What If Forbes' 5 Richest Rap Moguls Merged Their Media Empires?

Forbes recently released its annual list of the five wealthiest hip-hop moguls in the world. Some familiar names topped this year’s list, with Sean “Diddy” Combs taking the top spot with a net worth of $820 million.

Shawn “Jay Z” Carter was a close second with a net worth of $810 million, with Andre “Dr. Dre” Young ($740 million), Bryan “Birdman” Williams ($110 million), and Aubrey “Drake” Graham ($90 million) rounding out the top five spots.

Each of these men has amassed quite a media empire and personal fortune, but Benzinga took a closer look at just how much power these hip-hop titans could generate if they all joined forces and pooled their resources to create a music conglomerate.

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In addition to his Sean John and Enyce clothing lines, multiple restaurants and a 50 percent stake in Diageo plc (ADR) DEO's Ciroc vodka, Diddy is a founder of Bad Boy Entertainment and CEO of Combs Enterprises.

Jay Z’s Tidal music streaming service alone is valued at $600 million. In addition, Jay Z owns the champagne brand Armand de Brignac and entertainment company Roc Nation, a subsidiary of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. LYV

Dr. Dre made headlines in 2014 when Apple, Inc. AAPL purchased his Beats Electronics lines of headphones and speakers for $3 billion.

Birdman is the co-owner of record label Cash Money Records, which currently has Drake, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne under contract. Cash Money is a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, a Vivendi SA VIV company.

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At just 30 years old, Drake has already launched his own record label as well, OVO Sound. In addition to recording and performing music, Drake owns his own clothing line and has his own radio program on Beats 1 Radio. He also serves as the global ambassador for the NBA’s Toronto Raptors.

A Powerful Combo

Together, these five men have a combined net worth of $2.57 billion, which is more than the current $2.1 billion market cap of Pandora Media Inc P.

While $2.5 billion is certainly a chunk of change, it’s well short of the type of clout the heavy-hitters in the music and media business have.

Music concert juggernaut Live Nation Entertainment is currently worth $7 billion. Private music streaming company Spotify is reportedly targeting an $11-$13 billion valuation when it goes public in the next couple of years. Satellite radio leader Sirius XM Holdings Inc SIRI has a market cap of $23.6 billion. CBS Corporation CBS, owner of CBS Radio, is valued at $27.3 billion.

The fact that these five hip-hop moguls are even in the same conversation as the corporate giants of the music and media industry is a testament to their talents and business acumen. Based on their history of success, there’s no telling how much their fortunes will grow in another 10-years time.