Entertainment Arts Kanye West highest paid musician in a year, according to Forbes

Kanye West highest paid musician in a year, according to Forbes

A huge chunk of his earnings came from his Yeezy shoes contract with Adidas

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Rapper Kanye West has been named the highest paid musician in a year by Forbes, earning US$170 million (S$236 million). He was also named second-highest paid celebrity overall.

Last month, West had a feud with Forbes when it named him a billionaire. The publication said he was upset with its findings and noted that the rapper believed his net worth to be around US$3.3 billion, instead of US$1.26 billion. He reportedly messaged Forbes with the higher figure and added that no one at the publication knew how to count.

On the Forbes site, West’s real time net worth is US$1.3 billion on June 8, 2020. The list of billionaires was finalised as at March 18 this year.

Kylie Jenner topped the celebrity list with US$590 million. West was second with US$170 million and Elton John third with US$81 million.

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Singer Ariana Grande took in the third-highest-paid musician spot with US$72 million. It could be because of her Sweetener Tour and her albums Sweetener and Thank U, Next. At number four, Jonas Brothers earned US$68.5 million thanks to their successful Happiness Begins reunion tour and album.

Kanye West’s Christian hip-hop music has also been a success. Picture: Instagram

A huge chunk of West’s US$170 million came from his Yeezy shoes contract with Adidas, according to Business Insider.

West also earned from his Christian hip-hop album, Jesus Is King last October and Sunday Service album Jesus Is Born last December. Jesus Is King is the first album to top the Billboard 200, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Rap Albums, Top Christian Albums and Top Gospel Albums at the same time.

The rapper also collaborated with Vanessa Beecroft on two operas: Nebuchadnezzar and Mary.