HE HAS had a wildly successful hip hop music career, saw his fame soar as Kim Kardashian’s other half, and launched a lucrative fashion empire against all odds.
Now, it seems, Kanye West’s string of high-profile business ventures have paid off, with Forbes crowning him a billionaire – with a net worth of just over £1m. But who is the American rapper, and how did he become one of the richest people on the planet?
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What is Kanye’s net worth?
The star is now worth $1.26bn – or just over £1m – according to the prestigious Forbes magazine.
During an appearance at the 2019 Fast Company Innovation Festival, he claimed to already be a billionaire, and has since handed personal documents over to the publication so they could verify his financial status.
His wealth includes $17 million in cash, $35 million in stocks, $81 million in “buildings and improvements” and $21 million in land.
They claim the rapper’s Yeezy shoe collection with Adidas has a revenue of around $1.3 billion.
Just a couple of years ago, he was estimated to be worth $250 million, with the majority of his earnings then coming from music, merchandise and touring.
In the new report, Kanye actually claims his wealth amounts to $3.3bn – but Forbes disagreed it was that high.
Meanwhile, his reality TV star wife Kim is holding up just fine with her own net worth, which currently stands at $350 million.
Is Kanye West changing his name?
In November, Kanye claimed he would be legally changing his name to Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West for a year in protest at Forbes not – at the time – recognising him as a billionaire.
The rapper announced the news during an appearance at last year’s Fast Company Innovation festival in New York.
He said: “People say it’s crass to call yourself a billionaire, but I might legally change my name to Christian Genius Billionaire Kanye West for a year until y’all understand exactly what it is… It will be on the license plate.”
However, it is currently unclear whether he has actually gone ahead with the plan.
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What is Kanye West’s background?
Kanye was born in Atlanta on June 7 1977 to Ray and Dondra West, who divorced when he was three-years-old.
He and his mother then moved to Chicago, where Kanye became involved in the hip hop scene from a young age.
The rapper started making music when he was 13 after he persuaded his mother to pay for him to use a recording studio.
When he was 15 he met hip-hop and R&B music producer No. I.D. who quickly became his mentor.
Kanye received a scholarship to Chicago’s American Academy of Art but dropped out when he was 20 to pursue his music career.
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How did he get his start in music?
Kanye started out in the music industry as a producer and got his first credits aged 19 when he produced some tracks for rapper Grav.
He then formed and became a member and producer of rap group the Go-Getters.
In the late Nineties, he produced records for artists such as Foxy Brown and Harlem World before landing a job at Roc-A-Fella Records in 2000, where he was credited with helping to revitalise Jay-Z’s career because of his contributions to his influential 2001 album The Blueprint.
This raised Kanye’s profile and as an in-house producer for the label, he produced songs for artists such as Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson and Ludacris.
When did Kanye land his big break?
Despite being a successful producer, Kanye’s dream was to become a rapper but he struggled to get a record deal until the then-head of Roc-A-Fella signed him to the label, which was initially reluctant to take him on as an artist.
Then, after a near-fatal crash in 2002 which left him with a shattered jaw, he was inspired to write Through The Wire which would become his debut single and laid the foundations for his debut album The College Dropout.
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What are some of his biggest songs?
Kanye has had many chart hits but his most recognised ones are probably Gold Digger featuring Jamie Foxx, Stronger, Niggas in Paris and FourFiveSeconds with Rihanna and Paul McCartney.
His other hits include:
- Bound 2
- Jesus Walks
- Love Lockdown
- N***** In Paris
- Hey Mama
- Real Friends
- Homecoming
- Gorgeous
- Through the Wire
- New Slaves
- Runaway
- Touch The Sky
Does Kanye want to be US President?
On September 2, 2018 Kanye West claimed he was “seriously considering” running for president in 2024.
The 41-year-old made the comments during a radio interview in Chicago.
West first expressed his desire to get into the White House at the MTV Video Music Awards back in 2015.
Asked if he’s still considering launching an election bid, he told Power 92: “Yes. It 100 percent could happen. 2024.”
“If I decide to do it, it will be done. I’m not gonna try.”
He also said being an entrepreneur has prepared him for the hot seat, adding: “You should not be president unless you’ve ran a multi-billion dollar business.”
His lofty ambitions first came to light in 2015 when he was accepting a lifetime achievement award at the VMAs in Los Angeles, California.
He told the crowd: “As you probably could’ve guessed by this moment, I have decided, in 2020, to run for president.”
Although admitting he did not know much about politics, he reckoned he was qualified because of his “view on humanity, on people and the truth”.
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