These artists represent the richest African
musicians, according to Answers Africa.
They command huge paychecks and are
at the top of their game. Nigerians
dominate the list as Banky W, 2 Face, P
Square and D'Banj makes the cut. Guess
who's at No 1 tho.
See full list below
10. Jose Chameleone
Jose (or Joe) Chameleone is a Ugandan
artist who found his niche blending
traditional Ugandan folk music, a bit of
rumba and a heavy reggae influence. He
sings in English, Swahili, and Luganda.
His mansion outside of Kampala and four
cars (including a Cadillac Escalade and a
Benz) are evidence of his success,
particularly with his hit, “Valu Valu.” He’s
been credited with changing the face of
music in Uganda, as well as making local
music accessible to the rest of the world.
9. Banky W
Born Olubankole Wellington in the U.S.,
Banky W moved back to Nigeria and grew
up in Lagos, where he began singing at
an early age. Finding success early in
singing competitions, most of his wealth
has come from endorsement deals with
companies such as Estisalat mobile and
Samsung in Nigeria. He also started the
Mr. Capable Foundation, an education
charity that provides tuition scholarships
for disadvantaged children.
8. Hugh Masekela
Musical sensation Hugh Masekela is a
South African artist who plays a variety of
instruments, including the trumpet,
flugelhorn, and cornet, along with singing
and composing his own work. He has
been highly praised for his work, with
everything from a Grammy nomination to
the Order of the Ikhamanga by President
Jacob Zuma (for achievements in arts,
culture, literature, music, journalism, and
sports in South Africa). He has graced
prestigious festivals across the world. He
is perhaps best known for his acapella-
style singing and collaboration with Paul
Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo on
the Graceland album and
1987 Graceland tour
7. 2 Face Idibia
Nigerian singer-songwriter 2 Face Idibia
began his career as a member of the hip
hop group Plantashun Boyz, but went
solo in 2004 after the group split. His
most popular song, “African Queen,” took
off after being featured in the movie
“Phat Girlz” in 2006, but all of his five
albums have been very well-received
around the world. His wealth comes from
various real estate investments across
Nigeria, as well as the $80,000 he
commands per show.
6. Fally Ipupa
Fally Ipupa, a former member of Quartier
Latin International (along with Koffi
Olomidé, to be mentioned later), went
solo in 2006 and has been incredibly
successful, both in his home country of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo as
well as internationally. With MTV Africa
Music and Kora awards under his belt,
he’s racked up clothing endorsement
deals in Paris as well as high
commissions for his shows across the
world, which are almost always sold-out.
5. Salif Keita
Born and raised in Mali, singer and
songwriter Salif Keita has been referred
to as the “Golden Voice of Africa,” with
his original take on Afro-pop music.
Despite his royal heritage (he’s directly
descended from Sundiata Keita, the
founder of the Mali Empire), he chose a
path of music, bucking the Malian caste
system. But this means that he was
loaded even before his music career took
off, explaining his private island and
properties across Europe.
4. Koffi Olomidé
Along with fellow Congolese star Fally
Ipupa, Koffi Olomidé formed Quartier
Latin as lead singer and vocalist before
launching his solo career. Dubbing his
style of music as tcha tcho, he considers
it a blend of soukous music (dance music
that originated from African rumba
music). He’s notorious for taking on
controversial subjects in his lyrics, which
has led him to be widely praised and
criticized worldwide.
Raking in over 100,000 euros per show,
Olomidé is extremely popular across
Africa and the world. One of his albums is
listed in Robert Dimery’s book, “1001
Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.”
3. D’banj
D’banj, aka the Koko Master, aka Dapo
Daniel Oyebanjo, has been killing it in his
native Nigeria and around the world since
2007, and was the first African artist who
signed with the music label GOOD, owned
by Kanye West. The recipient of countless
awards, D’banj is known for his unique
sound of dance music and Afro beats. He
is involved in a variety of investments
including a nightclub in Nigeria, brands
such as Koko water, and was given his
own reality show, “Koko Mansion.”
2. P-Square
P-Square is made up of identical twins,
Peter and Paul Okoye, who began singing
and dancing together back in their small
Catholic high school in Jos, Nigeria. After
forming the group in 2005, their music
developed a devoted following,
particularly in South Africa, and each
album outsold the previous one. They
were named Artists of the Year at the
2010 Kora Awards and now bring in more
than $150,000 per show. Best of all, their
shared home is worth more than $3
million and has been dubbed
“Squareville.” Talk about product
placement!
1. Youssou N’dour
Not surprisingly, Youssou N’dour brings
it home in the No. 1 spot. This
Senegalese singer is widely considered
the most famous singer alive in Senegal
and much of Africa. His style of music is
known as mbalax, a mix of Senegalese
traditional music in the Serer language
and various styles from around the world
including Cuban rumba, hip hop, jazz,
and soul.
With millions around the world in his fan
base, he is now the owner of the biggest
media house in Senegal (complete with
radio and TV stations) and was appointed
tourism and culture minister in 2012.
More importantly, before K’naan had
“Waving Flag” in 2010, N’dour was
responsible for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
national anthem, “La Cour des Grands,”
along with Axelle Red.
musicians, according to Answers Africa.
