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Dr. Dre is Forbes’ top-earning musician of the decade
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Dr. Dre at the premiere of 'Straight Outta Compton' on August 10, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. The producer will make a biopic based on singer Marvin Gaye. (AFP PHOTO/Valerie Macon)
T
he producer extraordinaire took the No. 1 spot on the list ahead of Taylor Swift and Jay-Z, having amassed a staggering US$950 million in the last 10 years.
Although Dr. Dre has not released an album since his 2015 Compton, Forbes noted that his record-breaking earnings come mostly from the lucrative buyout of his 20 per cent stake in Beats in May 2014.
At the time, Apple bought the headphone company that Dr. Dre co-founded with Jimmy Iovine for an astonishing $3 billion, making the multi-hyphenated mogul the highest-earning musician in a single year in history.
Right behind Dr. Dre on the list is Taylor Swift, whose estimated $825 million makes her music’s highest-earning woman of the 2010s.
The award-winning singer, who released her much-anticipated seventh studio album this year, is followed by Beyoncé with $685 million, U2 with $675 million, and Diddy with $605 million.
Forbes’ list of top-earning musicians, which is compiled by “looking at touring data from Pollstar, music consumption numbers from Nielsen and interviews with managers, agents and many of the stars themselves,” does not include posthumous earnings.
If these were counted, late superstar Michael Jackson would dethrone Dr. Dre at the No. 1 spot, with $2.37 billion amassed during the past decade.
In other news, Dr. Dre is reportedly working with Kanye West on the sequel to his much-anticipated ninth album, Jesus Is King.
Ye and Dre Jesus is King Part II coming soon. pic.twitter.com/wTKFgXQQXQ
— ye (@kanyewest) November 18, 2019
The rapper, who appeared at No. 2 on Forbes’ list, teased that Jesus Is King Part II would be arriving soon, but did not provide further details about the project.
The album would mark West’s first official collaboration with Dr. Dre, who Yeezy described in a Rolling Stone essay as “the definition of a true talent.”
Read also: U2, Coldplay top Forbes list of highest-paid musicians
See the top 10 musicians on Forbes’ list of top-earning musicians of the decade below:
1. Dr. Dre ($950 million)
2. Taylor Swift ($825 million)
3. Beyoncé ($685 million)
4. U2 ($675 million)
5. Diddy ($605 million)
6. Elton John ($565 million)
7. Jay-Z ($560 million)
8. Paul McCartney ($535 million)
9. Katy Perry ($530 million)
10. Lady Gaga ($500 million)
