Street Wize News ( Raw &Unkutt )

To be honest, on that list, I was on the cover of Forbes back in '98," Diddy explained in an interview. "I been on that list. I don't really get caught up into the list. I think people think that I have that money actually sitting at home in the basement...It's really like if I sold all my companies, and I take pride in [building] something as a black man that's worth that much...To everyone calling me for a loan today, I do not have that money today! ... It helps inspire people and it shows the power of hip-hop." (MTV)
Falling closely behind Puff on the list is Jay-Z and Dr. Dre.

When it comes to net worth, Jay-Z is number two. The top spot goes to Sean "Diddy" Combs, who tops our accounting of rap's richest with a fortune of $475 million, fueled by his interests in Sean John clothing, Bad Boy Worldwide record label and, most significantly, his Diageo joint-venture vodka brand Ciroc. Jay-Z ranks a close second, with $450 million. Super producer/rapper Dr. Dre ranks third with $125 million, fueled by past earnings generated from his own career and by helping to launch those of Snoop Dogg and Eminem. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, a onetime Dr. Dre protege who reaped a nine-figure payday from the sale of Vitamin Water to Coca-Cola, rounds out the top five in a tie with Cash Money Records cofounder Bryan "Birdman" Williams at $100 million. (Forbes)
No stranger to wealth, Diddy previously spoke on his dominance last summer.

"I was the first on the jet. I was the first running the marathon. I was the first donating millions of dollars. I was the first. I was the first with the 10 million records sold. I was the first with the label. I was the first with the renegotiations. F*ck a Forbes list--I was on the cover of Forbes. There is going to be someone that will pass me, but as long as I'm on the court, they are not going to be badder than me, because there is too much catching up to do...There is not one muthaf*cka that's here now who is going to outwork me. That is not going to happen, not right now. Maybe if I slow down, but to this day, no one can f*ck with me when it comes to getting busy and working." (XXL Mag)

Leading the pack is Diddy with nearly half a billion dollars to his name.

When it comes to net worth, Jay-Z is number two. The top spot goes to Sean "Diddy" Combs, who tops our accounting of rap's richest with a fortune of $475 million, fueled by his interests in Sean John clothing, Bad Boy Worldwide record label and, most significantly, his Diageo joint-venture vodka brand Ciroc. Jay-Z ranks a close second, with $450 million. Superproducer/rapper Dr. Dre ranks third with $125 million, fueled by past earnings generated from his own career and by helping to launch those of Snoop Dogg and Eminem. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, a onetime Dr. Dre protege who reaped a nine-figure payday from the sale of Vitamin Water to Coca-Cola, rounds out the top five in a tie with Cash Money Records cofounder Bryan "Birdman" Williams at $100 million. (Forbes)
The renowned financial publication also provided the reasoning behind each artist's selection.

In order to form the list, we followed the same procedures we use to calculate the list of the world's billionaires (released today) -- valuing current holdings, looking at past earnings, leafing through financial documents and talking to a bevy of analysts, attorneys, managers and other industry players to find the nitty-gritty details. We considered only performers, which is why hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons isn't on this list. Though other hip-hop artists including Lil Wayne, Pharrell Williams, Rick Ross and others -- not to mention pop sensation Bruno Mars, who penned Travie McCoy's hit song "Billionaire" -- frequently speak of ten-figure desires, we kept our list to five because of the lack of information available on the fortunes under $100 million. (Forbes)
Last year, Jay-Z and his wife/singer Beyonce were ranked the highest-earning couple in Hollywood.

Music duo Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles earned $122 million between June 2008 and June 2009, landing them atop the publication's annual Top-Earning Couples list in Hollywood for the second year in a row. The couple married quietly in 2008 and are responsible for everything from music ("Single Ladies" and "Empire State of Mind") to clothing lines, worldwide tours, and product endorsements (like American Express and Budweiser). (Entertainment Weekly)
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