Lil Wayne is among the top 20 richest rap artists in the world.
Started writing rap songs at the age of just 8, Lil Wayne went on to become one of the greatest rappers of all time. The New Orleans, Louisiana icon is among the richest rap celebrities in the world, as he’s made over $333 million in his career, before taxes and lifestyle costs. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Tunechi has a net worth of around $170 million.
At his Welcome To Tha Carter Tour 2023, the rapper called himself the best rapper alive in the Los Angeles show. “Ladies and gentlemen, I don’t give a f**k what chu think you’re lookin’ at, but chu are lookin’ at the best rapper alive,” he said.
The rapper officially started his hip-hop career at the age of 12 in 1995, when he was signed by Birdman to the label Cash Money Records. In 1999, Wayne released his solo debut album “Tha Block Is Hot”, and gained popularity with his fourth album “Tha Carter” in 2004 and fifth album “Tha Carter II” in 2005. He became one of the dominant figures in rap with his “The Carter 3” in 2008, which sold over one million in the first week, and also won the Best Rap Album Grammy. Wayne is one of the world’s best-selling music artists, and has sold over 200 million records worldwide, including more than 25 million albums and 92 million digital tracks in the United States.
In his career, Lil Wayne released 13 studio albums, with the most recent “Funeral” in 2020 through Young Money Entertainment and Republic Records. The project featured appearances from Big Sean, Jay Rock, 2 Chainz, Lil Baby, Takeoff, Doja Cat, Lil Uzi Vert, Tory Lanez, Conway The Machine, Benny the Butcher and more. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.
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Weezy is also known as the one who discovered two of the best rap artists, Drake and Nicki Minaj, as he signed them to Young Money Entertainment at the start of their career. While the rapper made most of his earnings through music over the years, he earned a huge amount by selling his Young Money Masters to Universal Music in 2020 for around $100 million.
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As far as real estate goes, the rapper first bought a major property in 2011, when he spent $11.6 million on a waterfront home “La Gorce” on an island in Miami, but sold it for $10 million in 2017. The rapper then bought another home in Miami for $16.75 million and listed it for sale last year for $29.5 million. In 2021, Wayne bought a mansion in Hidden Hills, California for $14.5 million.
Musically, the rapper recently teamed up with longtime friend and collaborator 2 Chainz for a collab album titled “Welcome 2 ColleGrove.”
Lil Wayne Earnings By Year (2007-2021)
2007: $12 million
2008: $13 million
2009: $18 million
2010: $20 million
2011: $15 million
2012: $27 million
2013: $16 million
2014: $23 million
2015: $15 million
2016: $14 million
2017: $16 million
2018: $19 million
2019: $20 million
2020: $100 million
2021: $5 million
Total: $333 million
As of 2023, the richest rapper in the world is Jay-Z, with an estimated net worth of $2.5 billion, according to Forbes’ real-time billionaires list. Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, became hip-hop’s first billionaire in 2019. The rapper’s wealth comes from his music, his entertainment company Roc Nation, investments, and various business ventures including a collection of Jean-Michel Basquiat art pieces, his venture capital firm Marcy Venture Partners, and partnerships with Armand de Brignac champagne and D’Usse cognac. Jay-Z’s career spans nearly three decades, and he has achieved numerous accolades, including 24 Grammy Awards and 14 Number One albums on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Other influential rappers who have made significant wealth include Sean Diddy, Dr. Dre, Berner (owner of Cookies, the world’s first legal $1 billion weed brand), and Kanye West. However, West’s net worth was estimated at $400 million as of June 2023, following the loss of his billionaire status due to controversial remarks and severed partnerships with giants like Adidas, JPMorgan Chase, Balenciaga, and Gap.
