due to an agreement with Samsung to buy 1 million copies. 

3. Diddy: $60 million (tie)

More than two decades into his career, Diddy is still working—and earning—as hard as ever. His agreement with Diageo's Ciroc vodka accounts for the bulk of his bucks, but he gets a boost from other ventures like DeLeon tequila, Blue Flame marketing, Sean Jean clothing, and Revolt TV.

4. Drake: $33 million

His fourth studio album, Nothing Was the Same, has sold about 4 million copies worldwide; additional checks from an arena tour and endorsement deal with Nike’s Jordan line have tripled Drake’s 2013 earnings of $10.5 million. “Every year, we just want to get … better at touring and better at things that make money,” Drake told FORBES in 2013. “If I’m not on your list, I’d be gravely disappointed.”

5. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis: $32 million

The Seattle duo kicked off 2014 with a bang, winning four of the seven Grammy awards for which they were nominated—including Best New Artist and Best Rap Album for The Heist. That sort of acclaim has translated to big bucks on the road, pushing Macklemore & Ryan Lewis to more than triple last year’s $9 million take.