Jay-Z, 50 Cent and Diddy Land on Forbes Celebrity 100

This year’s Forbes Magazine’s Top 100 list of the most powerful celebrities in entertainment was released this week, and Jay-Z, Diddy and 50 Cent all made the cut. To create the list, Forbes analyzed celebrity earnings, media mentions, Google search engine results and the number of times a candidate appeared on the covers of any of 32 major magazines. For the first time, the financial bible has created a separate category for hip-hop moguls, called Hip-Hop Impresarios, in order to reflect the diverse business ventures that the top three earners have their hands in. Jay-Z leads the pack, landing in the top 10 amongst powerhouses like Oprah Winfrey and golfer Tiger Woods. Jay’s total earnings for 2006 are estimated to be $83 million.

50 Cent grabs the No. 32 spot on the list with estimated earnings of $33 million last year. The profits he will receive from the sale of Vitamin Water manufacturer Glaceau to Coca-Cola, of which 50 is a stockholder, will be counted towards next years list. Because the list was completed prior to the announcement of the sale, actual figures were not available, but 50’s profits are estimated to be around $100 million.  Next up is Sean “Diddy” Combs at No. 43 with total earnings of $23 million. Because of many different factors considered in determining rank, many entertainers who earned less than others ranked higher because of media visibility and search engine results. If you remove these outside factors and arrange the list in order of only dollars earned, Jay-Z moves up two spots to No. 7, 50 lands at No. 29 and Diddy takes the No. 43 spot.