The world's richest rapper has a net worth of $2.5 billion. Here's who takes the crown

Type a celebrity’s name and “net worth” into Google, and you’ll likely come across a slew of blog sites with lists of estimated net worths.

But determining net worth is not an exact science: “Rich people don’t know how much money they have, and ‘net worth’ includes appraisals on all sorts of nonliquid assets, from cars to houses to fractions of companies,” The New York Times wrote in 2018. For example, Forbes’ real-time billionaires list uses public holdings information and stakes in private companies to update the world’s richest every day.

Here’s what the tracker says about the wealthiest rappers:

Who is the richest rapper?

Jay-Z is the richest rapper in the world, according to Forbes’ real-time billionaires list. As of June 2023, Jay-Z’s net worth is estimated at $2.5 billion. The Brooklyn-born artist, whose real name is Shawn Carter, became hip-hop’s first billionaire in 2019.

His wealth comes from his music, his entertainment company Roc Nation, a collection of Jean-Michel Basquiat art pieces, his venture capital firm Marcy Venture Partners and his partnerships with Armand de Brignac champagne and D’Usse cognac.

The 53-year-old rapper’s career has spanned nearly three decades and includes 24 Grammy Awards and 14 No. 1 albums on the Billboard 200 chart – the most of any solo artist.

Richest person in the world: Who takes the cake in 2023

What is Kanye West’s net worth?

Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West, has a net worth of $400 million in June 2023, according to Forbes’ real-time net worth tracker.

Ye lost his billionaire status after making several offensive and antisemitic remarks that cost him his Adidas partnership. His talent agency, Balenciaga, JPMorgan Chase and Gap, among other companies, also severed ties with the rapper.

Top 5 richest rappers

Jay-Z is the only rapper to claim a spot on Forbes’ real-time billionaires list with a 2.5 billion net worth in spring 2023.

The rap world’s richest also includes Ye, Sean “Diddy” Combs, Andre “Dr. Dre” Young and Gilbert “Berner” Milam, a Bay Area rapper who owns Cookies, the world’s first legal $1 billion weed brand. Here’s where the top five richest rappers stood in 2022, according to a report from former Forbes editor Zack O’Malley Greenburg:

1. Jay-Z: $1.5 billion (October 2022)

2. Diddy: $1 billion (October 2022)

3. Ye: $500 million (October 2022)

4. Berner: $410 million (October 2022)

5. Dr. Dre: $400 million (October 2022)

2024 Grammy nominations are here: Here's who is up for best in pop, rap, alternative and more

Just Curious for more? We've got you covered

USA TODAY is exploring the questions you and others ask every day. From "What is the most expensive thing in the world?" to "Are witches real?" to "Who has the most Grammys?", we're striving to find answers to the most common questions you ask every day. Head to our Just Curious section to see what else we can answer for you.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is the richest rapper? Top 5 wealthiest in hip-hop by net worth.