Jay-Z has been called the greatest rapper alive, the best rapper in the game, and one of the richest people in rap, but the financial figures for 2018 are in and he's now not just one of the official holders of the latter title, but an even more impressive one: With a net worth of $930 million, he's the richest musician of any kind, in any genre, in the entire United States, period.
Previously, fellow rapper Sean Combs held the slot of richest rapper, but with Jay's recording career still at a high level of prominence (his collaborative album with wife Beyoncé was one of the highlights of 2018), the fit for "richest musician" is a more comfortable one for him.
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Jay has multiple revenue streams taking him to this point, though. He and Beyoncé pulled in a reported $235 million in profit from their On the Run II world tour. Then there was the ten year, $200 million deal he signed with Live Nation reported back at the beginning of 2018. And then there's his $20 million investment in JetSmarter, a startup that lets wealthy individuals order up private jets the way you or I can call up a rideshare. All of these and more added up to a very lucrative year for Jay-Z, making him the richest musician in the country.
It also makes him among the richest celebrities of any kind, barring people like Warren Buffett or Jeff Bezos whose celebrity actually comes from their wealth. Individuals like Oprah, Steven Spielberg, and Michael Jordan are among the very select group of celebs who have earned more than the Black Album and American Gangster auteur. You might notice that none of those are fellow musicians, which means that Jay's current spot as the reigning richest person in music is probably secure for the time being.
