Music

How much money do rappers actually make compared to their lyrical brags?

by Aaron Zorgel

Infographic via Businessweek

On “Versus,” the final track of Magna Carta…Holy Grail, Jay-Z scolds his fellow rappers for exaggerating personal wealth in their lyrics: “The truth in my verses, versus, your metaphors about what your net worth is.”

Businessweek decided to do a little investigating, and compared Forbes’ “Cash Kings of Hip Hop” and “Forbes Five” lists with lyrical boasts by 12 rappers.

It looks like Pitbull is the worst offender, claiming to pull in “billions” of dollars when he only grossed about $9.5 million in 2012. Jay-Z doesn’t seem to be 100% accurate with his lyrical brags, but to his credit, he’s the closest to being honest on the list, boasting $500 million when he’s worth $475.

Check out the interactive infographic here. It kind of reminds us of the time we figured out what the members of Young Money/Cash Money are actually worth.