Kanye West Net Worth 2021: Income, Career, Assets & Biography

Kanye West Net Worth 2021: Income, Career, Assets & Biography

 

Have you ever wondered what makes Kanye West net worth? Have questions like how much has Kanye West invested to become a billionaire puzzled you? Well, we have been dealing with the same questions lately and have finally got to the answer as to what is the net worth of Kanye West in 2021.

The Forbes 400 lists out the definition of net worth of Kanye West based on their wealth, profiling and ranking and gives us a definite reason and number of the richest people of the world. Counted as one of the wealthiest people, it is often asked how it feels like to earn such colossal wealth. If you want a clear affluence of these billionaires, you should read further.

Not born with a silver spoon, about 90 percent of these billionaires have had humble beginnings and are known for their gradual growth transitioning from lucrative jobs to a business serving them riches. Even during the economic downturns, these billionaires have managed their money in the best way to be able to become a figure where common man’s discussion involves their net worth.

Super-glued to the headlines, the Kanye West net worth is also determined by their source and philanthropy score. Mind you, the Kanye West net worth is not increased by just running one business but by investing in many others along the way. For instance, in 2002, Jeff Bezos founded Blue Origin (after Amazon), which is a human spaceflight startup that he had long expressed his interest in.

Who is Kanye West?

Kanye Omari West (/ˈkɑːnjeɪ/; born June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, record producer, fashion designer, and politician. He has been influential in the 21st-century development of mainstream hip hop and popular music in general.

Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained notoriety as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s, producing singles for several mainstream artists. Intent on pursuing a solo career as a rapper, West released his debut album The College Dropout in 2004 to critical and commercial success, and founded the record label GOOD Music. He experimented with a variety of musical genres on subsequent acclaimed studio albums, including Late Registration(2005), Graduation (2007), and 808s & Heartbreak (2008). Drawing inspiration from maximalism and minimalism, respectively, West's fifth album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) and sixth album Yeezus (2013) were also critical successes. He went on to release The Life of Pablo (2016), Ye (2018), and Jesus Is King (2019). West's discography also includes the full-length collaborations Watch the Throne (2011) and Kids See Ghosts (2018) with Jay-Zand Kid Cudi, respectively.

West's outspoken views and life outside of music have received significant media attention. He has been a frequent source of controversy for his conduct at award shows, on social media, and in other public settings, as well as for his comments on the music and fashion industries, U.S. politics, and race. In 2020, he ran an unsuccessful independent presidential campaign that advocated for a consistent life ethic. His Christian faith, as well as his marriage to television personality Kim Kardashian, have also been a source of media attention. As a fashion designer, he has collaborated with Nike, Louis Vuitton, and A.P.C. on both clothing and footwear, and have most prominently resulted in the Yeezycollaboration with Adidas beginning in 2013. He is the founder and head of the creative content company DONDA.

West is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with more than 20 million albums and 140 million singles sold worldwide. He has won a total of 22 Grammy Awards, making him one of the most awarded artists of all time.Among his other awards are the Billboard Artist Achievement Award, a joint-record three Brit Awards for Best International Male Solo Artist and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Six of his albums were included on Rolling Stone's 2020 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list; the same publication named him one of the 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time. West is the tied holder for the most albums (four) topping the annual Pazz & Jop critic poll. Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015.

Kanye West Net Worth Today / Real Time

Kanye West Net Worth - $1.8B

• Entrepreneur and musician Kanye West has a lucrative multi-year deal to design sneaker brand Yeezy for Adidas.
• He gets an annual royalty from Adidas, which makes Yeezy shoes. The Yeezy brand pulled in an estimated $1.7 billion in sales in 2020.
• In June 2020, retailer Gap and Kanye West announced they will start selling a line of West's Yeezy clothing designed for Gap.
• Sales of the Yeezy Gap clothing are expected to begin in the second half of 2021.
• In February 2020, Kim Kardashian West filed for a divorce from Kanye West; he still owns a small stake in her shapewear brand Skims.

Kanye West Net Worth 2021 in Different Currencies

1. Kanye West Net Worth 2021 in Dollar: $1.8 B
2. Kanye West Net Worth in Australian Dollar: 2.361 B Australian Dollar
3. Kanye West Net Worth 2021 in Indian Rupees: 134.534 B INR
4. Kanye West Net Worth in Rands: 26.301 B South African Rands
5. Kanye West Net Worth in Millions: $1.8 B
6. Kanye West Net Worth in Billions: $1800 M

Kanye West Net Worth Over the Last 5 Years

Kanye West net worth and wealth has changed drastically over the last 5 years. We have accumulated the data of net worth of Kanye West for the year 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021 below:

1. Kanye West Net Worth in 2021: $1.8 B
2. Kanye West Net Worth in 2020: $6.6 B
3. Kanye West Net Worth in 2019: $100 M
4. Kanye West Net Worth in 2018: $90 M
5. Kanye West Net Worth in 2017: $22 M

