Beyonce Earned $6M More Than Rihanna in 2011

Cash queens reigned supreme in 2011. Without putting on a show-stopping international tour, Beyonce managed to earn more than Rihanna this year — $6M more, in fact. Queen Bey took home a whopping $35M compared to the $29M Rihanna pocketed.

PHOTOS: Beyonce’s Incredible 2011

The end-of-year numbers come from Forbes’ latest list of top-earning women. But of course, the usual suspects took home the most green; Lady Gaga banked an impressive $90M coming in at number one on the list. Another notable name mentioned was Alicia Keys — who walked away with a cool $10M.

PHOTOS: Rihanna’s Year in Hair, 2011

No matter which artist you support, all of them have had a stellar year. With a closer look, it appears their side-hustles and personal lives earned them more lucre than anything else. Just take a look at Beyonce, for example. Her big baby bump reveal at the 2011 MTV VMAs was the most tweeted about moment of the year — her personal life becoming the hot topic in news instead of her music. As for Alicia Keys, she directed a breast cancer documentary called “Five,” produced her very first Broadway play, “Stick Fly,” on top of managing her Keep a Child Alive charity.

With a new year just around the corner, who do you think will be 2012’s next cash queen?