In 2017, Forbes revealed its annual Hip-Hop Cash Princes, a list that includes alums like Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and ASAP Rocky. Staff members Zack O'Malley Greenburg and Natalie Robehmed got some help from esteemed judges that year: TDE co-president Dave Free, British rapper Little Sims, and West Coast legend Too Short. Its list of artists they predicted for mogul status were as followed:
- Desiigner
- Tory Lanez
- Stormzy
- Young M.A.
- D.R.A.M.
- Lil Yachty
- Bryson Tiller
- Lil Uzi Vert
- Noname
- Isaiah Rashad
This year, Forbes returns with a rebranding of the Hip-Hop Cash Princes package, opting to be more gender neutral. They revealed the new Hip-Hop’s Future Mogul Class of 2018, with a criteria of eligibility being “nominees must be under age 30 and cannot have appeared in a prior class.”
For judges, Forbes asked founder of Rap Coalition Wendy Day, Charlamagne tha God, and Universal Hip-Hop Museum President Rocky Bucano for their input in picking this year’s class. As opposed to last year’s, the 2018 class is more diverse in age, gender, and ethnicity.
Cardi B placed after her popularity soared once “Bodak Yellow” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and broke Lauryn Hill’s record.
Others include Lil Pump for his smash “Gucci Gang” and being someone who made the leap from unknown SoundCloud rapper to mainstream star. Post Malone ("Congratulations" and "rockstar" are commercial juggernauts), 21 Savage, and Playboi Carti also made the cut.
The positive response to Tyler, the Creator’s Flower Boy and "Who Dat Boy" featuring Rocky that became the first song from his catalog to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 earned him a spot. Tyler also boosted his profile through his streetwear line Golf Wang and his annual festival Camp Flog Gnaw.
For the full breakdown of this year’s Hip-hop’s Future Moguls, head over to Forbes.