Kanye West Assets

• Real estate assets = $120 million
• Music catalogue 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

Kanye West Income / Investments

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Musical career
1996–2002: Early work and Roc-A-Fella Records
Kanye West began his early production career in the mid-1990s, creating beats primarily for burgeoning local artists, eventually developing a style that involved speeding up vocal samples from classic soul records. His first official production credits came at the age of nineteen when he produced eight tracks on Down to Earth, the 1996 debut album of a Chicago rapper named Grav. For a time, West acted as a ghost producer for Deric ""D-Dot"" Angelettie. Because of his association with D-Dot, West wasn't able to release a solo album, so he formed and became a member and producer of the Go-Getters, a late-1990s Chicago rap group composed of him, GLC, Timmy G, Really Doe, and Arrowstar. His group was managed by John Monopoly, Don Crowley, and Happy Lewis under the management firm Hustle Period. After attending a series of promotional photo shoots and making some radio appearances, The Go-Getters released their first and only studio album World Record Holders in 1999. The album featured other Chicago-based rappers such as Rhymefest, Mikkey Halsted, Miss Criss, and Shayla G. Meanwhile, the production was handled by West, Arrowstar, Boogz, and Brian ""All Day"" Miller.

In 1998, West was the first person signed by Gee Roberson and Kyambo ""Hip Hop"" Joshuato to management-production company Hip Hop Since 1978. West spent much of the late 1990s producing records for a number of well-known artists and music groups. The third song on Foxy Brown's second studio album Chyna Doll was produced by West. Her second effort subsequently became the first hip-hop album by a female rapper to debut at the top of the U.S. Billboard 200 chart in its first week of release. West produced three of the tracks on Harlem World's first and only album The Movement alongside Jermaine Dupri and the production duo Trackmasters. His songs featured rappers Nas, Drag-On, and R&B singer Carl Thomas. The ninth track from World Party, the last Goodie Mob album to feature the rap group's four founding members prior to their break-up, was co-produced by West with his manager Deric ""D-Dot"" Angelettie. At the close of the millennium, West ended up producing six songs for Tell 'Em Why U Madd, an album that was released by D-Dot under the alias of The Madd Rapper; a fictional character he created for a skit on The Notorious B.I.G.'s second and final studio album Life After Death. West's songs featured guest appearances from rappers such as Ma$e, Raekwon, and Eminem.

West received early acclaim for his production work on Jay-Z's The Blueprint. The two are pictured here in 2011.
West got his big break in the year 2000, when he began to produce for artists on Roc-A-Fella Records. West came to achieve recognition and is often credited with revitalizing Jay-Z's career with his contributions to the rap mogul's influential 2001 album The Blueprint. The Blueprint is consistently ranked among the greatest hip-hop albums, and the critical and financial success of the album generated substantial interest in West as a producer. Serving as an in-house producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, West produced records for other artists from the label, including Beanie Sigel, Freeway, and Cam'ron. He also crafted hit songs for Ludacris, Alicia Keys, and Janet Jackson.

Despite his success as a producer, West's true aspiration was to be a rapper. Though he had developed his rapping long before he began producing, it was often a challenge for West to be accepted as a rapper, and he struggled to attain a record deal. Multiple record companies ignored him because he did not portray the 'gangsta image' prominent in mainstream hip hop at the time.:556 After a series of meetings with Capitol Records, West was ultimately denied an artist deal.

According to Capitol Records' A&R, Joe Weinberger, he was approached by West and almost signed a deal with him, but another person in the company convinced Capitol's president not to. Desperate to keep West from defecting to another label, then-label head Damon Dash reluctantly signed West to Roc-A-Fella Records. Jay-Z later admitted that Roc-A-Fella was initially reluctant to support West as a rapper, claiming that many saw him as a producer first and foremost and that his background contrasted with that of his labelmates.

West's breakthrough came a year later on October 23, 2002, when, while driving home from a California recording studio after working late, he fell asleep at the wheel causing a head-on crash with another car. The crash left him with a shattered jaw, which had to be wired shut in reconstructive surgery. The crash broke both legs of the other driver. The accident inspired West; two weeks after being admitted to the hospital, he recorded a song at the Record Plant Studios with his jaw still wired shut. The composition, ""Through the Wire"", expressed West's experience after the accident, and helped lay the foundation for his debut album, as according to West ""all the better artists have expressed what they were going through."" West added that ""the album was my medicine"", as working on the record distracted him from the pain. ""Through the Wire"" was first available on West's Get Well Soon ... mixtape, released December 2002. At the same time, West announced that he was working on an album called The College Dropout, whose overall theme was to ""make your own decisions. Don't let society tell you, 'This is what you have to do.'""

