Fame & Fortune

TOP THREE HIP HOP CASH-KINGS

No. 1
Jay-Z (a.k.a. Shawn Carter)

$34 million

Despite a busy schedule as chief executive of Def Jam Recordings, the Brooklyn native orchestrated a wildly successful comeback (he “retired” in 2003) with last year’s Kingdom Come, which debuted at the top of Billboard’s pop and rap charts. He owns the 40/40 clubhouse franchise and a small stake in the New Jersey Nets. Jay-Z recently dismissed rumors he’ll exit Def Jam to join girlfriend Beyoncé at Columbia Records. Look for a sizable earnings bounce in 2007–in March he sold his Rocawear apparel label to Iconix for $204 million.

50 cent

No. 2
50 Cent (a.k.a. Curtis Jackson)

$32 million
The former crack dealer from Queens now presides over G-Unit, an entertainment empire that includes a record label (Lloyd Banks, Mobb Deep), apparel, ringtones, videogames, and even a line of street fiction books. In 2004, he agreed to plug VitaminWater in exchange for a small stake; in May, Coca-Cola said it would buy VitaminWater for $4.2 billion. Fifty’s estimated take: $100 million. The 50-room Greenwich mansion he bought for $4 million in 2003 is on the market for $20 million. “Curtis,” his third studio album, drops in September

P. Diddy

No. 3
Diddy (a.k.a. Sean Combs, formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy)

$28 million
His Bad Boy Worldwide Entertainment portfolio includes the Warner-backed Bad Boy Records, which last year released albums by Danity Kane, Cassie and Yung Joc. (Last year Diddy released Press Play, his first album in four years.) A tastemaker, he earns income from Sean John clothing and Unforgivable, a cologne he licensed to Estée Lauder. He is the executive producer of several MTV series, including the Making the Band franchise, and he owns the New York and Atlanta locations of his Justin’s restaurants. Note: Diddy’s camp insists we have undervalued his 2006 income.