Rap’s Top 20 Richest Artists Revealed

First things first: Do people still say the word “bling”? Or is that term a relic of a bygone era? Either way, it’s no secret that there is a lot of money to be made by becoming a global hip-hop icon these days. So much so, in fact, that a normally hoity-toity magazine like Forbes has been putting together lists of the Top 20 Hip-Hop Cash Kings  since 2007. To that end, the high-falutin’ magazine is putting its fawning coverage of Wall Street robber barons in a temporary holding pattern as they focus their efforts on counting down which rappers are making the most cheddar in 2010.

While you most certainly won’t be surprised to find out that Jay-Z currently holds the title as hip-hop’s wealthiest mogul — he raked in some $63 million last year, no big whoops — you might be surprised when you hear that Lil Wayne places fourth on the list, this despite the fact that he’s been behind bars since March. Hilariously, Weezy’s actually on track to earn more money this year ($20 million) than he did last year ($18 million).

Check out our gallery below to find out who else made the list (and how much they took home). Only one question remains: If hip-hop’s wealthiest don’t spend money on “bling” anymore, what do they spend it on?