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10 richest hip-hop stars of 2010

Sean 'P.Diddy' Combs perfroms onstage during the 2010 BET Awards held at the Shrine Auditorium on June 27, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. Photograph: Getty Images

DUBAI - Hip-hop stars have become among the most famous and well-paid entertainers in the world over the last two decades on the back of record sales, with the likes of Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and Diddy now household names.

But in the current era of the digital music downloads record sales aren’t how rappers make their money anymore, with sponsorships, clothing lines, nightclub properties, film appearances and concert tours now bringing in the bulk of their cash.

Yahoo! Maktoob News counts down the top 10 richest hip-hop stars in 2010 as ranked by news website Forbes.com, showing that despite the global recession rappers have continued to rake in millions of dollars.

10. Kanye West - $12 million (earnings over the past 12 months)
The American rapper, singer, and record producer rose to fame with the release of his debut The College Dropout in 2004. He has gone to release three more albums and received numerous awards, including twelve Grammys.

9. Pharrell Williams - $13 million
Pharrell Williams is an American recording artist, producer, musician and fashion designer. He is one half of record production duo The Neptunes, winning three Grammys, and the lead vocalist and drummer of rock band N.E.R.D.

8. Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley - $14 million
The multi-award winning American record producer, singer-songwriter, actor, musician and rapper. He has collaborated with artists such as Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and Madonna and also produced tracks for Mariah Carey, Wyclef Jean and Jay-Z.

7. Calvin "Snoop Dogg" Broadus - $15 million
Snoop Dogg is a multi-award winning American entertainer, rapper, record producer and actor, and one of the most recognisable names in hip-hop. Snoop's 1993 debut album, Doggystyle, went quadruple platinum. He has gone on to release a further nine albums.

6. Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges - $16 million
Ludacris is an American rapper and actor. He has won the Screen Actors Guild, Critic's Choice, MTV, and Grammy Awards during his career.

5. Andre "Dr. Dre" Young - $17 million
Dr. Dre is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, and actor. The multi-award winner is one of the founding members of watershed rap act N.W.A, the founder of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner of Death Row Records.

4. Dwayne "Lil Wayne" Carter - $20 million
The 27-year-old American rapper has been making records since the age of nine. His most successful album, Tha Carter III, was released in 2008 and sold 1.1 million copies in the U.S. its first week of release. He is currently serving an eight-month prison sentence.

3. Aliuane "Akon" Thiam - $21 million
Akon is a Senegalese-American R&B singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman and philanthropist. He is the first solo artist to hold both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice.

2. Sean "Diddy" Combs - $30 million
Diddy is a multi-award winning American record producer, rapper, actor, and men's fashion designer. His business interests include Bad Boy Records, clothing line Sean John, a movie production company and two restaurants.

1. Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter - $63 Million
Jay-Z is an American rapper and businessman with interests in music, nightclubs, sports franchises and fashion. He has receiving ten Grammy Awards and holds the record for most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200.