Kanye West is an American rapper, record producer, fashion executive, and entrepreneur. As of 2018, Kanye West Net Worth is $4 billion. Kanye West is one of three black billionaires in the US.
Kanye West rose to prominence with the release of his 2004 album The College Dropout. He is one of music’s most celebrated and awarded musicians, earning 21 Grammy awards out of 69 nominations. He’s shifted his focus to the business world in recent years. His partnership with Nike has produced hundreds of millions of dollars.
Kanye West Net Worth
| Net Worth: | $4 Billion |
| Date of Birth: | Jun 8, 1977 (45 years old) |
| Gender: | Male |
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Profession: | Record producer, Songwriter, Singer, Actor, Film Producer, Rapper, Businessperson, Screenwriter, Fashion designer, Music Video Director |
| Nationality: | United States of America |
Kanye West has made at least $100 million per year from various ventures in the past few years. Most of his earnings have come from royalties and earnings related to his Yeezy brand and Adidas tie-up.
Kanye’s Yeezy label is worth U.S. dollars one billion dollars, although Kanye keeps a percentage of the sales. UBS, late in the year 2021, estimated that Yeezy would add about $3-4 billion to Kanye’s net worth after-tax basis.
- Is the richest black person in US history
- Has sold 140 million albums/singles in his career
- Owns $100 million worth of real estate
- The music catalog is worth $110 million
- Owns 100% of Yeezy
- Earns $150-$200 million in Yeezy royalties every year
- Yeezy’s enterprise value adds $3-5 billion to Kanye’s net worth
- Has a partnership with The Gap that’s worth $1 billion
In assessing Kanye West’s net worth, we have considered the following assets and liabilities:
Assets:
- Real estate assets = $120 million
- Music catalog including G.O.O.D Music = $80 million
- Yeezy.com website = $100 million
- Value of Yeezy brand = $5 billion
- Value of Gap partnership = $1 billion
- Cash, equities, and other assets = $400 million
Total assets = $6.7 billion
Liabilities and other considerations = $100 million
Net Worth = $6.6 billion
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Kanye Omari West was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 8, 1977. After his parents’ divorce when he was three years old, West moved with his mother to Chicago, Illinois. There, he began experimenting with music after meeting producer D.J. No I.D., who mentored him. He received a scholarship to attend the American Academy of Art in 1997 but transferred to Chicago State University to study English. Eventually, he dropped out of school at age 20 to pursue his music career.
After dropping out of university, West began making beats for local musicians while developing his style. His first official production credits were for the first album of Chicago-based rapper Grave, Down to Earth, in 1996. He also produced music for Deric “D-Dot” Angelettie and Foxy Brown during this same period.
Rise to Fame and Music Career
In 2000, West got his big break when he began to work as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, working with artists including Ludacris, Alicia Keys, and Janet Jackson. His work on Jay-Z’s 2001 album The Blueprint generated serious interest in West’s talents as a producer. His production credits from this time include an impressive roll call of talent, including Jay-Z, Beyoncé, John Legend, Alicia Keys, and Janet Jackson.
While being a talented actor, West’s main goal had been to be a rapper. In 2001, he convinced the head of Capitol Records to sign him to Roc-A-Fella Records after being turned down by Capitol Records.
After a fatal car crash in October 2002, where West broke his jaw, he was able to draft the lyrics for the song Through the Wire with his jaw still wired shut. This song helped to inspire his debut album, The College Dropout, whose release was canceled several years before its commercial launch in August 2003. With his music background, West used the time to remix, remaster, and edit it, postponing its release three times. The College Dropout was finally released in February 2004 to growing critical acclaim, landing him 10 Grammy Awards nominations and ultimately reaching triple platinum status in the US.
As West started working on his second album, he spent over twenty million dollars on the album’s production, even hiring a full orchestra. Late Registration was released in August 2005, selling more than 2.3 million copies in the United States by the end of the year. His subsequent albums include Graduation (2007), 808s & Heartbreak (2008), My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010), a collaboration album with Jay-Z Watch the Throne (2011), Yeezus (2013), The Life of Pablo (2016), Ye (2018), and Jesus is King (2019).
| Kanye West Earnings By Year: | |
| Year | Earnings |
| 2007 | $17,000,000 |
| 2008 | $30,000,000 |
| 2009 | $25,000,000 |
| 2010 | $12,000,000 |
| 2011 | $16,000,000 |
| 2012 | $35,000,000 |
| 2013 | $20,000,000 |
| 2014 | $30,000,000 |
| 2015 | $22,000,000 |
| 2016 | $18,000,000 |
| 2017 | $22,000,000 |
| 2018 | $90,000,000 |
| 2019 | $100,000,000 |
| 2020 | $200,000,000 |
| Total: | $437,000,000 |
Personal Life
Alexis Phifer dated West from 2002 to 2008, and West dated model Amber Rose from 2008 to 2010. He began seeing reality star Kim Kardashian in April 2012 and was married in May 2014. Together, they have been the parents of four children.
Kanye West Net Worth 2019
Below is the calculation we used to determine Kanye West’s 2019 net worth of $600 million:
Assets:
- Real estate assets = $120 million
- Music catalog including G.O.O.D Music = $80 million
- Value of Yeezy brand = $500 million
- Other assets = $20 million
Total assets = $720 million
Liabilities and other considerations = $100 million
2019 Net Worth = $600 million (with a conservative $20 million error margin)
