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| Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter |
Rap star Jay-Z came first in a list of the richest rappers in 2010, earning more than double that of runner-up Sean "Diddy" Combs. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter took in $63 million US in personal income between June 2009 and June 2010, according to Forbes.com. Diddy took in $30 million, followed by Senegalese-American rapper Aliuane "Akon" Thiam at $21 million. Despite beginning a jail sentence in March for weapons charges, New Orleans-born rapper Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter came in fourth, earning $20 million, ahead of California rap icon Andre "Dr. Dre" Young, who took in $17 million.
The real money isn't in record sales, said Zack O'Malley Greenburg, a Forbes writer who compiled the list.
Almost all stars at the top of the list all share a common strategy -- diversification. The top-earning rappers pulled in cash from alcohol sponsorships, clothing lines, nightclub properties and film appearances, in addition to concert tours and record sales. Jay-Z co-owns the 40/40 nightclub chain. Diddy promotes Ciroc vodka and appeared in the feature film Get Him to the Greek. Dr. Dre and Lil Wayne have record labels. Akon appeared in a Pepsi World Cup ad campaign.
"Eminem tied at number 14, even though he's sold more records than any artist since 2000," Greenburg said.
Eminem earned $8 million this year, despite the release of his album Recovery which sold 741,000 copies in the first week of sales.
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