Rich and Famous People - Hip Hop Moguls

Robin Leech hosted a television show called "The Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". At the time, it was one of the hottest things on television. America is fixated on the lives of celebrities. This was the popularity fuel behind Robin Leech"s show. It gave average people a glimpse inside the homes of celebrity living. Now, there are 24 hour news channels and shows such as "The Fabulous Life Of" to keep that celebrity fixation going.

One aspect that is focused on when determining celebrity rankings is money. The more money a celebrity has, the more famous that individual is considered to be. Money is considered to be the key metric of celebrity. Who is making what? How it is being made? How it is being spent? These are the questions average America is asking of its celebrities.

Pop and rock musicians make the bulk of their money from record sales and concert tour earnings. Hip hop and rap musicians earn their money from presiding over empires that span far beyond that of just music. Many of the hottest hip hop artists oversee their own clothing line, run their own record labels and even run their own restaurants and bars. A select few even ink their image on everything from alcohol to books. Branding and cross promotions are the areas these individuals become experts at.

Hip hop artist Jay Z makes his money being chief executive of Def Jam Recordings. In addition to that, he has a clothing line called roccawear and records albums in his spare time. Worth 34 million, Jay Z spends that hard earned money purchasing a share of the New Jersey Nets. He also has a share in the 40/40 clubhouse franchise. He recently sold the clothing line for an estimated $204 million.

Like Jay Z, Sean "Puffy" Combs manages multiple projects often at the same time. He is currently worth $28 million. This comes from sales of his latest Bad Boy Worldwide album. It also comes from profit made on his hugely popular clothing line, Sean John clothing. He has a reality television program called "Making the Band" that is a huge success. For this fortune, Sean Combs has purchased several restaurants across the country. In the world of celebrity riches, there is no price too small, or too big.