A lot of the top artists are pretty wealthy but who’s got the most money of all? It may come as a surprise to you.

The surprise is because only four years ago this same artist claimed to be $53 million in debt. Now it looks like they’re not only out of debt but officially the richest musician in the world.

Who is it? None other than Kanye West.

Kanye has called himself a billionaire before and it looks like he is certainly doing well. Forbes have named him the highest-earning musician of 2020 with $170 million in earnings in just the past year. That figure puts him well ahead of even the most popular pop stars.

Beyond the music world Kanye also placed second in wealth amongst entertainment and celebrities. Money is in the family as taking the top spot is West’s sister-in-law Kylie Jenner who is reported to have earned $590 million in the last year.

The earnings don’t include outgoings to their associated managers, agents, accountants and so on which likely carves a decent dent. Forbes have however confirmed West’s claims that he is a billionaire revealing that he has a net worth of roughly $1.3 billion now.

Whilst he’s certainly a huge musician, Kanye’s brand signings and Yeezy clothes line are the most prominent source of earnings for him. Second place on the musicians top list was Elton John who earned less than half of West’s income in the last year.

This week West donated $2 million to the families of recent murder victims by police in America: George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor. He has also set up a college fund for the education of George Floyd’s daughter following his brutal death.