4. Dr. Dre ($780 million)
Photo credit: Gawker
Hip-hop mogul and legendary music producer Dr. Dre is one of the most respected entertainers of his generation. The 50-year-old founder of Aftermath Entertainment first found success as a rapper with the group Straight Out of Compton in the late-’80s.
Dr. Dre later focused on music production and is reputed to have launched the careers of rappers, such as Eminem, 50 Cent, and Xzibit. Not content with production, Dr. Dre explored the business side of things, co-founding the enormously successful Beats by Dre headphones that commands a massive 65 percent of the premium headphones market.
Apple corporation acquired Beats by Dre from Dr. Dre, partnering in a deal worth an estimated $3 billion.
