The Hustler's Digest StaffEntrepreneur and musician Kanye West is the richest rapper in the world. Find out how much is Kanye’s net worth in 2021.
Kanye West exudes brilliance, creativity, and extraordinary fan following as a musician. His financials were not publicly revealed for a long time but long before he got famous for them, his music, relationship, and erratic behavior are what caught global attention. He is undoubtedly one of the greatest rappers and producers with a complicated mind. His struggles with bipolar disorder and his impending divorce from his wife Kim Kardashian have gained a lot of media attention and resulted in public scrutiny of his finances. From earning millions at his own tours to mind-blowing sums for his Yeezy clothing line and $5000 for a beat for Jermaine Dupri, here is all that is known of how much is Kanye West’s net worth and how he has earned his future so far.
What is Kanye West’s net worth?
Kanye West has emerged as the richest black man in US history with his net worth being a whopping $1.8 billion in the year 2021. Despite claiming debt of $53 million three years ago, the rapper has managed to become a certified billionaire with his booming apparel and trainer brand, Yeezy, and a massive deal with clothing retailer Gap. And as of today, Kanye West is worth a massive $1.8billion.
How much money is made from Yeezy?
Adidas Yeezy is a famous fashion collaboration between Kanye West and German sportswear company Adidas that has generated huge income for the rapper. The collaboration has gained popularity for its high-end, exclusive releases since 2015 that have produced shirts, tracksuits, socks, slides, women’s shoes, and slippers. The Boost 750 was the first shoe model released in February 2015 and within six years of successful collaboration, the Yeezy clothing line formed the bulk of his net worth. It is estimated that the brand collected $1.3 billion of revenue in 2020 and although it is unknown what exactly went into the pockets of Kanye West, he pocketed almost 11 percent of the total revenue.
Kanye West partnered with Gap in the year 2020, on a multi-year Yeezy collaboration. The collection is expected to break $150 million in sales in the year 2022.
How much money is made from music?
Kanye’s music catalog that includes his individual releases, and those that he has produced for the others along with his G.O.O.D Music Label is all estimated to be a massive $90 million. Kanye enjoyed being the highest-paid person in hip hop in the year 2019 and a year later became the highest-paid musician in the entire world, earning $170 million from the music industry. His income from each of his music releases is not known but based on the statistics of sales, he has most probably made a gigantic sum from there too.
How much money did The College Dropout make?
The College Dropout was released in 2004 and was the first studio album by Kanye West. It was released by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Initially, Kanye faced immense difficulty to be recognized as a solo music artist until his release of The College Dropout. Before that, he had won many praises for his production work for famous rappers like Talib Kweli and Jay-Z. In the year 1999, with the sole intention to pursue a solo career, he jumped on to sign a record deal with Roc-A-Fella and recorded his first music album in a period of four years.
The album showcased his unique ‘chipmunk soul’ musical style which gained him instant recognition and popularity. The album was a fresh change from the dominant gangster genre in hip hop during that era, as his lyrics generally consisted of themes revolving around family, materialism, racism, education, religion, and self-consciousness. A fresh approach and a good start to his music career were marketed and celebrated across the world selling 441,000 copies in the first week of sales. It emerged as a huge commercial success debuting at number two on the US Billboard 200.
The College Dropout also gained critical success for the humorous and soul-touching raps. It earned him several accolades like Album of the Year, Best Rap Album, and the 2005 Grammy Awards. The album includes singles like ‘Through the Wire’, ‘Jesus Walks’, ‘All Falls Down’ and ‘Slow Jamz’ out of which the last two peaked at the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.
The album is widely known as the greatest album of its time and is largely credited for launching and promoting chipmunk soul music and instigating the transformation of gangster rap to conscious rap in the 2000s. The College Dropout was perhaps Kanye West’s breakthrough album and sold over 6 million copies. He single-handedly set hip-hop on a new road, introducing himself as one of the most innovative and creative artists of the 21st century. Despite facing many doubts and criticism before the release, the album soared high and helped him set himself as the leading rapper of America.
How much money did Late Registration make?
Kanye West’s second studio album was released in 2005 by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. The album took a year to be recorded in studios in Hollywood and New York and featured guest contributions from Common, Jay-Z, Adam Levine, Nas, and several other artists.