2003–2006: The College Dropout and Late Registration
Main articles: The College Dropout and Late Registration

West in Portland in December 2005 as a supporting act for U2 on their Vertigo Tour
West recorded the remainder of the album in Los Angeles while recovering from the car accident. Once he had completed the album, it was leaked months before its release date. However, West decided to use the opportunity to review the album, and The College Dropout was significantly remixed, remastered, and revised before being released. As a result, certain tracks originally destined for the album were subsequently retracted, among them ""Keep the Receipt"" with Ol' Dirty Bastard and ""The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly"" with Consequence. West meticulously refined the production, adding string arrangements, gospel choirs, improved drum programming and new verses. West's perfectionism led The College Dropout to have its release postponed three times from its initial date in August 2003.

The College Dropout was eventually issued by Roc-A-Fella in February 2004, shooting to number two on the Billboard 200 as his debut single, ""Through the Wire"" peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five weeks. ""Slow Jamz"", his second single featuring Twista and Jamie Foxx, became an even bigger success: it became the three musicians' first number one hit. The College Dropout received near-universal critical acclaim from contemporary music critics, was voted the top album of the year by two major music publications and has consistently been ranked among the great hip-hop works and debut albums by artists. ""Jesus Walks"", the album's fourth single, perhaps exposed West to a wider audience; the song's subject matter concerns faith and Christianity. The song nevertheless reached the top 20 of the Billboard pop charts, despite industry executives' predictions that a song containing such blatant declarations of faith would never make it to the radio. The College Dropout would eventually be certified triple platinum in the US, and garnered West 10 Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, and Best Rap Album (which it received). During this period, West also founded GOOD Music, a record label and management company that would go on to house affiliate artists and producers, such as No I.D. and John Legend. At the time, the focal point of West's production style was the use of sped-up vocal samples from soul records. However, partly because of the acclaim of The College Dropout, such sampling had been much copied by others; with that overuse, and also because West felt he had become too dependent on the technique, he decided to find a new sound. During this time, he also produced singles for Brandy, Common, John Legend, and Slum Village.

Beginning his second effort that fall, West would invest two million dollars and take over a year to craft his second album. West was significantly inspired by Roseland NYC Live, a 1998 live album by English trip hop group Portishead, produced with the New York Philharmonic Orchestra. Early in his career, the live album had inspired him to incorporate string arrangements into his hip-hop production. Though West had not been able to afford many live instruments around the time of his debut album, the money from his commercial success enabled him to hire a string orchestra for his second album Late Registration. West collaborated with American film score composer Jon Brion, who served as the album's co-executive producer for several tracks. Although Brion had no prior experience in creating hip-hop records, he and West found that they could productively work together after their first afternoon in the studio where they discovered that neither confined his musical knowledge and vision to one specific genre. Late Registration sold over 2.3 million units in the United States alone by the end of 2005 and was considered by industry observers as the only successful major album release of the fall season, which had been plagued by steadily declining CD sales.

While West had encountered controversy a year prior when he stormed out of the American Music Awards of 2004 after losing the Best New Artist award to Gretchen Wilson, his first large-scale controversy came just days following Late Registration's release, during a benefit concert for Hurricane Katrina victims. In September 2005, NBC broadcast A Concert for Hurricane Relief, and West was a featured speaker. When West was presenting alongside actor Mike Myers, he deviated from the prepared script. Myers spoke next and continued to read the script. Once it was West's turn to speak again, he said, ""George Bush doesn't care about black people."" West's comment reached much of the United States, leading to mixed reactions; President Bush would later call it one of the most ""disgusting moments"" of his presidency. West raised further controversy in January 2006 when he posed on the cover of Rolling Stone wearing a crown of thorns.

2007–2009: Graduation, 808s and Heartbreak, and VMAs controversy
Main articles: Graduation (album) and 808s & Heartbreak
Fresh off spending the previous year touring the world with U2 on their Vertigo Tour, West felt inspired to compose anthemic rap songs that could operate more efficiently in large arenas. To this end, West incorporated the synthesizer into his hip-hop production, utilized slower tempos, and experimented with electronic music and influenced by music of the 1980s. In addition to U2, West drew musical inspiration from arena rock bands such as The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin in terms of melody and chord progression. To make his next effort, the third in a planned tetralogy of education-themed studio albums, more introspective and personal in lyricism, West listened to folk and country singer-songwriters Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash in hopes of developing methods to augment his wordplay and storytelling ability.

West in 2008
West's third studio album, Graduation, garnered major publicity when its release date pitted West in a sales competition against rapper 50 Cent's Curtis. Upon their September 2007 releases, Graduation outsold Curtis by a large margin, debuting at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and selling 957,000 copies in its first week. Graduation continued the string of critical and commercial successes by West, and the album's lead single, ""Stronger"", garnered his third number-one hit. ""Stronger"", which samples French house duo Daft Punk, has been accredited to not only encouraging other hip-hop artists to incorporate house and electronica elements into their music, but also for playing a part in the revival of disco and electro-infused music in the late 2000s. Ben Detrick of XXL cited the outcome of the sales competition between 50 Cent's Curtis and West's Graduation as being responsible for altering the direction of hip-hop and paving the way for new rappers who didn't follow the hardcore-gangster mold, writing, ""If there was ever a watershed moment to indicate hip-hop's changing direction, it may have come when 50 Cent competed with Kanye in 2007 to see whose album would claim superior sales.""

