Who Banks The Most...In Hip Hop

1. Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson
$150 million

50 Cent has come a long way from his early days dealing drugs in Queens, N.Y., and getting shot nine times. The reigning king of hip-hop wealth banked $100 million after taxes last summer when his stake in VitaminWater's parent, Glacéau, was bought by Coca-Cola as part of a $4.1 billion deal. His portfolio also includes the popular G-Unit clothing line and record label, plus films, videogames and a slew of platinum albums, including last year's Curtis
© Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images

2. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter

$82 million
Brooklyn, N.Y.-born Jay-Z had a monster year, releasing a second platinum comeback album, American Gangster, inspired by the movie of the same title. In April he signed a $150 million, 10-year recording, touring and merchandising deal with concert promoter Live Nation and days later married his longtime girlfriend Beyoncé Knowles on the roof of his New York City penthouse. Jay-Z also owns a stake in the New Jersey Nets and has advertising deals with Dell and Budweiser.

3. Sean "Diddy" Combs
$35 million
The "Dapper Don" of hip-hop continues his decade-long run of good fortune. He brings in cash from his clothing line Sean John, record label Bad Boy, premium vodka Ciroc and two reality-TV shows. His catalog of hits, both as a producer and a rapper, includes collaborations with the likes of Jay-Z and the Notorious B.I.G., as well as rap anthems such as "Mo Money Mo Problems" and "Been Around the World."
© Brad Barket/Getty Images

4. Kanye West
$30 million
The pink-polo-sporting rapper and producer released his third solo album, Graduation, last September. After handily outselling 50 Cent's Curtis in a head-to-head opening-week matchup, West's album went multiplatinum and won four Grammys. West has penned hits for Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Diddy, among others. Earlier this month, he headlined the music festival Lollapalooza in his native Chicago.
© Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for IMG

5. Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley
$22 million

The portly producer has churned out hundreds of tracks for hip-hop's brightest stars, including all four above him on this list. His most popular hits include Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin' " and Ludacris' "Roll Out." More recently, Timbaland has produced pop songs for Björk and Madonna. His second solo album, Shock Value, went platinum after its release in 2007.

Timbaland is reportedly producing Jay-Z's next studio album.

$20 million
This multifaceted star made his name penning hits for rappers and pop artists alike as part of the production team, the Neptunes. He also fronts the funk-rock band N*E*R*D and is said to be an avid Star Trek fan. A geek with exquisite taste, Williams designs sunglasses for Louis Vuitton and owns apparel lines Ice Cream and Billionaire Boys Club. Esquire named him "the world's best-dressed man" in 2005.