In a screenshot posted on Kanye Westβs Instagram account on Thursday, January 23rd, he shared his βbillionaire statusβ after Eton Venture Services confirmed his net worth at $2.77 billion. According to Eton, the valuation is βbased on his music portfolio and sole ownership of the Yeezy mark.β
West first gained his billionaire status when he made it to the Forbes billionaire list in 2020. However, Forbesβs current estimation of Westβs net worth is $400 million. So what is the truth here? Is Kanye West a billionaire or not?
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Well, he definitely was, but he lost that status just three years after gaining it. In 2022, brands such as Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap severed their ties with West after he made antisemitic comments. Yeβs partnership with Adidas was the biggest contributor to the rapperβs fortune. According to Forbes, the Adidas deal alone was valued at $1.5 billion, giving him his golden ticket to enter the land of billionaires.
But back in 2020, βThe Gold diggerββ singer wasnβt satisfied with his new billionaire status. A Forbes article reveals that although West had been bugging them for years to be on the list and once he provided the information that confirmed he should be there, he made a very Ye Move: He texted a Forbes editor, complaining that itβs not βa billionβ but βItβs $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.β
Losing his billionaire status just a few years later mustβve stung Westβs ego since he cared so much about being recognized. But it seems he has climbed his way back up the billionaire ladder after such a brutal fall. All this depends on whether Eton Venture Servicesβ valuation of Westβs net worth is correct. If itβs solely up to Forbes, Westβs net worth remains at $400 million, but considering Yeβs past tension with Forbes, it doesnβt seem that he cares what they have to say.
Captioning his Instagram post βLAA LA LA LA,β a reference to his song βCanβt Tell Me Nothingβ off of his Graduation album, Yeβs words seem to have a double meaning. Beside flaunting his new status, heβs likely taunting the magazine, letting Forbes know they canβt tell him Nada.
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