The album showcased his efforts to write authentic lyrics that explored sociopolitical concerns and displayed a passionate expression of sorrow, humor, and excitement. He also expressed his spiritual thoughts and views on market capitalism while highlighting social inequalities in areas of education, health care, drug trafficking, etc. Surpassing The College Dropout’s commercial success, Kanye’s Late Registration debuted at the top position on the US Billboard 200 and sold almost 860,000 copies in its first week.
It appeared on several polls and was ranked as 2005’s best album in Time, Rolling Stone, and Pazz & Jop. It also earned him eight Grammy Award nominations and a rightful win for the Best Rap Album. The skyrocketing success of the album earned him fame and money while also elevating his status as a culturally relevant rapper. Late Registration sold more than 4 million copies, less than his debut but still played a pivotal role in his career.
How much money did Graduation make?
Graduation was released in 2007 and was the third studio album by Kanye West. Like his two previous albums, it was released through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. Recordings took place in New York and Los Angeles. The album features guest appearances of various popular artists like T-Plain, Lil Wayne, Chris Martin, and many more. Takashi Murakami, a famous Japanese artist designed the artwork for the cover and interior.
The messages conveyed through the album depicted his mixed views of the fame and media probe. He also highlighted inspirational messages of victory and the album brought the glorious end to the educational theme of Kanye’s first two albums.
The album topped the US Billboard 200 and sold over 957,000 copies in its first week of sales. It was welcomed by listeners and music critics all over America and beyond, earning him his third Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The high acceptance of the album marked the end of gangsta rap in mainstream music, paving way for all the hip-hop artists who did not associate with gangster music. Graduation soared higher than the former album and sold more than 6 million copies.
Kanye West’s education-themed first three albums gained him a lot of name and fame and within a span of a few years, he emerged as a significant name in the music industry making many wonder what is Kanye West’s net worth.
How much money did 808s & Heartbreak make?
808s & Heartbreak turned out to be completely different from the previous three albums. Kanye released the fourth album in 2008 which also featured guest appearances by popular vocalists like Young Jeezy, Lil Wayne, and Kid Cudi.
The album was conceived during a personal period of turmoil for the rapper and displayed techniques not seen in his music before. The lyrics mostly revolved around themes of loss, heartache and were largely inspired by the breakup with his fiance at that time and also the untimely death of his beloved mother. The early years of fame and the struggles to deal with it were also a source of inspiration for the music of 808s & Heartbreak. The album sold more than 3 million copies.
How much money did My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy make?
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy was released in 2010 and marked the fifth studio album of Kanye West. The release followed his self-imposed exile in Hawaii in 2009. The theme of the album explores Kanye’s stardom, consumer culture, and idealism of the American Dream. Various guest vocalists took part in the album which included Jay-Z, Rick Ross, John Legend, Elton John, Rihanna, and Nicki Minaj.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy topped at number one on the US Billboard 200 and sold almost 500,000 copies. The album has also been played a minimum of one billion times on Spotify. The album emerged as an immediate success and earned the name of the best album of 2010. It also won the award for Best Rap Album at the Grammy Awards 2012. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is known as the masterpiece of Kanye West as it sold 1.7 million copies.
How much money did Yeezus make?
Yeezus is the sixth album of Kanye West which was released in 2013. It is known as one of the most experimental works of Kanye and works around different genres like Chicago drill, electro, punk, and industrial. The album was released without any artwork and the CD edition was introduced in a clear jewel box with only red tape. The album Yeezus received widespread critical appreciation however the public opinion remained divided. The album debuted at the top on the US Billboard 200 and sold 327,000 copies in the first week. It also topped the international charts. To date, it has sold 1 million copies.
How much money did The Life of Pablo make?
Kanye West’s seventh album, The Life of Pablo was released in 2016 through Good Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The recording of the album took place from 2013 to 2016 in the USA, Italy, Canada, and Mexico. The album earned positive reviews from music critics and many publications cited it to be one of the best albums of 2016. The Life of Pablo earned five Grammy nominations in 2017, including Best Rap Album. It also debuted as number one on the US Billboard 200 and also in Norway, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The album sold more than 2 million copies and was expected to sell more but the unfortunate leak and illegal download of the album before its release resulted in a loss of $10 million for Kanye.
How much money did Ye make?