West's life took a different direction when his mother, Donda West, died of complications from cosmetic surgery involving abdominoplasty and breast reduction in November 2007. Months later, West and fiancée Alexis Phifer ended their engagement and their long-term intermittent relationship, which had begun in 2002. The events profoundly affected West, who set off for his 2008 Glow in the Dark Tour shortly thereafter. Purportedly because his emotions could not be conveyed through rapping, West decided to sing using the voice audio processor Auto-Tune, which would become a central part of his next effort. West had previously experimented with the technology on his debut album The College Dropout for the background vocals of ""Jesus Walks"" and ""Never Let Me Down."" Recorded mostly in Honolulu, Hawaii in three weeks, West announced his fourth album, 808s & Heartbreak, at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards, where he performed its lead single, ""Love Lockdown."" Music audiences were taken aback by the uncharacteristic production style and the presence of Auto-Tune, which typified the pre-release response to the record.

West in the studio in 2008, accompanied by mentor No I.D. (left)
808s & Heartbreak, which features extensive use of the eponymous Roland TR-808 drum machine and contains themes of love, loneliness, and heartache, was released by Island Def Jam to capitalize on Thanksgiving weekend in November 2008. Reviews were positive, though slightly more mixed than his previous efforts. Despite this, the record's singles demonstrated outstanding chart performances. Upon its release, the lead single ""Love Lockdown"" debuted at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a ""Hot Shot Debut"", while follow-up single ""Heartless"" performed similarly and became his second consecutive ""Hot Shot Debut"" by debuting at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. While it was criticized prior to release, 808s & Heartbreak had a significant effect on hip-hop music, encouraging other rappers to take more creative risks with their productions.

West's controversial incident the following year at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards was arguably his biggest controversy and led to widespread outrage throughout the music industry. During the ceremony, West crashed the stage and grabbed the microphone from Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech for ""Best Female Video"" in order to proclaim that Beyoncé's video for ""Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"", nominated for the same award, was ""one of the best videos of all time."" He was subsequently withdrawn from the remainder of the show for his actions. West's Fame Kills tour with Lady Gaga was cancelled in response to the controversy. In 2009, West was named by Billboard as the Top Male Artist of 2009.

2010–2012: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and collaborations
Main articles: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Watch the Throne
Following the highly publicized incident, West took a brief break from music and threw himself into fashion, only to hole up in Hawaii for the next few months writing and recording his next album. Importing his favorite producers and artists to work on and inspire his recording, West kept engineers behind the boards 24 hours a day and slept only in increments. Noah Callahan-Bever, a writer for Complex, was present during the sessions and described the ""communal"" atmosphere as thus: ""With the right songs and the right album, he can overcome any and all controversy, and we are here to contribute, challenge, and inspire."" A variety of artists contributed to the project, including close friends Jay-Z, Kid Cudi and Pusha T, as well as off-the-wall collaborations, such as with Justin Vernon of Bon Iver.

West at the SWU Music & Arts Festival in Brazil in 2011
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, West's fifth studio album, was released in November 2010 to widespread acclaim from critics, many of whom considered it his best work and said it solidified his comeback. In stark contrast to his previous effort, which featured a minimalist sound, Dark Fantasy adopts a maximalist philosophy and deals with themes of celebrity and excess. The record included the international hit ""All of the Lights"", and Billboard hits ""Power"", ""Monster"", and ""Runaway"", the latter of which accompanied a 35-minute film of the same name directed by and starring West. During this time, West initiated the free music program GOOD Fridays through his website, offering a free download of previously unreleased songs each Friday, a portion of which were included on the album. This promotion ran from August 20 to December 17, 2010. Dark Fantasy went on to go platinum in the United States, but its omission as a contender for Album of the Year at the 54th Grammy Awards was viewed as a ""snub"" by several media outlets.

2011 saw West embark on a festival tour to commemorate the release of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy performing and headlining numerous festivals including; SWU Music & Arts, Austin City Limits, Oya Festival, Flow Festival, Live Music Festival, The Big Chill, Essence Music Festival, Lollapalooza and Coachella which was described by The Hollywood Reporter as ""one of greatest hip-hop sets of all time"", West released the collaborative album Watch the Throne with Jay-Z in August 2011. By employing a sales strategy that released the album digitally weeks before its physical counterpart, Watch the Throne became one of the few major label albums in the Internet age to avoid a leak. ""Niggas in Paris"" became the record's highest charting single, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. The co-headlining Watch the Throne Tour kicked off in October 2011 and concluded in June 2012.In 2012, West released the compilation album Cruel Summer, a collection of tracks by artists from West's record label GOOD Music. Cruel Summer produced four singles, two of which charted within the top twenty of the Hot 100: ""Mercy"" and ""Clique."" West also directed a film of the same name that premiered at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in custom pyramid-shaped screening pavilion featuring seven screens.

