Zack O'Malley Greenburg's Blog, page 25

Elvis Presley’s Earnings: $35 Million In 2017

The President And The King: Richard Nixon meets with Elvis Presley December 21, 1970 at the White House. (Photo by National Archive/Newsmakers)

Elvis earned $35 million pretax over the past year, placing him in the No. 4 spot on our Halloween-spooky list of highest-paid dead celebrities. Here’s a deeper look inside the numbers.

Real Name: Elvis Aron Presley
Born: January 8, 1935 in Tupelo, Miss.
Died: August 16, 1977 in Memphis, Tenn.
Age: 42
Cause: Heart Attack

The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll stil...

Rock Is Dead: Zappa, Dio And The Burgeoning Business Of Postmortem Touring

Frank Zappa–and other deceased stars–will soon be returning to a stage near you. (Photo by Evening Standard/Getty Images)

When Frank Zappa was still alive, he used to tell his son Ahmet about his dreams of creating massive holograms that could be projected over the ocean, turning a beach into a giant movie theater—or music venue. The elder Zappa owned a production company called Intercontinental Absurdities, and dreamed of taking it public to fund such grandiose projects.

“That’s the scale at...

The Top-Earning Dead Celebrities Of 2017

Michael Jackson: The King of Pop is the king of postmortem earnings for the fifth consecutive year. (Photo: Mike Powell /Allsport)

This past weekend, audiences were treated to the debut of CBS special Michael Jackson’s Halloween, an hourlong magical adventure in which the King of Pop comes to life in animated forms including that of a dancing pumpkin, an arachnid security guard and a feline scientist, set to a soundtrack of Jackson’s music.

“Michael’s songs are very important to people,” says...

‘Michael Jackson’s Halloween’: Claiming Another Crown For The King Of Pop

King of Halloween: Michael Jackson’s Halloween, a new one-hour animated adventure with Jackson’s music as its soundtrack, airs tonight.

Every October, just as reliably as the autumn leaves start to change in colder climes, the songs of Michael Jackson creep back onto lists of the most-played—especially his Halloween-spooky “Thriller” and lesser-known “Somebody’s Watching Me,” a Rockwell track featuring his vocals.

Both songs figure prominently into Michael Jackson’s Halloween, an hourlong ani...

This App Is Why Mims Is Hot (Again)

Take It To The Bay: RecordGram cofounders Erik Mendelson, Shawn Mims and Winston ‘DJ Blackout’ Thomas in San Francisco. (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch)

You remember Mims, the Washington Heights rapper responsible for 2007 chart topper “This Is Why I’m Hot” and its delectable, tautological refrain: “I’m hot ‘cause I’m fly / You ain’t ‘cause you not / This why (this is why) this is why I’m hot.” Now he’s back with another compelling product–this time it’s not a song, but a...

Zedd, Playboi Carti, Skylar Grey Rock Forbes Under 30 Summit Music Festival

It’s been quite a ride this year for Playboi Carti, the Atlanta rapper who celebrated his 21st birthday last month in the wake of milestones including a self-titled major label debut that landed at No. 12 on the Billboard album charts, a smash single that topped 130 spins on Spotify and a lucrative Adidas deal. Last night, he added another: gracing the stage of the Forbes Under 30 Music Festival in Boston.

“I was just dedicated to what I was doing,” he explained after his rollicking set at C...

Diddy Earnings: $130 Million In 2017

Cash King: Diddy claims the No. 1 spot on this year’s Forbes list.

Diddy places first on the 2017 Hip-Hop Cash Kings list–our  ranking of the world’s top-earning hip-hop artists. Here’s a bit more about his big year.

Real Name:
Sean John Combs

Age:
47

Residence:
Los Angeles, Calif.

Estimated 2017 Earnings:
$130 million

Source:
Music, Spirits, Endorsements

Summary:
It’s good to be king: Diddy tops our list once again thanks to his Bad Boy Family Reunion Tour, a longstanding partnership with Di...

Drake Earnings: $94 Million In 2017

TORONTO, ON – JULY 12: Singer Drake speaks to the crowd prior to the Floyd Mayweather Jr. v Conor McGregor World Press Tour at Budweiser Stage on July 12, 2017 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)

Drake places second on the 2017 Hip-Hop Cash Kings list–his best finish yet–our  ranking of the world’s top-earning hip-hop artists. Here’s a bit more about his big year.

Real Name:
Aubrey Drake Graham

Age:
30

Residence:
Los Angeles, Calif.; Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Estimated 20...

Jay-Z Earnings: $42 Million In 2017

NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 15: JAY-Z performs onstage during the Meadows Music And Arts Festival – Day 1 at Citi Field on September 15, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images)

Jay-Z places third on the 2017 Hip-Hop Cash Kings list–our  ranking of the world’s top-earning hip-hop artists. Here’s a bit more about his big year.

Real Name:
Shawn Corey Carter

Age:
47

Residence:
Los Angeles, Calif.; New York, N.Y.

Estimated 2017 Earnings:
$42 million

Source:
Music, Spirits, Clothin...

Hip-Hop Cash Kings 2017: Full List

Cash King: Diddy claims the No. 1 spot on this year’s Forbes list.

Diddy claims the top spot on our 11th annual Hip-Hop Cash Kings list–full coverage here, including original interviews with the Bad Boy founder and DJ Khaled–but the ranks of the genre’s top-earning artists are getting an infusion of youth. Chance The Rapper and Lil Yachty are among the newcomers pushing hip-hop’s veterans when it comes to earning power. Check out the full list of 20 below.

1. Diddy ($130 million)
2. Drake ($9...