Kanye West
Kanye West (Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Yeezy Season 3)

While Kanye West has really departed from the artist we knew who just wanted to shine, there is one thing we really have to give the man: he is a visionary. Back in 2018, in a rapid fire stream of consciousness on Twitter, ‘Ye told everyone that his brand Yeezy “will become the biggest apparel brand company in human history by working with the most genius level talents and creating product at an affordable price.” He also said his brand had made him very, very rich. “I am currently the single highest paid person in footwear,” he said at the time. “That means I make more money on shoes than Michael Jordan.” Now, three years later, all of what he said seems to have come to pass. On Thursday, Bloomberg reported West’s Yeezy brand is worth close to $6.6 billion.

Ah, Yeezy, Yeezy, how you do it, huh? According to CNN, 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. As for his personal assets, he has an additional $1.7 billion, including a major investment in his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian’s Skims shapewear line, CNN reported. Oh, and his music catalog is worth $110 million, and he holds $122 million in cash and stock, according to Bloomberg.

For some reason, West’s finances are a hotly-contested topic. If you recall, back in 2020, West was upset that Forbes claimed his net worth was $3 billion. Despite the business magazine’s analysis, West maintained that his net worth is higher, and reportedly texted Forbes, “It’s not a billion. It’s $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.” But one thing is for sure, West absolutely owns a billion dollar company.

In 2013, West told The New York Times: “I think that’s a responsibility that I have, to push possibilities, to show people: ‘This is the level that things could be at.’ So when you get something that has the name Kanye West on it, it’s supposed to be pushing the furthest possibilities. I will be the leader of a company that ends up being worth billions of dollars, because I got the answers. I understand culture. I am the nucleus.” 

Kanye West, everyone. The prophet.