Forbes has listed Kanye West as the world's highest-paid musician of 2020.
The magazine's annual Celebrity 100 list, dated June 4, also ranks West as the second highest-paid celebrity. With earnings of $170 million, he is next only to his sister-in-law Kylie Jenner, who raked in $590 million, after she sold a 51% stake ?in her cosmetics firm to Coty in January.
Forbes says West's networth now stands at $1.3 billion, with the major chunk of his earnings coming from his Yeezy sneakers deal with Adidas. Profits from his Yeezy apparel line and music also significantly contribute to Kanye's networth.
Forbes had questioned Kylie's billionaire status last week due to discrepancies in the financial statements of her ultra-successful Kylie Cosmetics brand.
In April, Forbes included Kanye in the billionaire list after "months" of asking for his financial records and determined his net worth to be around $1.3 billion. But Ye insisted he was worth over three times that amount.
After the magazine published about his billionaire status, Ye reportedly texted Forbes staff writer Zack O'Malley Greenburg, disputing Forbes' claim. "It's not a billion," he texted. "It's $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count."
Elton John, with earnings of $81 million, is the second highest paid musician in 2020, while Ariana Grande ($72 million) and Jonas Brothers ($68.5 million) are ranked third and fourth, respectively, on the list. Chainsmokers ($68 million) comes next.
Elton, Ariana and Jonas are ranked No. 13, 17 and 20, respectively in the highest-paid celebrities list.
Forbes World's Highest Paid Musicians (2020)
1. Kanye West $170 million2. Elton John $81 million3. Ariana Grande $72 million4. Jonas Brothers $68.5 million5. Chainsmokers $68 million6. Ed Sheeran $64 million7. Taylor Swift $63.5 million8. Post Malone $60 million9. Rolling Stones $59 million10. Marshmello $56 million11. Shawn Mendes $54.5 million12. Jay-Z $53.5 million13. Billie Eilish $53 million14. BTS $50 million15. Drake $49 million
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