Hip-Hop mogul Dr. Dre has been named Forbes Magazine's "Highest Paid Musician" of 2012. The West Coast veteran made $110 million in pretax earnings thanks mostly to sales from his Beats for Dre headphone line.
According to MTV News, Dr. Dre hasn't released an album in 13 years. His album Detox has been put on the back burner and it's beginning to look like it may never see the light of day. Yet, Dre's Beats are so successful that despite not releasing an album in over a dedicated, he still tops the list.
Other artists to make the list include Rihanna who ranks #12 with $53 million and Sean "Diddy" Combs who tied with Katy Perry at #15, making $45 million, HipHopDX reports. Beyonce came in at #18 with $40 million while her husband Jay-Z ranks at #40 with $38 million. Kanye West is tied with Adele at #22 with $35 million.
It should be noted that Dr. Dre is the only member of the top five that hails from the United States, Forbes reports.
Pink Floyd's Roger Waters came in #2 with $88 while Sir Elton John ranks at #3 with $80 million. Irish rock band U2 ranks at #3 with $78 million and British pop group Take That came in at #5 with $69 million.
While Take That isn't very popular in the United States, "the enormous level of business they did in the UK and Europe was truly mind-boggling," Gary Bongiovanni, editor-in-chief of Pollstar, commented. "That's especially true when you consider in the US they would only be a theater-level act.
Other notable rankings on the list are former Beatles member Paul McCartney and teen counry/pop sensation Taylor Swift tied at #8 with $57 million. Country star Toby Keith and Canadian teen pop star Justin Bieber are tied at #10 with $55 million.
The estimates are based on total earnings from May 2011-2012. The full list is available on Forbes.com.