Released in 2018, Ye is the eighth studio album by Kanye West that received favorable reviews from music critics. NME, Pitchfork, and some of the other publications declared it to be the best album of 2018. It also became the eighth consecutive album to top the charts on the US Billboard 200. This record tied him up with Eminem. The album was also top of the charts in Canada, Australia, Estonia, New Zealand, and Ireland. Ye managed to sell over 560,000 copies.
How much money did Jesus Is King make?
As the ninth studio album of Kanye West, Jesus Is King followed a Christian theme and turned out to be very different from his previous work. He described this album as “ an expression of the gospel”. It was released in 2019 but was originally announced as Yandhi in 2018. The album won the Top Christian Album and Top Gospel Album award at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards. It also won the Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the Annual GrammyAwards in 2021. The album was also a chart-topper across nine countries and sold 500,000 copies.
How much money did Donda make?
Donda was released in 2021 as the tenth studio album of Kanye West. It has been certified gold according to both sales and streams. It featured guest vocals from Jay-Z, Lil Baby, The Weeknd, DaBaby, Marilyn Manson, and several others. The album sold 500,000 copies.
How much money did Watch the Throne make?
Kanye West’s Watch the Throne is a collaborative album with Jay-Z. It sold more than 5 million copies and since Kanye was also the producer of the album, he earned a larger cut from the project.
How much does Kanye West make from Spotify?
Kanye West has enough streams to make him plenty of money from Spotify alone. He is one of the most-streamed artists and it is reported that The Life of Pablo was streamed over 250 million times within the first ten days of its release. Although Spotify does not pay artists much for each stream, considering the number of streams of Kanye’s music, he still manages to make a hefty amount from Spotify alone.
Tours and features
Like most contemporary artists, Kanye’s large portion of wealth is generated from live performances and touring for shows across the world. His shows are guaranteed to sell out every time. His Glow in the Dark tour generated $30.8 million while The Yeezus Tour grossed a reasonable $31.8 million. The Saint Pablo tour grossed $52.8 million and was expected to earn him more but after the unfortunate robbery incident faced by his then-wife Kim Kardashian in Paris, he canceled several dates due to a mental health crisis. His feature rates are also close to the other A-listers like Nicki Minaj and Kendrick Lamar which is around six figures.
What homes does Kanye West own?
Kanye West is a billionaire and sure lives like one too. He owns two ranches in Wyoming that are about $14million. He also owns 4500 acres of Monster Lake Ranch. It consists of eight lodging units, two freshwater lakes, a gorgeous event center, a restaurant, and animal housing spaces. The area has plenty of room for his kids, staff, and guests. He also owns another ranch, Bighorn Mountain Ranch which houses five bedrooms and four bathrooms, the main room with a deck, a commercial kitchen, saunas, and also two heated helicopter pads.
Kanye West also shared a mansion in Hidden Hills, California, with ex-wife Kim Kardashian until the couple divorced in 2021. The mansion was featured in Architectural Digest and was full of exquisite art, luxury pieces. It was purchased in 2014 for $20 million and the same amount was spent on its renovations. That mere fact tripled the value of the property. The couple also bought land adjacent to the home for almost $3 million and another in Calabasas, Califestate for a whopping $6.5 million.
How much are Kanye West’s cars worth?
Yeezy, the acclaimed fashion line by Kanye West is inspired by Lamborghini. The fact is enough to realize his passion for cars. Kanye’s car collection is worth almost $4 million. He loves to collect armored cars which are very expensive. His collection of cars includes Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss, Mercedes-Benz McLaren SLR, Aston Martin DB12, Dartz Prombron Red Diamond Edition, Porsche 911 (991) Carrera 4S, Lamborghini Urus, Sherp, and Lamborghini Aventador. It has been rumored that the man also owns a Bugatti Veyron but that remains unconfirmed.
What investments does Kanye West have?
A 2020 financial report released that Kanye West had $17 million in cash and almost $35 million in stocks. These sums compared to his portfolio are not so impressive but a later report of 2021 revealed that Kanye increased his cash and stocks to almost $122 million. He has $1.7 billion worth of investment in various assets. One also includes his ex-wife Kardashian’s SKIMS shapewear.
How much does Kanye West make each year?