They command huge paychecks and are
at the top of their game. Nigerians
dominate the list as Banky W, 2 Face, P
Square and D'Banj makes the cut. Guess
who's at No 1 tho.
See full list below
10. Jose Chameleone
Jose (or Joe) Chameleone is a Ugandan
artist who found his niche blending
traditional Ugandan folk music, a bit of
rumba and a heavy reggae influence. He
sings in English, Swahili, and Luganda.
His mansion outside of Kampala and four
cars (including a Cadillac Escalade and a
Benz) are evidence of his success,
particularly with his hit, “Valu Valu.” He’s
been credited with changing the face of
music in Uganda, as well as making local
music accessible to the rest of the world.
9. Banky W
Born Olubankole Wellington in the U.S.,
Banky W moved back to Nigeria and grew
up in Lagos, where he began singing at
an early age. Finding success early in
singing competitions, most of his wealth
has come from endorsement deals with
companies such as Estisalat mobile and
Samsung in Nigeria. He also started the
Mr. Capable Foundation, an education
charity that provides tuition scholarships
for disadvantaged children.
8. Hugh Masekela
Musical sensation Hugh Masekela is a
South African artist who plays a variety of
instruments, including the trumpet,
flugelhorn, and cornet, along with singing
and composing his own work. He has
been highly praised for his work, with
everything from a Grammy nomination to
the Order of the Ikhamanga by President
Jacob Zuma (for achievements in arts,
culture, literature, music, journalism, and
sports in South Africa). He has graced
prestigious festivals across the world. He
is perhaps best known for his acapella-
style singing and collaboration with Paul
Simon and Ladysmith Black Mambazo on
the Graceland album and
1987 Graceland tour
7. 2 Face Idibia
Nigerian singer-songwriter 2 Face Idibia
began his career as a member of the hip
hop group Plantashun Boyz, but went
solo in 2004 after the group split. His
most popular song, “African Queen,” took
off after being featured in the movie
“Phat Girlz” in 2006, but all of his five
albums have been very well-received
around the world. His wealth comes from
various real estate investments across
Nigeria, as well as the $80,000 he
commands per show.
6. Fally Ipupa
Fally Ipupa, a former member of Quartier
Latin International (along with Koffi
Olomidé, to be mentioned later), went
solo in 2006 and has been incredibly
successful, both in his home country of
the Democratic Republic of the Congo as
well as internationally. With MTV Africa
Music and Kora awards under his belt,
he’s racked up clothing endorsement
deals in Paris as well as high
commissions for his shows across the
world, which are almost always sold-out.
5. Salif Keita
Born and raised in Mali, singer and
songwriter Salif Keita has been referred
to as the “Golden Voice of Africa,” with
his original take on Afro-pop music.
Despite his royal heritage (he’s directly
descended from Sundiata Keita, the
founder of the Mali Empire), he chose a
path of music, bucking the Malian caste
system. But this means that he was
loaded even before his music career took
off, explaining his private island and
properties across Europe.
4. Koffi Olomidé
Along with fellow Congolese star Fally
Ipupa, Koffi Olomidé formed Quartier
Latin as lead singer and vocalist before
launching his solo career. Dubbing his
style of music as tcha tcho, he considers
it a blend of soukous music (dance music
that originated from African rumba
music). He’s notorious for taking on
controversial subjects in his lyrics, which
has led him to be widely praised and
criticized worldwide.
Raking in over 100,000 euros per show,
Olomidé is extremely popular across
Africa and the world. One of his albums is
listed in Robert Dimery’s book, “1001
Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.”
3. D’banj
D’banj, aka the Koko Master, aka Dapo
Daniel Oyebanjo, has been killing it in his
native Nigeria and around the world since
2007, and was the first African artist who
signed with the music label GOOD, owned
by Kanye West. The recipient of countless
awards, D’banj is known for his unique
sound of dance music and Afro beats. He
is involved in a variety of investments
including a nightclub in Nigeria, brands
such as Koko water, and was given his
own reality show, “Koko Mansion.”
2. P-Square
P-Square is made up of identical twins,
Peter and Paul Okoye, who began singing
and dancing together back in their small
Catholic high school in Jos, Nigeria. After
forming the group in 2005, their music
developed a devoted following,
particularly in South Africa, and each
album outsold the previous one. They
were named Artists of the Year at the
2010 Kora Awards and now bring in more
than $150,000 per show. Best of all, their
shared home is worth more than $3
million and has been dubbed
“Squareville.” Talk about product
placement!
1. Youssou N’dour
Not surprisingly, Youssou N’dour brings
it home in the No. 1 spot. This
Senegalese singer is widely considered
the most famous singer alive in Senegal
and much of Africa. His style of music is
known as mbalax, a mix of Senegalese
traditional music in the Serer language
and various styles from around the world
including Cuban rumba, hip hop, jazz,
and soul.
With millions around the world in his fan
base, he is now the owner of the biggest
media house in Senegal (complete with
radio and TV stations) and was appointed
tourism and culture minister in 2012.
More importantly, before K’naan had
“Waving Flag” in 2010, N’dour was
responsible for the 1998 FIFA World Cup
national anthem, “La Cour des Grands,”
along with Axelle Red.
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