Haute 100 Update: Jay-Z Tops the List of Hip-Hop’s Highest Earners, Followed by Diddy and Kanye West

Hip-hop artist Jay-Z has been on fire lately. As he released his very highly anticipated (and high-profile) joint album with Kanye West, Watch the Throne, just Monday, the rapper has been setting the music world ablaze. With all this success, it is unsurprising that he has topped the Forbes 2011 list of Hip-Hop’s Top Earners.

In the past 12 months, Jay-Z has caught steam with the final shows of his Blueprint 3 tour in addition to numerous other business ventures. This past year, he has earned $37 million with Diddy coming in second with $35 million, and Jay-Z’s The Throne partner Kanye West coming in third with $16 million.

With their Watch the Throne album heading for full release on Friday, August 12 (it is only currently available on iTunes) and their anticipated joint tour, we can likely expect future successes from the Jay-Z/Kanye duo. “Jay-Z and Kanye are hip-hop ambassadors,” says Steve Stoute, chief of branding firm Translation and author of The Tanning of America. “They bring the art form around the world, and they’ve taken production and everything to the next level. Now they’ve got a chance to grow with their global audience.”

Our Haute 100 list details the accomplishments of the most influential people in each of our markets. To see the entire Haute 100 New York list, click here.