Rapper and designer Kanye West is a man of many talents.
And those talents are what have just made him the richest man in hip hop.
From his ground-breaking debut album, The College Dropout in 2014 to the controversial 2018 album, Ye, there’s no denying that Kanye is a musical genius.
Apart from his award-winning career within the music industry, Kanye has created a boundary-pushing fashion empire. Yeezy, Ye’s label partnered with Adidas, has consistently sold out since the first pair of sneakers dropped in 2015. And he's influenced the direction of artist merch since his highly coveted Yeezus collection back in 2013.
The 43 year old has reportedly been focused on his upcoming Gap collection and the value estimate for the partnership makes it clear why he has put all his time into it.
Kanye’s sneaker and apparel business with Adidas AG and Gap Inc is valued at between $3.2 billion (R 47 billion) and $4.7 billion (R 69 billion) by UBS Group AG, according to a private document reviewed by Bloomberg.
The value of the new Gap tie-up, which will hit stores later this year, could be worth as much as $970 million (R 14 billion) of that total, the bank estimated.
Read more: GRADUATION: Kanye West becomes highest paid male celebrity of 2020 | Drum (news24.com)
Bloomberg adds Kanye, who retains sole ownership and creative control of the Yeezy brand, signed a 10-year agreement last year to design and sell clothes for men, women and kids under the Yeezy Gap label.
The arrangement excludes footwear, as Yeezy’s partnership with Adidas is in place until 2026.
With the empire Kanye has built, People magazine puts the 43-year-old rapper’s worth at $6.6 billion (R 96 billion), which is a significant increase on the amount West was reported as being worth back in April 2020.
Read more: Kim Kardashian West wants full custody of the kids amid divorce rumours – report | Drum (news24.com)
People reports the rapper also has $122 million (R 1.7 billion) in cash and stocks and $110 million (R 1.6 billion) from his music catalogue, alongside $1.7 billion (R 24 billion) in other assets, including estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS business.
The numbers prove the artist will be smiling all the way to the bank, even if the same can't be said about his marriage.
The couple, who started dating in 2012 and tied the knot in May 2014, have officially separated.
A source tells People Kardashian filed for divorce from West and that things are amicable. The are apparently in agreement over joint legal and physical custody, neither is contesting the prenup in place, negotiations have progressed, and they are nearing a settlement.
The stars share four children – daughters North and Chicago and sons Saint and Psalm.