2013–2015: Yeezus and Adidas collaboration
Main articles: Yeezus, The Yeezus Tour, and Adidas Yeezy
Sessions for West's sixth solo effort begin to take shape in early 2013 in his own personal loft's living room at a Paris hotel. Determined to ""undermine the commercial"", he once again brought together close collaborators and attempted to incorporate Chicago drill, dancehall, acid house, and industrial music. Primarily inspired by architecture,West's perfectionist tendencies led him to contact producer Rick Rubin fifteen days shy of its due date to strip down the record's sound in favor of a more minimalist approach. Initial promotion of his sixth album included worldwide video projections of the album's music and live television performances. Yeezus, West's sixth album, was released June 18, 2013, to rave reviews from critics. It became his sixth consecutive number one debut, but also marked his lowest solo opening week sales. Def Jam issued ""Black Skinhead"" to radio in July 2013 as the album's lead single.

In September 2013, Kanye West announced he would be headlining his first solo tour in five years, to support Yeezus, with fellow American rapper Kendrick Lamar accompanying him as a supporting act. The tour was met with rave reviews from critics. Rolling Stone described it as ""crazily entertaining, hugely ambitious, emotionally affecting (really!) and, most importantly, totally bonkers."" Writing for Forbes, Zack O'Malley Greenburg praised West for ""taking risks that few pop stars, if any, are willing to take in today's hyper-exposed world of pop,"" describing the show as ""overwrought and uncomfortable at times, but [it] excels at challenging norms and provoking thought in a way that just isn't common for mainstream musical acts of late.""

West on the Yeezus Tour in 2013
In June 2013, West and television personality Kim Kardashian announced the birth of their first child, North, and their engagement in October to widespread media attention. In November, West stated that he was beginning work on his next studio album, hoping to release it by mid-2014, with production by Rick Rubin and Q-Tip. In December 2013, Adidas announced the beginning of their official apparel collaboration with West, to be premiered the following year. In May 2014, West and Kardashian were married in a private ceremony in Florence, Italy, with a variety of artists and celebrities in attendance. West released a single, ""Only One"", featuring Paul McCartney, in December.

""FourFiveSeconds"", a single jointly produced with Rihanna and McCartney, was released in January 2015. West also appeared on the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, where he premiered a new song entitled ""Wolves"", featuring Sia Furler and fellow Chicago rapper, Vic Mensa. In February 2015, West premiered his clothing collaboration with Adidas, entitled Yeezy Season 1, to generally positive reviews. This would include West's Yeezy Boost sneakers. In March 2015, West released the single ""All Day"" featuring Theophilus London, Allan Kingdom and Paul McCartney. West performed the song at the 2015 BRIT Awards with a number of US rappers and UK grime MC's including: Skepta, Wiley, Novelist, Fekky, Krept & Konan, Stormzy, Allan Kingdom, Theophilus London and Vic Mensa. He would premiere the second iteration of his clothing line, Yeezy Season 2, in September 2015 at New York Fashion Week.

Having initially announced a new album entitled So Help Me God slated for a 2014 release, in March 2015 West announced that the album would instead be tentatively called SWISH. On May 11, West was awarded an honorary doctorate by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for his contributions to music, fashion, and popular culture, officially making him an honorary DFA. The next month, West headlined at the Glastonbury Festival in the UK, despite a petition signed by almost 135,000 people against his appearance. Toward the end of the set, West proclaimed himself: ""the greatest living rock star on the planet."" Media outlets, including social media sites such as Twitter, were divided on his performance. NME stated, ""The decision to book West for the slot has proved controversial since its announcement, and the show itself appeared to polarise both Glastonbury goers and those who tuned in to watch on their TVs."" The publication added that ""he's letting his music speak for and prove itself.""The Guardian said that ""his set has a potent ferocity—but there are gaps and stutters, and he cuts a strangely lone figure in front of the vast crowd."" In September 2015, West performed 808s & Heartbreak in its entirety two nights in a row to rave reviews at Hollywood Bowl. The performance featured a 60-person orchestra, a live band, guests from the album and 70 plus dancers. In December 2015, West released a song titled ""Facts.""

