Are you curious about who among the top African artists are the richest? Would you like to know the top ten African musicians who have made a huge fortune out of singing? Then, you are reading the right article.
The musicians, whose names and net-worth appear below, have been listed by Forbes as the richest musician in Africa in the year 2020.
It is undeniable that hitting a home run in the entertainment industry and gaining wide acceptance and popularity among your audience guarantee two things: wealth and fame. Both are not mutually exclusive. However, some artistes possess one or both much more than the others.
This list features popular Nigerian hip-hop stars such as Don Jazzy, Wizkid, and Davido. Legendary musician, Akon, topped the list of the wealthiest African musicians. Without further ado, let’s dive into the list.
1. Akon – Net Worth: $80 Million
Akon is expectedly the richest African musician right now. The 46-year-old is a Senegalese-American singer, songwriter, and record producer who has consistently been ranked as one of the world’s most acclaimed musicians.
For the benefit of those who don’t know his real name, he was christened Aliaume Damala Badara Akon Thiam. He is equally an entrepreneur and the CEO of Konvict Muzic.
His fortune can be rightly accredited to his sale of over 35 million copies of his albums, endorsement deals and his investments. His popularity continues to swirls across and beyond Africa.
He has also been nominated for reputable awards such as the Grammy Award, for a total of 5 times, among others. He has multiple awards in his gallery.
2. Black Coffee – Net Worth: $60 Million
The South-African artist Black Coffee whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo is a DJ, record producer and owner of Soulistic Music Record Label. Being the second on this list, it is no doubt he is the richest musician in South Africa and he doubles as the second richest African musician with an estimated worth of $60 million.
He is not particularly famous among the Nigerian audience. However, that hasn’t deterred him from a significant number of awards. The creativity of this musician is especially appealing to fans of electronic music.
He was the recipient of the “Breakthrough DJ Of The Year” award at the DJ Awards in Ibiza in the year 2015.
3. Don Jazzy – Net Worth: $30 Million
Don Jazzy is the richest Nigerian Musician and the third on the list of richest musicians in Africa. Don Jazzy’s real name is Michael Collins Ajereh, he is a record producer, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur.
Don Jazzy has been the music industry for long, he co-founded Mo’Hits Records which is popularly called Mo’Hits alongside D’banj.
However, this record label is no longer in existence as a result of the fallout between the management of the label. After this, he went on to establish another record label known as Mavins Record.
Don Jazzy holds numerous Awards. He has helped many talented artists achieve serious success among other things.
4. Wizkid – Net Worth: $20 Million
Wizkid, the young Nigerian singer and songwriter, whose real name is Ayodeji Balogun is the fourth richest musician in Africa. He owns the Starboy record label.
He started recording music at age 11 and managed to release a collaborative album with the Glorious Five, a group that comprised he and a couple of his church friends formed.
The ‘Holla at Your Boy’ crooner has several endorsement deals including endorsement deals from telecommunication giants like MTN and Glo.
Wizkid also has several awards in his gallery including the award for Next Rated at The Headies 2011. With his success as a musician at a very young age, he is certainly doing well for himself.
5. Davido – Net Worth: $16 Million
Young and vibrant David Adedeji Adeleke, popularly called Davido, is third Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer to be featured on Forbes list of Africa’s richest artistes.
He has featured and has been featured by popular renowned artists. He is the CEO of CEO DMW.
Davido was born into a wealthy lineage (Adeleke’s’ family). Though he’s from a wealthy home, he, however, does not credit his wealth to his father’s affluence. He has many prestigious awards to his name. The Headies Award is a notable mention.
6. Sarkodie – Net Worth: $7 Million
A youth ambassador in his nation. Michael Owusu Addo famously called Sarkodie is the richest rapper in Ghana, and perhaps unsurprisingly the only Ghana artist on the top 10 list of richest African musicians.
He is seen as the main factor behind the focus on Ghana’s contemporary music. Sarkodie, besides being a musician, possesses a large heart and is one of the few philanthropic musicians out there.
He reaches out to the needy through the Sarkodie Foundation. He is the owner of Sarkcess Music record label and Sark Clothing.
7. Tinashe – Net Worth $6 Million
Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe is the first and only female on the list of the 10 richest African musicians. She started out as a model while she was still a kid.
She shone as the new star of the music industry and her talent made her enjoy music collaboration with many celebrities. Tinashe is an ambassador for several brands.
Despite her relatively young age, she has managed to become incredibly successful in her career and she is expectedly very wealthy.
8. Hugh Masekela – Net Worth: $1.5 Million
Hugh Ramapolo Masekela, described as “the father of South African jazz”, is the second richest artiste in South Africa. He is a South African trumpeter, cornetist, singer and composer who has been rocking South Africa’s music industry with constant releases.
He has won many honorary prizes and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Masekela regularly goes on international trips to perform in musical concerts.
9. Jidenna – Net Worth: $1 Million
Jidenna Theodore Mobisson, better known by his stage name Jidenna, is a Nigerian-American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer from Imo state, Nigeria.
His debut album, The Chief was released on February 17, 2017. He is signed to a record label and has collaborated with a number of artistes equally signed to that label.
The 4th and last Nigerian to make this list is none other than Jidenna. He is estimated to about worth $1 million.
10. Oliver Mtukudzi – Net Worth
Oliver Mtukudzi is a born singer. A singer with a good international reputation. His beautiful songs have been welcomed with intense support and ardor from the international audience.
For a musician that has an incredible number (65) of albums to his name, it should come as no surprise that he is regarded as one of the richest African musicians. His wealth stems in part from the sale of his album.
Update: Oliver Mtukudzi died on the 23rd of January 2019 at the age of 66.
To conclude, we could say the Nigerian and South African entertainment industries aren’t doing badly as both industries produced a total of 6 out of the 10 richest musicians in Africa
