Jay Z - Jay Z And Kanye West Tops Earners List With $53 Million

It's the fourth time in five years the music-mogul has topped the list. His earnings come from his Blueprint 3 Tour, his multi-million dollar deal with Live Nation and his ownership stakes in the Nba team New Jersey Nets. On top of that, the rapper makes healthy sums from his 40/40 club chain and his ad firm Translation. Zack O'Malley Greenburg, a Forbes staff writer and author of Jay Z's biography 'Empire State of Mind' told MTV News, "I'd put Diddy and Birdman up there too, but Jay is always at the top of the Cash Kings list because he makes brilliant business moves but keeps putting out relevant music". It's likely that the rapper's earnings will drastically increase following the release of 'Watch The Throne', his collaborative effort with Kanye West. Others making this year's list include Akon with $13 million, Ludacris with $12 million and newcomer Nicki Minaj with $6.5 million.

The video for Jay Z and Kanye's track 'Otis' will debut on Mtv, Mtv2 and Mtv.com tonight (11th August 2011). A teaser clip for the Spike Jonze directed video began circulating earlier this week.