JAY-Z Is The Sole Rapper To Land On Forbes' Billionaire List, Ye Falls Off

JAY-Z is the only reigning rapper to appear on the coveted billionaires' list after Ye lost millions last year.

On Tuesday, April 4, Forbes released its annual billionaires' list which highlights 2,460 billionaires from around the globe. Hov is the only rap artist to land on the list after his net worth jumped from $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion. The billion-dollar increase stems from business moves he made with his liquor company. Revered spirits powerhouse LVMH bought a 50 percent stake in the rapper's champagne brand Armand de Brignac aka Ace of Spades two years ago. He also sold the majority of his stake of D'Usse back in February.

The Roc Nation founder is now worth just as much as other American celebrities like Oprah Winfrey ($2.5 billion) and former POTUS Donald Trump ($2.5 billion). He currently ranks higher than athletes like Michael Jordan ($2 billion) and fashion icons like Tom Ford ($2.2 billion). Meanwhile, Kanye West is nowhere to be found on the list.

The rapper-producer, who was once worth at least $2 billion, has descended to $400 million after he lost numerous corporate deals with the likes of adidas and Balenciaga due to his anti-Semitic rants. It marks the first time Ye hasn't appeared on the list since 2020. At the time, Forbes reported that he was worth $1 billion but Ye claimed he was actually worth $3.3 billion. From there, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West continued to contest Forbes' estimate of his net worth until last year when the outlet reported that he had lost his billionaire status.

In addition to Hov, Rihanna continues to hold on to her billionaire ranking due to her extensive music catalog and her slew of business ventures in fashion and cosmetics. See the full list of billionaires now.