Dr. Dre is officially a billionaire.
Forbes released its World’s Billionaires List for 2026, which includes 3,428 entrepreneurs, investors, and heirs. This is 400 more than in 2025, setting a new record. In total, the net worths of those listed reached $20.1 trillion, $4 trillion more than in 2025, setting another record. Forbes attributed AI as a factor for the increase in billionaires.
“It’s the year of the billionaire,” said Chase Peterson-Withorn, a senior editor at Forbes, according to Variety. “The planet added more than one billionaire per day over the past twelve months as the AI-powered stock market boom boosted fortunes to previously unimaginable heights.”
Additionally, the U.S. had the most billionaires, with a record 989, notes the outlet. Among those listed are Jay-Z and Rihanna. Newcomers to the list include Beyoncé — named a billionaire in December 2025, as AFROTECH™ previously reported — and Dr. Dre, a founding member of the Hip-Hop group N.W.A. He previously declared himself a billionaire back in 2014, Variety reported, after Beats by Dre sold to Apple for more than $3 billion.
“They need to update the Forbes list, sh-t just changed,” Dr. Dre said in May of 2014, according to the outlet.
Dr. Dre is listed at No. 3,332 on the Forbes list, becoming one of 22 billionaire entertainers and the sixth musician to become a billionaire, per Variety.
Some of his strategic moves include launching Aftermath Entertainment after N.W.A. disbanded, per his Forbes profile. The label operated under Interscope Records, led by Jimmy Iovine, and worked with artists including Eminem, 50 Cent, and Kendrick Lamar. Dr. Dre also developed Beats by Dre alongside Iovine, per the outlet.
In 2024, Dr. Dre also launched an alcohol brand with Snoop Dogg named after their 1994 hit “Gin and Juice.”
Now, Forbes estimates Dr. Dre’s net worth at $1 billion.
The rapper has been taking his fortune and giving back by supporting Prosperity Market, a Black woman-owned, Los Angeles-based farmers market. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, his donation will support the launch of two solar-powered electric mobile trailers.
“Dr. Dre is a legend and knows excellence when he sees it, so for him to see it in us is affirming and inspiring,” Prosperity Market Co-Founder and CEO Carmen Dianne said in a press release at the time. “His contribution will not only help Prosperity Market grow exponentially, but also all the businesses we work with and communities we serve.”
Additionally, Dr. Dre has been investing in educating the next generation of learners alongside Jimmy Iovine. Together, the pair plan to open a school in Inglewood, California, with a curriculum designed to challenge students to solve real-world problems, as AFROTECH™ previously reported.
The pair will also be launching a North Carolina program focused on design, technology, business, and communications at West Charlotte High School in the 2026-27 school year, according to Axios.
