Shawn Carter
Better  known by his alias, Jay-Z--or as Beyonce's ridiculously flamboyant and  talented husband--this man is likely to be on this list for many more  years to come! Between his fashion, music and restaurant businesses  alone, the man is clearly as much of an entrepreneur as he is a  musician. He managed to pocket a cool $37 million in 2011 alone, and his  net worth is well over $450 million.
Looks like when Jay-Z bitched about his '99 problems,' success, money or popularity were definitely not among them!
 
 Sean Combs 
Excluding the  rapping legend that is P. Diddy from this list would be entirely  inexcusable, especially given that his income in 2011 alone was close to  $35 million! Yet another entrepreneurial genius, his business ventures  alongside his career as a rapper have built him an impressive kingdom of  riches.
He's been around for a long time now (two decades and  counting!) but the public still can't seem to get enough of him--be it  through his music, acting or television shows.
 
Dr. Dre
He may not have  out out an album for over 12 years now, but true hip-hop fans can never  forget the raw talent of Dr. Dre. Not only has he launched the careers  of several legends including Eminem and Snoop Dogg, but he's also  sufficiently expanded his empire with his Aftermath record label, Beats  headphones and his very own HP laptop line.
In 2011, he earned  $14 million. Even though it was a little less than his previous year's  income, his net worth is close to $250 million.
 
Lil Wayne
Many hip-hop  connoisseurs have labelled him the best rapper alive and the New Yorker  even went so far as to compare him with Bob Dylan! Even after his  unapologetic drug abuse, telling Katie Couric to mind her own business  on live television, and going to prison for nearly a year, Lil' Wayne is  probably the most popular rapper today, even if he's not the highest  paid one.
In 2011, he pocketed a cool $15 million, but with the  kind of fan following this rapping genius has, don't be surprised if you  see that amount double every year!
Kanye West 
The  most endearing thing about him is probably the fact that he is not just  a rapper. He's a musician and a composer in every sense of the word and  as such, he's got crossover appeal. So yes, his boorish behaviour might  make little girls cry (Taylor Swift at the Grammys), but no one can  touch him as far as fame is concerned.
In 2011, his album 'My  Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' broke huge records. Its success, coupled  with his production company, fashion line and other small ventures,  made him a handsome $16 million dollars in 2011. 
 source: http://guylife.com/