Even though the country is in a recession, hip hop moguls continue to thrive. Forbes announced Thursday the top 20 most successful hip hop artists within the last year. Jay-Z toppled last year’s top earner 50 cent to claim the no.1 spot this year. It is estimated that he earned $35 million from touring. P.Diddy came in second with an estimated $30 million from his Sean John clothing line, Ciroc vodka partnership and MTV reality shows. Kanye is no.3 with $25 million due to sales from his last album, touring and sneaker deals with Nike and Louis Vuitton.