Jay-Z top hip-hop money-maker

NEW YORK, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Jay-Z has branched out from his hip-hop roots to a sports bar franchise, a stake in the NBA's New Jersey Nets and the top spot on Forbes' hip-hop Cash Kings.

Including his role as president of Def Jam Recordings and co-founder of its Roc-A-Fella Records imprint, plus top-notch endorsements, Jay-Z, or Shawn Carter, banked roughly $34 million in 2006, ensconcing him at the top of Forbes magazine's inaugural list of hip-hop Cash Kings, released online Thursday.

At No. 2, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, presides over G-Unit, a portfolio that includes apparel, ring tones, video games and a line of fiction, earning an estimated $32 million last year.

Sean "Diddy" Combs, at No. 3, has a hand in music and TV production, clothing, fragrances and restaurants, bringing $28 million.

Others on the Cash King list are Eminem, Dr. Dre, Timbaland, Scott Storch, Pharrell Williams, Snoop Dogg, Chamillionaire and The Game.

Unlike other music genres where artists make the bulk of their money selling albums and touring, hip-hop has generated a list of musicians who used their fame to move into other lucrative entertainment ventures, the magazine said.