Kanye West Named World’s Highest-Earning Musician, Launches College Fund For George Floyd’s Daughter
Kanye pledged $2 million to support the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbrery, and Breonna Taylor.
Kanye West is officially the world’s highest-paid musician, and it wasn’t even close. West raked in $170 million in the last year thanks largely to his lucrative Yeezy sneakers deal with Adidas.
Forbes World's Highest Paid Musicians (2020)
#1 Kanye West $170M
#2 Elton John $81M
#3 Ariana Grande $72M
#4 Jonas Brothers
#5 Chainsmokers
#6 Ed Sheeran
#7 Taylor Swift
#8 Post Malone
#9 Rolling Stones
#10 Marshmello
#11 Shawn Mendes
#12 Jay-Z
#13 Billie Eilish
#14 BTS
#15 Drake— chart data (@chartdata) June 4, 2020
The news comes from Forbes, which recently announced its 2020 list of the 100 highest-paid celebrities. West came in second on the celebrity list only to sister-in-law Kylie Jenner, whose billionaire status was recently revoked after the wealth-tracking financial magazine recalculated her net worth in a scathing report.
Jenner countered by claiming that Forbes made “inaccurate statements” and “unproven assumptions,” but the Kylie Cosmetics makeup mogul and reality TV star still raked in a staggering $590 million in the last year to top the celebrity rankings.
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Forbes reports that the next highest-earning musician on the list is Elton John, who didn’t even make half as much as Kanye, raking in a still-impressive $81 million to take the No. 14 spot, followed by Ariana Grande at No. 17. with $72 million. Taylor Swift, who topped the list of highest-paid musicians in 2019, placed No. 25 on the celeb list with $63.5 million.
West, who is estimated to have a net worth of about $1.3 billion, also donated $2 million to support the families of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, all high-profile black victims of police brutality.
Floyd died after an encounter with former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who has since been charged with second-degree murder. CNN reports that West has established a 529 education plan to fully cover college tuition for Floyd’s 6-year-old daughter, Gianna Floyd.
Arbery was fatally shot by three men while jogging outside of Brunswick, Georgia. Taylor was an EMT who was fatally shot when three officers entered her Kentucky apartment by force. Their families’ donations include funding for legal fees.