Top 10 Richest Reggae/Dancehall Artist ALIVE

Hip Hop has its own mega stars who are raking in millions every year, likes Jay-Z, Diddy and 50 Cent. Caribbean Reggae artists are also making paper too! Check out the 10 richest reggae artistes alive:

#1. Shaggy – Net Worth US$22 Million: Shaggy’s 2001 album “Hot Shot” sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, making him one of music’s top selling artist. The mega sales propelled Shaggy to arguably become Reggae’s Richest artist of the current generation. “Hot Shot” peaked at number one on the Billboard charts in the US and UK, and was certified X6 platinum in the US alone.

#2. Jimmy Cliff – Net Worth US$18 Million: “The Harder They Come” star is worth in the region of US$18 million. Jimmy Cliff is no doubt the second most iconic personality in Reggae music to date, second only to the King himself Bob Marley (deceased net worth US $130 million). Jimmy Cliff hit movie “The Harder They Come” help propelled the worldwide Reggae music movement of the 1970s. In 2010 Jimmy Cliff was also one of five performers inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

#3. Sean Paul – Net Worth US$11 Million: Sean Paul is no doubt the most internationally successful dancehall artist to date. His 2004 album “Dutty Rock” sold 6 million copies worldwide, which pushed him into the mainstream of music. “Dutty Rock” won Sean Paul a grammy award and several other nominations. Paul also did collaborations with mega stars such as Beyonce, Rihanna, Keyshia Cole to name a few.

# 4. Ziggy Marley – Net Worth US$10 Million: The oldest son of the late King of Reggae Bob Marley, Ziggy Marley has always been regarding as the most successful of the Marley children. Some may speculate that the bulk of Ziggy worth comes from inheritance, but Ziggy Marley been recoding since he was a teenager. His 2006 album “Love Is My Religion” earned Ziggy his third grammy and sold millions of copies worldwide. Ziggy is a core figure at the helm of Tuff Gong Worldwide record label which is responsible for distributing Bob Marley music worldwide.

#5. Sean Kingston – Net Worth US$ 7 Million: Some may argue that Sean Kingston genre is not reggae, but to be correct it is in fact Reggae or some would say Reggae Pop or R&B Reggae, whichever you want to call it its still Reggae. Kingston is a new breed of reggae artist that is propelling Reggae music into the main stream. His 2007 self titled debut album was certified gold in the US. Kingston hit single “Beautiful Girl” made him a mega star. The song peaked at number one of the Billboard chart. Sean Kingston is now not only an artist but also an entrepreneur. He started his own record label, Time Is Money.

#6. Damian Marley – Net Worth US$ 6 Million: Damian “Junior Gong” Marley is another highly successful Marley son. Junior Gong started recording since he was 13 years old, and has earned three grammy awards. His song “Welcome To Jamrock” was named the top reggae song of the last decade by New York Times. Both albums “Half Way Tree” and “Welcome To Jamrock” was certified Gold in the US. His collaborative album “Distant Relatives” with rapper Nas is also gaining much traction worldwide.

#7. Maxi Priest – US$ 4.6 Million: Maxi Priest is another hugely successful international Reggae singer, with some R&B influence. Priest has released some 9 albums since the mid 1980s, most of which top charts in the UK. Although Maxi Priest was born in Jamaica his parents moved him to the UK at a young age, which influenced the R&B flavor in his music.

#8. Buju Banton – US$ 4 Million: Just in case your wondering, the answer is yes, reggae/dancehall artist Buju Banton is rotten rich. Buju once use to be the richest reggae artist alive, but Banton suffer tremendous fall out from his beef with the gay community. For more on Buju Banton’s recent conviction read HERE.

#9. Beenie Man – US$ 3.7 Million: Beenie Man is rose to stardom in the early 1990s and has since been rocking up the charts with his catalog of hits. The “Zim Zimmer” deejay has acquired a solid net worth over the years and can safely join the ranks of richest reggae/dancehall artists alive.

#10. Bounty Killer – US$ 3 Million: Dancehall veteran Bounty Killer is regarded as the most influential artist in dancehall music today. Killer is responsible for the careers of some of dancehall top acts currently including Mavado, Busy Signal and controversial artist Vybz Kartel. Bounty has over the years acquired a net worth of around US$ 3 million putting him in the ranks of richest reggae/dancehall artists currently.

Source:  Urban Islandz