2016–2017: The Life of Pablo and tour cancellation
Main article: The Life of Pablo
West announced in January 2016 that SWISH would be released on February 11, and later that month, released new songs ""Real Friends"" and a snippet of ""No More Parties in LA"" with Kendrick Lamar. This also revived the GOOD Fridays initiative in which he releases new singles every Friday. On January 26, 2016, West revealed he had renamed the album from SWISH to Waves, and also announced the premier of his Yeezy Season 3 clothing line at Madison Square Garden. In the weeks leading up to the album's release, West became embroiled in several Twitter controversies and released several changing iterations of the tracklist for the new album. Several days ahead of its release, West again changed the title, this time to The Life of Pablo. On February 11, West premiered the album at Madison Square Garden as part of the presentation of his Yeezy Season 3 clothing line. Following the preview, West announced that he would be modifying the tracklist once more before its release to the public, and further delayed its release to finalize the recording of the track ""Waves"" at the behest of co-writer Chance the Rapper. He released the album exclusively on Tidal on February 14, 2016, following a performance on SNL. Following its official streaming release, West continued to tinker with mixes of several tracks, describing the work as ""a living breathing changing creative expression"" and proclaiming the end of the album as a dominant release form. Although a statement by West around The Life of Pablo's initial release indicated that the album would be a permanent exclusive to Tidal, the album was released through several other competing services starting in April.

West on the Saint Pablo Tour in 2016
In February 2016, West stated on Twitter that he was planning to release another album in the summer of 2016, tentatively called Turbo Grafx 16 in reference to the 1990s video game console of the same name. In June 2016, West released the collaborative lead single ""Champions"" off the GOOD Music album Cruel Winter, which has yet to be released. Later that month, West released a controversial video for ""Famous"", which depicted wax figures of several celebrities (including West, Kardashian, Taylor Swift, businessman and then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, comedian Bill Cosby, and former president George W. Bush) sleeping nude in a shared bed. In August 2016, West embarked on the Saint Pablo Tour in support of The Life of Pablo. The performances featured a mobile stage suspended from the ceiling. West postponed several dates in October following the Paris robbery of several of his wife's effects. On November 21, 2016, West cancelled the remaining 21 dates on the Saint Pablo Tour, following a week of no-shows, curtailed concerts and rants about politics. He was later admitted for psychiatric observation at UCLA Medical Center. He stayed hospitalized over the Thanksgiving weekend because of a temporary psychosis stemming from sleep deprivation and extreme dehydration. Following this episode West took an 11-month break from Twitter, and the public in general.

2017–2019: Ye and the Wyoming Sessions
Main articles: Ye (album) and Kids See Ghosts (album)
See also: Daytona (album), Nasir (album), and K.T.S.E.
It was reported in May 2017 that West was recording new music in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with a wide range of collaborators. In April 2018, West announced plans to write a philosophy book entitled Break the Simulation, later clarifying that he was sharing the book ""in real time"" on Twitter and began posting content that was likened to ""life coaching."" Later that month, he also announced two new albums, a solo album and self-titled collaboration with Kid Cudi under the name Kids See Ghosts, both of which would be released in June. Additionally, he revealed he would produce upcoming albums by GOOD Music label-mates Pusha T and Teyana Taylor, as well as Nas. Shortly thereafter, West released the non-album singles ""Lift Yourself"", a ""strange, gibberish track"" featuring nonsensical lyrics, and ""Ye vs. the People"", in which he and T.I. discussed West's controversial support of Donald Trump.

Yandhi was first completed in West's hometown of Chicago, but was later postponed. West went to do more recording in Uganda, but later delayed the album a second time with no planned release date.
Pusha T's Daytona, ""the first project out of Wyoming"", was released in May to critical acclaim, although the album's artwork—a photograph of deceased singer Whitney Houston's bathroom that West paid $85,000 to license—attracted some controversy. The following week, West released his eighth studio album, Ye. West has suggested that he scrapped the original recordings of the album and re-recorded it within a month. The week after, West released a collaborative album with Kid Cudi, titled Kids See Ghosts, named after their group of the same name. West also completed production work on Nas' Nasir and Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E., which were released in June 2018.

On August 30, 2018, West released the non-album single ""XTCY"" which was originally slated to be included on Ye. On September 7, 2018, West released a collaboration with American rapper Lil Pump titled ""I Love It."" On September 9, 2018, West announced via Twitter that Watch the Throne 2 would be coming soon. Later that month, West also announced his ninth studio album Yandhi to be released by the end of the month and a collaborative album with fellow Chicagoan rapper Chance the Rapper titled Good Ass Job. West also announced in September that he would be changing his stage name to ""Ye."" Yandhi was originally set for release on September 29, 2018, but was postponed to November 23, 2018. West later postponed the album again in November 2018 with no new release date set.

Later in 2018, West began collaborating with other new acts besides Lil Pump. West appeared as a guest feature on the tracks ""Kanga"" and ""Mama"" with Nicki Minaj on American rapper 6ix9ine's debut album Dummy Boy. West is also the sole feature on XXXTentacion's first posthumous album Skins. 6ix9ine and XXXTentacion were both slated to be included on Yandhi. In January 2019, West pulled out of headlining the years Coachella festival, after negotiations broke down due to discord regarding stage design.

