Don Jazzy, Wizkid, Sarkodie, others named top 10 richest African Musicians

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.