From exclusive deals to thriving business empires, here are the highest-paid Black entertainers with combined earnings of $1.1 billion

From music to movies and television shows, many entertainment figures grossed millions of dollars from exclusive deals, partnerships and business empires in recent years. Some top earners made money from acting fees, royalties, and outright sale of the masters and publishing rights of some or all of their recorded music and songwriting.

Bruce Springsteen sold the master and publishing rights to all his works, including 11 multi-platinum albums and five gold singles for a whopping sum of almost $500 million. Peter Jackson, the director of Lord of the Rings, earned $600 million in cash after selling some part of his visual-effect company for $1.6 billion. Recently, major streaming platforms spent about $3.7 billion to obtain rights to some TV hits.

Aside from music, acting, and TV shows, the likes of Shawn Carter (Jay-Z), Dwayne Johnson, and Kanye West also made money outside of music and films. Shawn Carter recently sold a 50% stake in his Armand de Brignac Champagne brand to LVMH, earning about $315 million. Kanye West was once among the billionaires in the entertainment industry since 2020, thanks to his deal with Adidas, which accounted for his $1.5 billion net worth. But he lost the billionaire status in 2022 when he cut ties with Adidas and lost most of his wealth. However, before the split on October 2022, Kanye earned millions of dollars to keep him in the recent list of the highest-paid entertainers. Dwayne Johnson also made millions from his tequila business.

Only five Blacks made it on Forbes’ list of the 25 highest-paid entertainers in 2022, with combined earnings of $1.1 billion over the past year. Lets take a look at these entertainers: (Click next to continue reading)