On July 18, 2019, it was reported that songs from West's unreleased album Yandhi were leaked online. By October of the same year, the whole leaked unfinished album was available for a short time on streaming services like Spotify and Tidal but was shortly taken down.On August 29, 2019, Kim Kardashian announced that West's next album would be titled Jesus Is King, effectively scrapping Yandhi.

2019–present: Jesus Is King and Donda
On January 6, 2019, West started his weekly ""Sunday Service"" orchestration which includes soul variations of both West's and others' songs attended by multiple celebrities including the Kardashians, Charlie Wilson, and Kid Cudi. West previewed a new song, ""Water"" at his ""Sunday Service"" orchestration performance at weekend 2 of Coachella.

On October 25, 2019, he released Jesus Is King, a Christian hip hop album. On the US charts, the album became the first to ever top the Billboard 200, Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, Top Rap Albums, Top Christian Albums and Top Gospel Albums at the same time. He also collaborated with Vanessa Beecroft on two operas, Nebuchadnezzar and Mary. On December 25, 2019, West and Sunday Service released Jesus Is Born, containing 19 songs including several re-workings of older West songs.

On June 30, 2020, West released the single, titled ""Wash Us in the Blood"", featuring fellow American rapper and singer Travis Scott, along with the music video, which serves as the lead single from his upcoming tenth studio album Donda, and draws similarities to the sound of his 2013 album Yeezus. However, in September 2020, West stated that he would not be releasing any further music until he is ""done with [his] contract with Sony and Universal"" in a Twitter rant about record company contracts, payments towards artists and musicians, and the topic of ownership of their masters. On October 16, he released the single ""Nah Nah Nah."" On October 29, a remix was previewed over Twitter, featuring American rappers DaBaby and 2 Chainz. The remix was released November 13.

On December 25, 2020, exactly one year after the release of Jesus is Born, West's Sunday Service released a new EP entitled Emmanuel. The mini-album, executively produced by West, consists of 5 songs entirely in Latin based in the style of Gregorian chant. On that same date, Playboi Carti's Whole Lotta Red was released, with West serving as Executive Producer of the album and appearing on the track “Go2DaMoon.”

 

Kanye West Career

Most biographies and reference works state that West was born on June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia, although some sources give his birthplace as Douglasville, a small city west of Atlanta. After his parents divorced when he was three years old, he moved with his mother to Chicago, Illinois. His father, Ray West, is a former Black Panther and was one of the first black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Ray West was later a Christian counselor, and in 2006, opened the Good Water Store and Café in Lexington Park, Maryland, with startup capital from his son. West's mother, Dr. Donda C. (Williams) West, was a professor of English at Clark Atlanta University, and the Chair of the English Department at Chicago State University, before retiring to serve as his manager. West was raised in a middle-class environment, attending Polaris High School in suburban Oak Lawn, Illinois, after living in Chicago. At the age of 10, West moved with his mother to Nanjing, China, where she was teaching at Nanjing University as part of an exchange program. According to his mother, West was the only foreigner in his class, but settled in well and quickly picked up the language, although he has since forgotten most of it. When asked about his grades in high school, West replied, ""I got A's and B's. And I'm not even frontin'.

West demonstrated an affinity for the arts at an early age; he began writing poetry when he was five years old. His mother recalled that she first took notice of West's passion for drawing and music when he was in the third grade. West started rapping in the third grade and began making musical compositions in the seventh grade, eventually selling them to other artists. At age thirteen, West wrote a rap song called ""Green Eggs and Ham"" (the title of a best-selling children's book by Dr. Seuss) and persuaded his mother to pay for time in a recording studio. Accompanying him to the studio and despite discovering that it was ""a little basement studio"" where a microphone hung from the ceiling by a wire clothes hanger, West's mother nonetheless supported and encouraged him. West crossed paths with producer/DJ No I.D., with whom he quickly formed a close friendship. No I.D. soon became West's mentor, and it was from him that West learned how to sample and program beats after he received his first sampler at age 15.:557 After graduating from high school, West received a scholarship to attend Chicago's American Academy of Art in 1997 and began taking painting classes; shortly after, he transferred to Chicago State University to study English. He soon realized that his busy class schedule was detrimental to his musical work, and at 20 he dropped out of college to pursue his musical dreams. This greatly displeased his mother, who was also a professor at the university. She later commented, ""It was drummed into my head that college is the ticket to a good life ... but some career goals don't require college. For Kanye to make an album called College Dropout it was more about having the guts to embrace who you are, rather than following the path society has carved out for you.

