Forbes Africa has released its list of Richest African musicians

It's about time! Forbes Africa has released its list of Richest African musicians
and our top stars are not left out.

According to Forbes Africa, the stars were selected based on criteria such as endorsement
value, popularity, show rates, sales, awards, YouTube views, appearance in newspapers,
investment, social media presence, Influence, amongst others.

Find the complete list below:

1. AKON, SENEGAL

Akon is an obvious part of this list, what with over 35 million albums sold worldwide. The
Senegalese singer has won five Grammy Award nominations and has 45 Billboard Hot 100
songs.

2. BLACK COFFEE, SOUTH AFRICA

South African artiste, Black Coffee whose real name is Nkosinathi Maphumulo , is a multi-
award winning singer. He hails from house music province, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and was
raised in the Eastern Cape province, the same place Nelson Mandela hailed from.

3. HUGH MASEKELA, SOUTH AFRICA

Born in Witbank, east of Johannesburg, Hugh Masekela has released over 43 albums and
performed with the likes of Marvin Gaye, Dizzy Gillespie, The Byrds, Fela Kuti, Paul Simon,
Stevie Wonder and Miriam Makeba.

4. DON JAZZY, NIGERIA

Our very own Don Jazzy came in fourth on the list of the richest musicians in Africa and the
first in Nigeria. Born Michael Collins Ajereh, the music producer, and Mavins boss started
playing music as a child in church before moving to the UK to pursue his career.

5. TINASHE, ZIMBABWEAN-AMERICAN

Tinashe who began singing almost at the same time she could speak made her debut in
2000 in the film 'Cora Unashamed'. She also did a voice over in the cartoon feature film
"The Polar Express" alongside Oscar-winning actor, Tom Hanks.

6. JIDENNA, NIGERIAN-AMERICAN

Jidenna Theodore Mobisson who was on his way to becoming an Engineer always had a
passion for music which shines through in his love for the art and the music itself. He is
ranked as the sixth on the list.

7. WIZKID, NIGERIA

Coming in at seventh place on the list, does nothing to detract from the fact that Wizkid is
unarguably the uncrowned king of African music. He has managed to open up our music to
the Western world, a fact which was made obvious when Grammy Award-winning artist,
Alicia Keys and husband, Swizz Beatz , danced to his songs 'Ojuelegba' and 'Caro'.

8. DAVIDO, NIGERIA

Davido has come a long way in the last five years and has definitely earned his spot on the
list. He became famous for his widely acclaimed 2012 debut album “Omo Baba Olowo.”

9. SARKODIE, GHANA

Michael Owusu Addo who started out as an underground rapper launched his career with
the help of Duncan Williams , his former manager. The Azonto advocate has stayed through
to the Ghanaian genre which is said to have been born out of Kpanlogo, a traditional dance.
His first single off his fourth album, Mewu, sold almost 4,000 copies on the first day of its
release in Ghana. Sarkodie is also the first Ghanaian to win a BET award.

10. OLIVER MTUKUDZI, ZIMBABWE

With 65 albums to his name, Oliver Tuku Mtukudzi surpasses the likes of Micheal Jackson
and Whitney Houston. His career spans 41 years with songs that have been played all over
the world. He his ranked 10th richest musician in Africa.

Sources (pulse.com.gh)