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Forbes has published the World’s Billionaires List for 2026, which contains 3,428 entrepreneurs, investors, and heirs. This is 400 more than in 2025, marking a new record.
In all, the net worths of people listed exceeded $20.1 trillion, $4 trillion higher than in 2025, marking a new record. Forbes cited AI as a reason for the rise 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.”
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Furthermore, the United States has the most billionaires, with a record 989, according to the outlet. Jay-Z and Rihanna are among those on the list. Beyoncé, who was certified a billionaire in December 2025, and Dr. Dre, a founding member of the Hip-Hop group N.W.A., are new additions to the list, as previously reported by AFROTECH™.
He proclaimed himself a billionaire in 2014, Variety said, after Beats by Dre was sold to Apple for more than $3 billion. “They need to update the Forbes list, sh-t just changed,” Dr. Dre stated in May 2014, according to the outlet.
According to Variety, Dr. Dre is now ranked No. 3,332 on the Forbes list, making him one of 22 billionaire entertainers and the sixth musician.
According to his Forbes article, one of his strategic initiatives was the formation of Aftermath Entertainment following the disbandment of N.W.A. Jimmy Iovine led Interscope Records, which worked with artists such as Eminem, 50 Cent, and Kendrick Lamar.
According to the publication, Dr. Dre and Iovine collaborated on the development of Beats by Dre. In 2024, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg will introduce an alcohol brand titled after their 1994 song “Gin and Juice.” Forbes now estimates Dr. Dre’s net worth at $1 billion.
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The rapper has been using his riches to give back by supporting Prosperity Market, a Black woman-owned farmers market in Los Angeles. AFROTECH™ earlier revealed that its funding will help launch 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,” said Carmen Dianne, Co-Founder and CEO of Prosperity Market, in a press release. “His contribution will not only help Prosperity Market grow exponentially, but also all the businesses we work with and communities we serve.”
Dr. Dre has also been investing in training the next generation of learners alongside Jimmy Iovine. The pair intends to open a school in Inglewood, California, with a curriculum that challenges students to tackle real-world problems, as previously reported by AFROTECH™.
According to Axios, the couple will also start a North Carolina curriculum centred on design, technology, business, and communications at West Charlotte High School in the 2026-27 academic year.
Source: Gistreel | Read the Full Story…
