50 Cent

According to Forbes' second annual "Hip Hop Cash Kings" list, G-Unit mogul 50 Cent beat out Jay-Z who topped last years list. After receiving a serious amount of cash from a deal with Vitamin Water, 50 Cent reeled in $150 million last year. The Queens native's investments include video games, G-Unit clothing/records, and a pending partnership in South Africa with billionaire mining baron Patrice Motsepe. Jay-Z, who is reportedly working on the follow up to last year's "American Gangster" album bows in at number 2 generating $82 million in earnings. After last year's platinum album American Gangster, Jay-Z brokered a 10-year, $150 million dollar deal with concert promoter Live Nation. The partnership will have the organization assisting Jay in promotion of all his business endeavors, which begins after his pending last Def Jam album Blueprint 3. Bad Boy CEO Sean "Diddy" Combs generated $35 million in revenue behind the success of premium vodka Ciroc, the Sean John clothing line, and Bad Boy releases from Danity Kane and Day26. The boundless entrepreneur has taken over TV, with Combs' highly successful reality shows in Run's House, I Want to Work for Diddy, and Making the Band. Rounding out the top five are producers Kanye West and Timbaland, who've earned $30 and $22 million respectively. Along with the success of their 2007 albums Graduation and Shock Value, the highly sought-after boardsmiths increased their net worth with production credits for Madonna, Bjork, Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, and Diddy. Rouding out the top 10 on Forbes' "Hip Hop Cash Kings 2008" are Pharrell Williams ($20 million), Swizz Beatz ($17 million), Snoop Dogg ($16 million), Dr. Dre ($15 million), and Ludacris ($14 million). Source: Forbes