Kanye West Is Worth $500 Million
| Name | Kanye West |
| Other Name(s) | Ye, Kanye Omari West |
| Net Worth | $500 million |
| Birthday | June 8, 1977 in Atlanta, GA |
| Star Sign | Gemini |
| Height | 5ft 8 (173 cm) |
Early Life
Kanye West was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia. He grew up in Chicago, Illinois, with his mother, Donda West, who was a professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and his father, Ray West, who was a former Black Panther and one of the first black photojournalists at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Kanye was a talented musician from a young age, and he began making music and beats while still in high school. He went on to study at Chicago State University before dropping out to pursue a career in music.
How Much Money Does Kanye Make From His Music?
Kanye West is one of the greatest and most successful hip-hop musicians in history. He has experimented in several genres, from pop to gospel and even electro but he remains most famous for his hip-hop hits and his collaborations with other major artists like Jay Z, John Legend, and Rihanna.
Kanye West is one of the bestselling artists of all time and has accumulated close to 250 million certified units in his career. His music catalog was estimated to be worth $110 million in 2020. He is the highest-decorated hip-hop artist in history with 24 Grammy Awards, tied with Jay Z.
Based on his number of monthly listeners on Spotify, it is estimated that he receives more than $15M annually from the streaming platform.
His tours have been among the most successful in history grossing an incredible $200 million:
- The Watch the Throne Total Gross (with Jay Z): $75.6M – 68 shows in 2011 / 2012
- The Saint Pablo Total Gross: $52.8M – 41 shows in 2016
- The Yeezus Total Gross: $31.8M – 45 shows in 2013
- Glow in the Dark Total Gross: $30.8M – 88 shows in 2008
He also owns his music label called GOOD Music and produced several critically acclaimed artists like Pusha T.
Trivia: He dropped out of university at age 20 to focus on his musical career but he received an honorary doctorate from the School of the Art Institute in his hometown Chicago in 2015. The name of his label is an acronym for “Getting Out Our Dream”.
How Much Are Kanye West’s Business Ventures Worth?
Kanye’s most successful business ventures are in the fashion industry. His fully owned brand Yeezy had secured several high-profile partnerships with major brands:
- In 2020, sales of sneakers and apparel with Adidas generated over $1.7 billion, earning Kanye West $191 million in royalties.
- His 10-year deal with American apparel company Gap was estimated to be worth between $3.2 and $4.7 billion by investment bank UBS according to Bloomberg.
However, both brands ended the lucrative deals. Adidas put an end to its partnership with the rapper on October 2022 while Gap confirmed it would “wind down” the Yeezy Gap collaboration. Adidas acted following controversy around anti-Semitic comments made by Kanye West in October 2022.
After warning that Kanye’s billionaire status would be at risk should Adidas abandon their collaboration with Yeezy, Forbes eventually revised Kanye’s net worth to $400 million, a shocking drop from the $6.6 billion estimated by Bloomberg in 2020. Our estimate is a little bit higher at $500 million.
A large part of Kanye’s net worth is now likely tied to his undisclosed but small stake in his ex-wife’s apparel company Skims, which was recently valued at $3.2 billion.
Trivia: He was one of the minority owners of streaming service Tidal but it is reported that he received $8.9M when Tidal got acquired by Square in 2021. He owns several Burger King franchises across Europe.
What Other Assets Does Kanye West Own?
Bloomberg reported in 2021 that West owned $122 million in cash and stocks.
He owns several houses, including a $57.3 million Malibu beach villa designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, a ranch in Wyoming estimated at more than $10 million, and a $2.2 million ranch in Los Angeles.
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He also owns several luxury cars including a Lamborghini Urus, a Mercedes SLR, and a Bugatti Veyron. The value of his car collection could surpass the $4M mark.
That’s Kanye’s Maybach 57 in his and Jay Z’s video for “Otis”.
He is often seen flying on private jets but it is unclear if he owns one. It is also unknown whether he owns a yacht.
Trivia: Following their divorce, he received $20 million from his ex-wife Kim Kardashian for their marital home in Hidden Hills and an additional $3 million for the art it contained. He however purchased a smaller home opposite for $4.5 million to simplify the logistics when seeing his 4 kids.
You now understand why Ye dropped from the top of the list of richest musicians and richest rappers.
Selected Discography
| Work | Release Date | U.S. Sales |
| The College Dropout | February 10, 2004 | 3,358,000 |
| Late Registration | August 30, 2005 | 3,100,000 |
| Graduation | September 11, 2007 | 2,700,000 |
| 808s & Heartbreak | November 24, 2008 | 1,700,000 |
| My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | November 22, 2010 | 1,300,000 |
| Yeezus | June 18, 2013 | 750,000 |
| The Life of Pablo | February 14, 2016 | |
| Ye | June 1, 2018 | 85,000 |
| Jesus Is King | October 25, 2019 | 109,000 |
| Donda | August 29, 2021 | 313,000 |
Notable Award Wins
| Year | Nominee/Work | Award | Category |
| 2004 | Kanye West | BET Awards | Best New Artist |
| 2005 | Kanye West | BET Awards | Best Gospel Artist |
| 2005 | “Jesus Walks” | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Song |
| 2005 | The College Dropout | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Album |
| 2006 | “Gold Digger” (featuring Jamie Foxx) | BET Awards | Best Collaboration |
| 2006 | “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Song |
| 2006 | “Gold Digger” (featuring Jamie Foxx) | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Solo Performance |
| 2006 | Late Registration | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Album |
| 2008 | Kanye West | American Music Awards | Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Male Artist |
| 2008 | Graduation | American Music Awards | Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album |
| 2008 | “Southside” (with Common) | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group |
| 2008 | “Stronger” | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Solo Performance |
| 2008 | “Good Life” (featuring T-Pain) | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Song |
| 2011 | Kanye West | BET Awards | Best Male Hip-Hop Artist |
| 2012 | “Otis” (with Jay-Z) | BET Awards | Video of the Year |
| 2012 | “All of the Lights” (featuring Rihanna, Kid Cudi & Fergie) | Grammy Awards | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration |
| 2012 | “Otis” (with Jay-Z) | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Performance |
| 2012 | “No Church in the Wild” (with Jay-Z, Frank Ocean & The-Dream) | Grammy Awards | Best Rap/Sung Collaboration |
| 2021 | Kanye West | American Music Awards | Favorite Artist – Gospel |
| 2021 | Jesus Is King | Grammy Awards | Best Contemporary Christian Music Album |
| 2022 | “Hurricane” | Grammy Awards | Best Melodic Rap Performance |
| 2022 | “Jail” | Grammy Awards | Best Rap Song |
Concert Tours
| Tour Name | Tour Date |
| The School Spirit Tour | March 2004 – May 2005 |
| The Touch the Sky Tour | October 2005 – December 2005 |
| Glow in the Dark Tour | April 2008 – December 2008 |
| The Watch the Throne Tour | October 2011 – June 2012 |
| The Yeezus Tour | October 2013 – September 2014 |
| The Saint Pablo Tour | August 2016 – November 2016 |