Kanye West is the world’s highest earning hip-hop star with $150m in the bank – beating Jay Z and Drake

KANYE West has been named hip-hop's highest earner, according to Forbes.

The rapper, 42, has raked in more than $150 million over the past year as he knocks fellow rapper Jay Z off the top spot.

As well as his contributions to music, Kanye also owns successful footwear brand Yeezy which has no doubt helped boost profits over the last 12 months.

This is the first time the rapper has taken the number one spot on the list.

Last year, Kanye sat at No. 10  with $27.5 million, while Jay came in at No. 1 by earning $76.5 million.

The pair were once the closest friends in hip hop, having spent years collaborating and supporting each other.

However, tensions between the rappers began to rise after Kanye's infamous 2009 VMAs stage invasion which upstaged both Taylor Swift and Jay’s wife Beyonce.

So we can only assume coming second may come as a blow for Jay-Z, who made $81 million last year.

Meanwhile, another of Kanye's rivals, Drake, the most-streamed artist of any genre, rounds out the top three with $75 million.

Despite Kanye's success, fans of the rapper continue to relentlessly mock his trainers on Twitter. 

The rapper-turned-designer was recently roasted after images of the new Foam Runner footwear were shared online ahead of their official launch next year.

Taking to Twitter, fans likened the shoes to Crocs.

One person on Twitter wrote: "I wouldn't pay over $10.00 for those Yeezy. He probably get sue for shoe infringement they look to close to CROC"

Another said: "Kanye: I want it to look like a pair of Crocs but also look like they came from a really bad Sci-Fi movie."

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