Drake And The Weeknd Among Forbes’ List Of Highest Paid Celebrities In 2017

Both Drake and The Weeknd have been working tirelessly over the last decade to establish their mark in music, and it’s paying off handsomely in a financial aspect. Forbes just released their Highest Paid Celebrities of 2017 list, and both hip-hop creatives landed top spots.

The list features Diddy, who raked in a career-high $130 million this year, in the top spot, which he also landed on the outlet’s list for Hip-Hop’s Wealthiest Artists of 2017, as well as Beyonce and J.K. Rowling in both the second and third slots. Drake sits at No. 4 with his $94 million earnings, while The Weeknd hits No. 6 with $92 million of earnings in the last year.

Also featured on the list in the top 10 slots is basketball star LeBron James, soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo, English band Coldplay, radio host Howard Stern and author James Patterson.

The Weeknd is featured on the cover of Forbes’ June 29, 2017 issue, where he talks about his strategy and marketing plan to earn himself a major record deal, a huge fan base and billions of streams on digital platforms after earning a cult fan base back in 2010.

According to the site, the “I Feel It Coming” singer has earned over 5.5 billion streams in the past two years, which then turned into a $75 million touring advance.

“I really wanted people who had no idea who I was to hear my project. You don’t do that by asking for money,” The Weeknd says. “We live in a world where artists don’t really make the money off the music like we did in the Golden Age. It’s not really coming in until you hit the stage,” he continues.

“I kind of treat my albums like films when I write them, telling one big story,” he says, before revealing his next step: “More visual candy and hopefully a venture into my first true love, cinema,” the vocalist concludes.

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