Money Talks - Hip Hop's Top Earners Weight In. Guess Who's #1

The recession is REAL....even for hip hop royalty. According to Forbes, Hov took a 57% pay cut this year.

The Brooklyn-born rapper pulled in an estimated $35 million over the past 12 months, topping our annual list of Hip-Hop Cash Kings. It's far from the $82 million he made last year, but more than enough to reclaim the crown from 2008's monarch, 50 Cent. The Queens native drops to fourth place with $20 million, down from $150 million a year ago.

Here is the list:

Jay-Z - 35 Million
Diddy - 30 Million
Kanye West - 25 Million
50 Cent - 20 Million
Akon - 20 Million
Lil Wayne - 18 Million
Timbaland - 17 Million
Pharrell - 16 Million
T-Pain - 15 Million
Eminem - 14 Million
Dr.Dre - 13 Million
Snoop Dogg - 11 Million
Ludacris - 10 Million
Common - 8 Million
Will.I.Am - 8 Million
T.I. - 8 Million
Swizz Beatz - 8 Million
Andre 3000 - 7 Million
Big Boi- 7 Million
Flo-Rida - 6 Million
Rick Ross - 6 Million
The Game - 6 Million
Young Jeezy- 6 Million

Forbes