Nelly Highest-Paid Rapper in the World

By Carol Kearney
Washington
Last updated on April 12, 2025

Nelly led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid rappers” released on Friday.

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It's been a rough year for the rapper, but at least he has his millions of dollars to ease the pain. 50-year-old Nelly has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid rappers for 2025 with an estimated $96 million in combined earnings.

UPDATE 12/04/2025 : This story seems to be false. (read more)

Nelly tops annual list of highest-paid rappers

In 2022 it looked like the rapper’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, he was back on top. People With Money reports on Friday (April 11) that Nelly is the highest-paid rapper in the world, pulling in an astonishing $96 million between March 2024 and March 2025, a nearly $60 million lead over his closest competition.

People With Money’s factors

In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work.

The American rapper-business man has an estimated net worth of $275 million. He owes his fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. He also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Nelly Burger” chain) in Washington, a Football Team (the “Austin Angels”), has launched his own brand of Vodka (Pure Wondernelly - US), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Nelly) and a fashion line called “Nelly Seduction”.

The ranking is significant for many Nelly fans, who have been waiting for his triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime.