Yep, you read that right, we’re talking about the Billionaires List with a capital B.
Forbes recently released their “36th-annual ranking of the planet’s richest people,” and found that there are currently 2,668 billionaires in the world collectively worth a staggering 12.7 trillion dollars. The business magazine “used stock prices and exchange rates from March 11, 2022, to calculate net worths.” Unsurprisingly, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos took the top two spots on the list with Musk worth 219 billion dollars and Bezos 171 billion.
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But also on that list are artists Rihanna, Jay-Z, and Ye (formerly Kanye) West.
Rihanna
Now, the only thing Rihanna needs is an umbrella for the storm of revenue raining down on her. The singer and businesswoman is reportedly the first billionaire from her home country Barbados with a net worth of 1.7 billion dollars. This assessment puts Rihanna at number 1,729 on the list.
Rihanna’s wealth not only stems from her successful music career but from her stake in her cosmetic and fashion businesses—Fenty Beauty and Savage X Fenty, respectively.
Jay-Z
The rap giant and music mogul comes in at number 2,076 on this year’s Billionaires List with a net worth of 1.4 billion dollars. Jay-Z owes his wealth to his staggeringly successful music career, including his role in the Roc Nation entertainment agency (which he also founded). Forbes also noted Jay-Z’s dealings with TIDAL and Armand de Brignac champagne as further sources of wealth.
Ye West
Not to be outdone by mentor and collaborator Jay-Z, West ranked at the number 1,513 spot on the list with an estimated net worth of 2 billion dollars. This estimation has West advancing more than 200 spots on the list from the 2021 report.
West’s income comes from his lucrative Yeezy clothing brand and partnerships with Adidas and Gap, in addition to his music.
Cha-ching.
Photo by Randy Brooks/AFP via Getty Images.
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