Kanye West: On Becoming a Billionaire

Kanye West's journey to becoming a billionaire and his Biography. 

Early Life and Career

Kanye Omari West was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. His parents divorced when he was only three years old, and he moved to Chicago with his mother where he grew up. It was at Chicago that he had his first contact with music and later met with DJ No I.D, a Chicago-based DJ and producer. In 1997, West received a scholarship to attend the American Academy of Art. He later transferred to Chicago State University to study English, after which he dropped out of college to pursue his music career.

At the age of 20, West was a college dropout and had begun making beats for local artists while building his own music career. During that time, he produced beats for artists like Halrme World, Foxy Brown, and Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie.

How Kanye Rose To Fame

West’s big break came in 2000 after he began working with Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records. He had the opportunity of working with top artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Janet Jackson. He also worked on Jay-Z’s 2001 album The Blueprint which made West become a highly sought-after producer. Although he was doing well as a music producer, West had always dreamed of becoming a rapper. In 2001 he convinced the head of Capitol Records to sign him to Roc-A-Fella Records after being denied a contract with Capitol Records. In 2003, West had worked on his first album The College Dropout. The events that led to the album release included a terrible accident that left West in a bad condition and a shattered Jaw. In 2004, The College Dropout was finally released and it sparked mixed reactions among the public. It, however, led to his widespread, and earned him 10 Grammy Award nominations, and certified triple platinum in the US.

Kanye West has since become one of the greatest award-winning American singers and producers. His journey to global fame began after the release of his 2004 album The College Dropout. Today, he has made a name for himself in the entertainment industry, winning 21 Grammy Awards out of 69 nominations. Asides from his music career, West has also partnered with major sports brands like Adidas which earns him his fortune. In recent times, the majority of West’s earnings stream is from other sources closely related to his Yeezy brand and Adidas partnership.

Kanye West and his Yeezy Brand

Although Kanye West separately owns 100% of his Yeezy apparel line, he still earns a royalty on the sales which are reported $1.5 billion per year. In a Wall Street Journal and GQ cover story, Yeezy is a $3 to $4 billion brand which would most likely put West on the billionaire’s list. In a Wall Street Journal article released in March, West said that the ultimate goal for Yeezy was to be a $50 billion brand.

In April 2020, West was finally named as a Billionaire on the Forbes billionaires list after many misunderstandings. Based on the details of his financial records and information West presented to Forbes, his net worth was estimated to be around $1.3 billion. However, some other organizations like Celebritynetworth.com have estimated West’s net worth to be $3.32 billion. Based on their analysis, they considered the following assets and liabilities:

Kanye West's net worth as of the year 2021.

According to UBS “The vast majority of West's wealth is tied up in his apparel businesses: The combined value of West's Yeezy sneaker partnership with Adidas and his clothing line with the Gap is worth a combined $3.2 billion to $4.7 billion.”

Kanye West Net Worth

Kanye's total asset is $6.6 billion, he is a billionaire and he is a black man.