Interesting Facts About Kanye West

• 1. Full Name and Meaning: Kanye’s full name is Kanye Omari West. His name translates to “the only one” in Swahili.
• 2. He’s a smaller guy: Kanye West is 5′ 8″ tall, however, he towers over his 5′ 2″ wife Kim Kardashian.
• 3. Kanye Lived in China: Kanye moved to China with his mom for a short time when he was 10 years old after she accepted a teaching job there. While living in this foreign land, he was able to pick up the language quickly.
• 4. Kanye Got an Early Start: The iconic musical artist began writing poetry at the young age of five and started rapping by the time he was in third grade. By the time he was 13, he had recorded his first rap song, a fresh take on the famous Dr. Suess poem, “Green Eggs and Ham.”
• 5. He is a College Dropout: Kanye does not hide the fact that he is a college dropout, saying that he embraced who he was rather than trying to be something that he is not. After being awarded a scholarship to study at Chicago’s American Academy of Art for one year, he then transferred to Chicago State to earn a degree in English before dropping out to pursue his music career.
• 6. King of the Odd Job: After Kanye dropped out of college to pursue his music career, he was forced to take on odd jobs to make ends meet. During this time, he worked as a telemarketer for the retailer Montgomery Ward, selling insurance to their credit card holders.
• 7. Purchased an Aquarium with His First Big Check: After earning his first big paycheck following the success of The College Dropout album, Kanye rewarded himself by purchasing a large 18-century aquarium. The aquarium was filled with 30 koi fish and a gold fountain sitting on a marble base.
• 8. Recorded Song with Mouth Wired Shut: Kanye does not let anything slow him down when it comes to making music. Despite almost dying in a car accident after falling asleep at the wheel, Kanye recorded the song “Through the Wire” while still in the hospital with his jaw wired shut.
• 9. Charitable Giving Involvement: Together with his late mother, Kanye created the Kanye West Foundation in 2003, focusing on music education. While the foundation closed in 2011, Kanye has been active in various other charities, including World Water Day, Hurricane Katrina Relief, and more.
• 10. Kanye has been in Jail: Kanye has been arrested three times, with all of the incidents happening as a result of altercations with the paparazzi. While he received probation, mandatory anger management counseling, and community service requirements, he did not have to serve jail time as a result of these arrests.
• 11. Kanye Considered Suicide: Kanye has not made his struggle with mental health a secret. He has even admitted that he has had suicidal thoughts in the past while struggling with depression, bipolar disorder, and paranoia.
• 12. Kanye Sponsored a Race Car: Wanting to try something different, Kanye once sponsored a race car in the Formula BMW World Finals. The race happened in November of 2006 in Valencia, Spain.
• 13. Kanye Ran a Travel Company: Not everything that Kanye touches turns to gold. In 2008, Kanye launched an online travel company, Kanye Travel Ventures, that failed shortly after.
• 14. Kanye’s Mother Suffered an Untimely Death: Kanye’s mother, Donda, passed away after undergoing cosmetic surgery. The official coroner’s report said that she died of heart disease while also suffering various post-operative complications after her plastic surgery procedure.
• 15. Kanye is Proud of His Meaningful Tattoos: Kanye is known for having many tattoos, however, he is most proud of their special meanings. For example, the Roman numerals on his wrists represent the birth date of his daughter North and the birth date of his mother.
• 16. Kanye’s Dad Was a Man of Many Talents: Kanye was understandably proud of his late father, Ray West. Not only was he one of the first black photojournalists at the famed Atlanta Journal-Constitution newspaper, but he was also a Black Panther, a Christian marriage counselor, and a medical illustrator.
• 17. Kanye is a Perfectionist: Kanye will not release a song until he deems it to be perfect. He spent days working on his hit song “Stronger,” mixing it 50 different ways with eight separate engineers before arriving at the final product.
• 18. He Took the Photo Himself for an Album Cover: The cover for the album “ye” is actually a picture that Kanye took himself using his personal iPhone. He snapped the iconic shot when traveling in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on the way to a listening party for the new album.
• 19. Kanye Considers Chicago His Hometown: Although he was born in Atlanta, Kanye considers Chicago to be his hometown. The Windy City is a prominent theme in many of his songs.
• 20. Kanye Paid to be on the Cover of 9 Magazines: In order to promote his new Yeezy Adidas tennis shoes, Kanye went big and bought out nine magazine covers. Included in this list of covers for the publicity stunt was The New York Post.
• 21. Kanye was Sued by Evil Knievel: The iconic daredevil Evil Knievel was not happy about the character in West’s video for the song “Touch the Sky,” claiming that the characterization was too close to the real daredevil. The case never went to court because Kanye and Knievel settled the dispute on their own just a few days before Knievel passed away of pulmonary disease.

Conclusion

The more fascinating fact while reading about the net worth of these affluences is that now more women are part of the listing and in the past few years, they have grown by 46 per cent which is more than the percentage of males.

Now with the rising net worth of these guys, the only question grappling us is, “who is going to be the first trillionaire?” Well, the answer to this could be deduced based on the net worth of top billionaires like Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk who have pretty impressive track records and could be based on taking the average percentage of yearly growth over the past five years and applying it to future years.