EVEN though Dr. Dre hasn’t released a new album since 2015’s “Compton,” he beat out heavy hitters Taylor Swift and Beyoncé for the top spot on Forbes’ Top Earning Musician of the Decade list.

The rapper and producer can thank his 20 percent stake in headphone maker Beats Electronics for the bulk of his US$950 million in estimated earnings. Dre and business partner Jimmy Iovine sold the company to Apple for US$3 billion in 2014.

Swift came in second place with earnings reportedly around US$825 million, with Beyoncé trailing behind with US$685 million. Rounding out the top five are: U2 with US$675 million and Sean “Diddy” Combs, who made an estimated US$605 million.

Forbes only counts musicians that are still alive for its list, mentioning that Michael Jackson would beat everyone if they did not. Jackson earned an estimated US$2.37 billion in the 2010s, including US$750 million made by the estate’s sale of half his Sony/ATV publishing catalog in 2016.

(SD-Agencies)