Dr. Dre has been named the top earning musician of the decade by Forbes.
The hip hop super-producer topped all other music stars in earnings this decade, pulling in an estimated $950 million thanks mostly to his 20% stake in Beats, the headphone maker Apple bought for $3 billion in 2014. The former N.W.A. rapper hasn’t released an album since 2015 and hasn’t produced on a No. 1 record since Eminem’s “Crack a Bottle” in 2009.
According to Forbes, “Taylor Swift was the decade’s second-biggest earner with $825 million followed by Beyoncé with $685 million, both profiting from multiple centimillion-dollar tours, several multiplatinum albums and a slew of multimillion-dollar sponsor partnerships with brands from Adidas to AT&T.” Jay-Z sits at the No. 7 spot with $560 million. Swift was named 2019’s highest-paid celebrity.
Dre’s income is only going to increase going into 2020. He is reportedly working on Jesus Is King Part II with Kanye West. Dre and West made the announcement on social media in back in November. West even shared his excitement at one of his Sunday Service events. He said, “I used to spend all my time trying to make my beats be mixed as good as Dr. Dre, who knew all I had to do was do an album for God and then Dr. Dre would start mixing my beats. Spend your time on God and he will handle the rest.”
Dre is also set to be honored at the 13th annual Producers & Engineers Wing Grammy Week celebration. ”Dr. Dre is an influential force in music,” Recording Academy President and CEO Deborah said in a release. “Dre breaks boundaries and inspires music creators across every genre. His evolution as a producer solidifies him as a leader of the pack within our industry, and we watch in amazement as he continues to shape the future of music.”
Congratulations to Dr. Dre.
See the full list below.
10. Lady Gaga $500 million
9. Katy Perry $530 million
8. Paul McCartney $535 million
7. JAY-Z $560 million
6. Elton John $565 million
5. Diddy $605 million
4. U2 $675 million
3. Beyoncé $685 million
2. Taylor Swift $825 million
1. Dr. Dre $950 million