The Celebrity Truth

50 Cent has topped Forbes’ annual list of the biggest earning hip-hop stars for 2008, making $150 million in the last 12 months and almost doubling the earnings of the person in second place.

According to the magazine’s ‘Hip Hop Cash Kings 2008′ list , 50 Cent made $100 million alone, after taxes, on his share of VitaminWater when the company was bought out by Coca-Cola.

Along with his successful clothing line, video games, G-Unit Records and his actual album sales, the rapper was well ahead of the other “hip-hopreneurs.”

Born Curtis Jackson, 50 Cent beat Jay-Z to the top spot with earnings of $82 million despite signing a $150 million, 10-year deal with Live Nation.

In at number 3, for the second year in a row, Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs made $35 million from album sales, his record company Bad Boy, clothing line, reality tv shows and an alcohol brand.

The top 10 earners on the Forbes Hip Hop’s Cash Kings 2008 list are:

1. Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson – $150 million
2. Shawn ‘Jay-Z’ Carter – $82 million
3. Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs – $35 million
4. Kanye West – $30 million
5. Timothy ‘Timbaland’ Mosley – $22 million
6. Pharrell Williams – $20 million
7. Kasseem ‘Swizz Beatz’ Dean – $17 million
8. Calvin ‘Snoop Dogg’ Broadus – $16 million
9. Andre ‘Dr. Dre’ Young – $15 million
10. Christopher ‘Ludacris’ Bridges – $14 million

Photo courtesy of Universal.  List courtesy of Forbes.

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