People admire them and many of us would like to be them, the successful hip hop artists of today rake in millions in record sales, clothing and fragrance lines. These artists are very successful in business as well – here is a list of some of the richest hip hop artists of our time:

• “50 Cent” Curtis Jackson and Brian “Birdman” Williams
• “Dr Dre” Andre Young
• “Jay Z” Shawn Corey Carter
• “P Diddy” Sean Combs

In joint place for fourth and fifth and in no particular order we have “50 Cent” Curtis Jackson and Brian “Birdman” Williams.

50 Cent was discovered by Eminem and, in conjunction with Dr Dre, quickly became one of the highest grossing hip hop artists. The bulk of his fortune, however, came from the sale of his shares in Vitamin Water.

In 2003 50 Cent founded record label G Unit Records. This label is also responsible for artists like Young Buck, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. Adding to 50 Cent’s accomplishments in the music industry, he was noted as the third best rapper of the decade 2000-2009 following Eminem and Nelly. 50 Cent has also stared in numerous movies like Get rich or Die Trying in 2005, Home of the Brave in 2006 and Righteous Kill in 2008.

Brian “Birdman” Williams is the one half of hip hop duo Big Tymers as well as co founder of the record label Cash Money Records. All of this was a spin off from his solo career in the 90’s. Along with his record label, Birdman has also dabbled in oil and gas exploration.

In third place goes to a big name in the industry, “Dr Dre” Andre Young. Dr Dre made his fortune from his solo career at record label Death Row Records. His label is responsible for launching top selling artists like Eminem, Snoop Dogg and 50 Cent. In 1993 Dr Dre launched a solo album “The Chronic” that went on to become one of the biggest selling albums.  In 1996 Dr Dre went on to start his own record label aptly named Aftermath Entertainment. Dr Dre, as with many other hip hop artists, also starred in various movie roles including Set it Off, The Wash and Training Day”.

In second place we have Shawn Corey Carter otherwise known as Jay Z. He is rumoured to be worth an estimated $450 Million. Jay Z is touted as being a shrewd businessman as, along with his rapping, he made his fortune as a club owner as well as through a fashion label and advertising. His accolades in the music industry include sales of more than 50 million records and 13 Grammy awards.

As a businessman, Jay Z is the owner of the 40/40Club, owner of clothing label Rocawear as well as part owner of the New Jersey Nets. He is also the founder of the record label Roc-A-Fella Records and music publishing and entertainment company Roc Nation, which has hit artists Rihanna, Mark Ronson and The Ting Tings as part of their stable.

At number one we have the charismatic Sean “P Diddy” Combs. Diddy, as he is now known, is by all accounts a highly acclaimed musician and businessman with an estimated worth of $475 million. His wealth stems from an accomplished music career that netted him three Grammy awards and two MTV Video Music awards. Diddy is the owner of successful clothing line Sean John Clothing, worldwide record label Bad Boy Records, a movie production company and two restaurants.

These artists bear testament to the fact that hard work and a shrewd business acumen will ensure that the sky is the limit.

Nathan Johnston is an online content writer who enjoys writing about various topics from the supreme comfort of his air conditioned office. Currently he’s researching wedding rings and Engagement rings for content on his latest article.

If Diddy were my daddy, I’d want the ultimate Sweet 16 party, too! Justin Dior Combs, son of R&B mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, celebrated his 16th birthday last Saturday with a “Prince of New York” themed party.

Like father, like son.

New York’s M2 Ultra Lounge hosted the lavish Diddy party, except that the drinks were virgin and most of the guests were underage. Justin couldn’t be happier as musical guests such as Trey Songz, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Fabolous brought the house down. The "prince" got a special present that night—a brand new luxury sedan that cost Diddy $360,000.

Daddy also gave his son a check for $10,000, which do-gooder Justin immediately donated to Wyclef Jean's charity Yele Haiti. Not bad for a celebrity's son.

And—you guessed it—the crew of MTV was there to document everything for a special episode of My Super Sweet 16. Check out the official party photos here.

Grammy-winning rapper & somewhat anger-problem-child Sean "Diddy" Combs is apparently being sued by a gentleman who reveals that the hip-hopster hit him in the face while at a Hollywood nightclub last week. Ooops, that one's gonna sting a bit I imagine, Diddy.

According to an attorney for Combs, Diddy has denied hitting anyone & said that the plaintiff, one 27-year-old Gerard Rechnitzer, just wants to cash in on Combs' celebrity status. Sure, why not.

The suit was filed on Friday in an L.A. court. The lawsuit reveals that with provocation, Sean shouted at Rechnitzer, who then told his girlfriend that they should leave the club. At this point, Diddy apparently said, "I'll smack flames out your ass!" Wow. Can he really do that? That is a feat I wouldn't mind seeing outside a Hollywood nightclub, it beats seeing Paris Hilton's uglies anyway.

After saying that bit about the flames & ass, Combes attacked the plaintiff which caused him to fly backwards several feet. No word on it flames actually exited his ass.

More news on this case as it comes. Poor Diddy, you just can't be a rapper without a little anger, can you?

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