Its that time of the year again, when Forbes magazine releases it's infamous Forbes' Five, revealing hip-hop's most wealthy artists. This year, in particular, has been especially interesting, as for the first time since the lists' birth in 2011, Diddy is no longer holding the number one spot, but rather Jay-Z.
For those actively following the Carter-Knowles family, this likely came as no surprise. Jay-Z and his long-time wife, Beyonce have been regarded as Hollywood's unofficial power couple, brimming with success and artistic brilliance. This year has been especially groundbreaking for the pair, with a handful of achievements and changes, such as purchasing not just one, but two multi-million dollar homes, welcoming their twins into the world, and of course Jay-Z's release of his latest album, "4:44."
It only seems fitting that in addition to all of these milestones, that the cherry on top would be Jay-Z topping the coveted number one spot for Hip-Hop's most wealthy.
Jay-Z's net-worth sources
The question on some's mind is, just how did Jay-Z manage to snatch the number one spot on the Forbes' Five Hip-Hop list, beating Diddy out of his 7-year reign?
Jay-Z managed an astronomical increase in his overall net worth this past year, rating at an impressive $900 million in comparison to last year's $810 million.
While Jay-Z is an artist at heart, he definitely holds a businessman's brain, as he made several smart investments and strategic decisions throughout the past year that attribute to his wealth.
Forbes' attributes much of Jay-Z's financial boom to his interests with both Armand de Brignac champagne and D'Ussé cognac increasing significantly in value.
That said, his nine-figure ownership stake in his companies can't be hurting either.
Roc Nation, Jay-Z's entertainment company he founded back in 2008 and Tidal, his music streaming service are both providing steady revenue and building his financial success further.
Outside of his business endeavors, Jay-Z's billboard topping album, "4:44" also attributed to his economic success this year. In addition to the jaw-dropping record sales made, the "4:44" tour was also claimed by LiveNation to be the most profitable of his career.
Forbes Five Hip-Hop 2018 list makers
It's no surprise that previous number one spot holder, Diddy rests happily on the number two slot this year. Despite his ongoing success with his own business investments, specifically with DeLeon tequila, his overall net worth made a far less significant leap, jumping from last year's $820 million to this year's $825 million.
Dr. Dre holds the place at number 3, with a generous $770 million which is expected to grow this coming year significantly.
Hip-hop stars Drake and Eminem are tied for the final spot, each with an impressive $100 million net worth.
Hip-hop's first billionaire: the race begins
Now that Forbes' Five wealthiest hip-hop acts have been released for 2018, a new milestone sits on the radar, specifically for Jay-Z, Diddy, and Dr.Dre. The three are in the running to become the first billionaires within the Hip-Hop industry, and believe it or not; it's a close call as to who will hit that mark first.
Despite Dr.Dre currently sitting at a net-value well under both Jay-Z and Diddy, after Apple's buyout of his infamous Beats headphones back in 2014, Dre is still reaping benefits today.
According to Forbes, Dre is in line to receive a stock of Apple, worth over 100 million which could easily race him straight to the billion dollar mark.
Forbes also predicts that Jay-Z and Diddy are well on track to become Hip-Hop's first billionaires, mainly due to their strategic shares in various spirits that are increasing in value rapidly.
Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be any sense of unhealthy competition or bad blood between the three as they each strive towards this milestone. In fact, Jay-Z himself rapped on his track, "Family Feud," "What's better than one billionaire? Two. 'Specially if they from the same hue as you."
It seems that throughout Jay-Z's staggering financial success, he hasn't lost sight of his undying support for the community, and stays true to his passions and art throughout.
