When Forbes released their 2018 ranking of the world's highest-paid entertainers, no rappers managed to crack the top 10. However, this year there's been a bit of a shake-up in terms of ranking, with Kanye West catapulting close to the top spot after not even making the top 100 last year.
Taylor Swift, who ranked No. 21 last year, takes No. 1 this year with $185 million. Shortly after is the world's youngest billionaire Kylie Jenner with $170 million, while Kanye makes a huge splash at No. 3 with $150 million. The last time Ye made the list was four years ago. Ed Sheeran also made an improvement over last year, shifting from No. 9 up to No. 5. The only other musical act to crack the top 10 is the Eagles at No. 8. Athletes and Dr. Phil round out the rest.
Howard Stern, J.K. Rowling, and Dwayne Johnson rank No. 12, No. 13, and No. 15 respectively. Elton John likely got a huge boost thanks to recent biopic Rocketman, and has landed at No. 19. JAY-Z, who was the highest ranking rapper on the 2018 list at No. 25 with $76.5 million, has tied with his wife Beyoncé at No. 20 this year, bringing in $81 million each. Interestingly, Avengers star Chris Hemsworth grabbed the No. 24 spot, higher than his co-star Robert Downey Jr. at No. 31.
Last year saw Drake sit at the No. 53 position, but this year he's shot up to No. 25 with $75 million, closely followed by Kim Kardashian at No. 26. Diddy remains one of hip-hop's biggest earners at No. 28, with Metallica at No. 30. Kevin Durant's at No. 32 and Tiger Woods continues his surprising comeback at No. 34, while Rihanna jumps from 2018's No. 84 to No. 36.
Travis Scott didn't make the list last year, but he's sitting comfortably at No. 39 this year, tied with Jackie Chan. On another interesting sharing spot, the unstoppable K-pop megagroup BTS is at No. 43 tied with Bradley Cooper for $57 million. Eminem continues to make strong earnings at No. 57, while Ariana Grande, James Harden and Kyrie Irving sit at No. 62, No. 64, and No. 74 respectively.
DJ Khaled, Marshmello, and the Weeknd have a three-way tie at No. 87 with $40 million, while Calvin Harris and Kendrick Lamar tie at No. 95 with $38.5 million. Kung-fu Kenny made a bigger impact in 2018 with $58 million, while the Weeknd also took a hit in 2019.
Check out the full list here.
