Kanye West’s Net Worth
Last Updated on December 18, 2022 | Written by CPA Alec Pow
First Published on June 23, 2022 | Content Reviewed by 
CFA Alexander Popivker
Kanye West is one of the best-selling artists in the world, has 24 Grammy Awards, and is described as one of the greatest hip-hop singers in history. But Kanye West’s great talents are not only related to the music he plays, but also to the music he produces. This is how he became known in the industry – through the songs he wrote and produced. He always dreamed of being in front, of being noticed, and that brought him fame, a lot of money, but also a lot of problems.
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Kanye West |
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| Date of Birth: | Jun 8, 1977 (45 years old) |
| Net Worth: | $6.6 Billion |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Nationality: | United States of America |
| Profession: | Singer, Rapper, Songwriter, Record producer, Film Producer, Screenwriter, Actor, Businessperson, Fashion designer |
What is Kanye West’s net worth?
At the time this article was written Kanye West’s net worth was $6.6 billion. This value placed him in the top three richest self-made black people in the United States history.
West gained a lot of fame after the release of his album “The College Dropout” in 2004. Though, in the last years, he was involved more in the business world and earned a lot of money for the Yeezy/Adidas partnership. The implication in different endeavors from the last years brought him at least $100 million per year.
His own brand Yeezy is valued at $4 to $5 billion according to several private banks. Also, the partnership with The Gap brings Kanye another $1 billion.
You might also like our article on the net worth of R Kelly.
We have considered the next liabilities and assets in order to evaluate Kanye West’s net worth:
- Cash, equities, and other assets: $400 million;
- Real estate assets: $120 million;
- Value of Gap partnership: $1 billion;
- Music catalog including G.O.O.D Music: $80 million;
- Value of Yeezy brand: $5 billion;
- com website: $100 million.
Liabilities and other considerations: $100 million
Total assets: $6.7 billion
Kanye West earnings by year:
| Year | Earnings | |
| 2007 | $17 million | |
| 2008 | $30 million | |
| 2009 | $25 million | |
| 2010 | $12 million | |
| 2011 | $16 million | |
| 2012 | $35 million | |
| 2013 | $20 million | |
| 2014 | $30 million | |
| 2015 | $22 million | |
| 2016 | $18 million | |
| 2017 | $22 million | |
| 2018 | $90 million | |
| 2019 | $100 million | |
| 2020 | $200 million | |
| Total: | $437 million | |
Real estate
The value of Kanye’s real estate in the United States (homes, buildings, and land) is around $160 million. His primary residence in the LA suburb of Hidden Hills, California is valued at $60 million, but in September 2021 he received $23 million from Kim Kardashian to officially transfer the property into her name.
Kanye spent $57.3 million to buy a beachfront home in Malibu in September 2021. Some other real estate assets include:
- a $2 million commercial property in Cody, Wyoming;
- 320-acre estate on Stokes Canyon Road in Calabasas that is valued at $16 million;
- a 1,400-acre ranch called The Monster Lake Ranch worth $14 million;
- a 6,700-acre ranch called Bighorn Mountain Ranch in Wyoming worth $15 million.
Kanye West owns in total $120 million in real estate, $30 million in Wyoming real estate, and $120 million in California real estate.
Kanye West’s involvement in the fashion industry
His mother’s death in 2007 was a turning point for Kanye West. His next album had nothing to do with hip-hop, the artist even saying that he was no longer interested in this style of music.
He focused for a while on his collaborations in the field of fashion: Nike, Fendi, and Louis Vuitton. He then launched his first collection in Paris in 2011. He was criticized harshly, but Kanye did not give up his involvement in fashion. He continued to create for his company and collaborated with big names, such as Adidas and GAP.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born in Atlanta on June 8, 1977, Kanye West was far from the famous gangster stories and dangerous lives of the most famous American rappers. His father was a member of the Black Panthers, a revolutionary socialist organization that was born out of a desire to withstand the brutality of law enforcement in contact with people of color. He was also one of the first black photojournalists in Atlanta’s largest newspaper, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Kanye’s mother, Donda, taught English at Clark Atlanta University, then headed the Department of English at the University of Chicago until she retired. Then she became her own son’s manager until she lost her life to heart disease.
She was his main influence and main support. Kanye’s parents divorced when he was just 3 years old, and he and his mother moved to Chicago. However, Kanye continued to spend his summers with his father, which left a mark on his temperament.
Kanye began to show artistic inclinations from the earliest years of his life. At the age of 5, he was writing poetry; in school, he started to be more and more interested in music and drawing, and in the 7th grade he already had his own compositions that he sold to other rap singers.
At the age of 13, he persuaded his mother to pay him a few hours in a recording studio for the song he had written, Green Eggs and Ham. When they got there, Donda found a room in the basement of a building with a microphone hanging from the ceiling with a clothes hanger. But she supported his son, as she did throughout his career. She was also the one who introduced him to No I.D., DJ and producer, who taught Kanye how to use a sampler and what are the basics in this direction.
His mother’s unconditional support has left its mark on Kanye’s life and career, and he has dedicated two songs to her: “Hey Mama” and “Coldest Winter”.
After graduating from high school, Kanye began taking painting classes at the American Academy of Art but soon transferred to the University of Chicago, where he began studying English. However, he did not come to terms with the busy schedule of college, which turned his musical activity upside down, so at the age of 20, he dropped out of school to pursue his artistic dream.
The artist who reinvented and changed the rules of hip-hop
He was 18 when he started creating beats for local artists, and at the age of 19, he had his first official mention in this regard and the first serious money earned in music, $8000, after composing 8 songs from the album Down to Earth, a Chicago rapper’s debut album, Gravity.
However, it hit hard when he started producing for Roc-A-Fella artists, being considered the main factor that led to the revitalization of Jay-Z’s career, along with his work on The Blueprint album. The album is included in all charts with the best hip-hop albums of all time, and with it grew interest in Kanye West as a producer. He has worked for Ludacris, Alicia Keys, and Janet Jackson, among others.
Although he was already well-known in the industry and had no shortage of money, Kanye always felt far from his dream of going on stage to play his own songs. He eventually convinced Jay Z to give him a chance, but in a strange way, the real chance came from a terrible car accident.
“Through the Wire” was recorded when Kanye still had the wires from the surgery on his recovering jaw, and the lyrics had nothing to do with what was at the top at the time: illegal activities. Kanye brought a completely different story to the forefront, and the way he was received by the audience gave him the courage to finish the album he had been working on for several years, “College Dropout”.
“College Dropout” was in sold over 2.6 million copies, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, and received 10 Grammy Award nominations, with Kanye leaving home with 3 awards. The rapper was a star, but that was just the beginning. Kanye founded his own record label, GOOD Music – Getting Out Our Dreams Music.
Kanye West’s personal life
Kanye West’s love life was not the quietest. For 6 years he had a tumultuous relationship with designer Alexis Phifer, ending with a year and a half engagement and a sudden breakup.
Immediately after Alexis, Kanye began a relationship with model Amber Rose, with whom he was together for 2 years.
However, in 2012 he started a relationship with Kim Kardashian, with whom he had been a close friend for some time, and after another 2 years, they had a spectacular wedding in Italy, in Florence. They have 4 children together, 2, with the help of a surrogate mother and, although they have long been seen as an impossible couple to separate, in the early 2020s scandals began between them, reaching an abrupt finish with the completion of the divorce.
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