The Forbes List Of Highest Paid Hip-Hop Stars Reveals Some Excellent Diversification

Hip-hop has come an awfully long way since its humble beginnings inside an apartment in the Bronx. It has blossomed into an industry worth millions and millions of dollars, much of it collected among an elite group of performers and moguls. The rap world has some of the best diversification of any genre, as rappers are regularly involved in record labels, film (both in performance and production capacities), fashion, food and professional sports. That's why Forbes magazine's list of the top 20 earners in hip-hop is so intriguing, as the biggest money makers aren't necessarily the artists with the biggest hits (though that certainly helps).

But who has the best portfolio of all the MCs on the list? Here are the five best revelations from this audit;

Jay-Z
The number one entry on the list (with an income of $63 million) not only has one of the biggest albums (The Blueprint 3) and singles ("Empire State of Mind") of the past year but also one of the best batches of extra-curricular cash flows. The most interesting? His stake in the Broadway musical "Fela!"

Akon
Though his last album came out in 2008, Akon's success can be attributed to his incredible business deals (including an alignment with Pepsi) and his label Kon Live, which has put out Lady Gaga's best-selling albums.

Dr. Dre
Further proof you don't necessarily need new music to fill your wallet, Dr. Dre still brings in money hand over fist for his watershed 1992 album The Chronic and also rakes in a ton of cash via his Beats by Dre line of top-shelf headphones. Imagine how much his worth will skyrocket when Detox finally hits.

Ludacris
The Mouth of the South has branched out into all sorts of sponsorship deals and associations, including deals with Tag body spray and a line of his own signature cognac called Conjure. But the best deal he made? The deal he struck with Trojan condoms as a tie-in to his album Battle of the Sexes.

Drake

Though he's a newbie who had given away all of his music for free up until the recent release of Thank Me Later, Drake has already spread out into a number of different business ventures. While his album sales have been robust, he has collected a great check via his deals with Virgin America (who put his face on the sides of planes) and Sprite (the ads for which can be seen all over this Web site).

Who is the most impressive member on the Forbes list of hip-hop's best earners? Let us know in the comments!