It has been revealed that the rapper took home a whopping $150 million in the year 2019 alone. His annual salary depends on his touring schedule but it certainly makes him the highest-paid star of hip-hop. The publication revealing these details looked at pretax income of the fiscal years 2018-2019 before deducting salaries for agents, lawyers, and managers. The report also revealed that Jay-Z, the second runner-up to the highest-paid artist, made almost $ 81 million in 2019. Drake, being the third highest-paid hip-hop artist, had earned $75 million. The vast difference in Kanye’s pretax income depicts his popularity as a musician and his entrepreneurial successes. If you are wondering how much Kanye West makes a day then considering he makes $150 million in a year, his daily income would be a mighty $410,958.90!
Kanye West’s Business Ventures
Despite many believing that Kanye West earned his massive income from singing and rapping, the fact is that the majority of his fortune has been earned from investment and business ventures. Yeezy, his own footwear and apparel brand, has helped him build the mighty net worth he enjoys today. It also accounts for the largest share of his business-related income. The Yeezy brand is worth almost $4 billion and its official website is valued at $100 million.
Kanye launched his line of shows in the year 2009. The first pair, Air Yeezy 1 was in partnership with Nike. As a breaker of many records, he also became the first non-athlete to sign a deal with Nike. Apart from Air Yeezy, Kanye also has designed footwear for Bape, Louis Vuitton, and Giuseppe Zanotti. He also invested in the fashion industry by releasing clothing lines in 2011 and 2012 at the Paris Fashion Week.
In the year 2013, Kanye West landed himself a collaboration deal with Adidas and the contact resulted in the birth of the Yeezy Boost 750 sneaker. The shoe was initially released in light brown color and was an Adidas mobile app exclusive to New York residents. It has been reported that within a few minutes of release, the shoes were out of stock. Within 5 years, the Kanye West and Adidas sneaker collaboration had spawned 19 colors, 6 new designs, and huge sums of money.
Kanye and Adidas signed a long-term deal in 2016 that confirmed Kanye earning 10% royalties on Adidas net revenues for all merchandise sold on the official website of the company. The royalty is even higher for merchandise sold on Yeezy’s website.
Aside from Yeezy, Kanye also launched another business venture, G.O.O.D Music. Getting Out Our Dreams is a record label and music production company founded in 2004 with Sony BMG. The label has signed some of the names like Big Sean, Kacy Hill, Pusha, John Legend, Common, Teyana among others. He also owns KW Foods LLC and creative content company DONDA and music streaming service, Tidal. His businesses might be spawned in various different areas but have helped generate a massive net worth.
Marriage to Kim Kardashian
Before his marriage to the famous reality star, model, and entrepreneur, Kim Kardashian, Kanye had an on and off relationship with Alexis Phifer and became engaged to her in 2006. The pair, however, ended their relationship. Kanye began dating his longtime friend Kimin in 2012 and the couple became engaged a year later. In 2014, they married at Fort di Belvedere in Florence. The couple has been blessed with four children: North West, Saint West, Chicago West, and Psalm West. The high-profile couple with their successful careers have always received high media coverage and their marriage is often called “ a historic blizzard of celebrity”.
In 2020, Kanye ran his presidential campaign rally where his notorious claims of wanting to abort his first child did not settle with his wife. Later he also wrote on Twitter how he wished to divorce Kardashian but could not due to her family who had locked him up. In 2021, the couple acknowledged that divorce was on the table and was officially filed for. The couple agreed to joint custody of their four children and both refused spousal support.
What is Kim Kardashian’s net worth?
Kim Kardashian emerged as a reality star and socialite and she was cited as having followers of 6.6 million on Twitter in 2011. In five years, she earned $51 million from her mobile game. As of the year 2021, she has made herself officially join the world’s billionaires list. Her net worth is over $1 billion thanks to her lucrative businesses Kim Kardashian West Beauty and Skims. Apart from her business, her reality star popularity helps her gain a lot of income from reality television and endorsement deals.
Kim founded KKW Beauty in 2017 after her younger sister, Kylie Jenner, earned massive success through Kylie Cosmetics through social media marketing. Jumping on the bandwagon, Kim adopted the direct-to-consumer model and launched her contour kits. Luckily, she had them sold out within two hours. Within a year, she was able to expand the business and include other makeup essentials like eyeshadows, concealers, lipsticks, and also fragrances. It helped her generate about $100 million in revenue. Her cosmetics line earned hype all over the world.
Kim also launched her shapewear line, Skims in the year 2019. She capitalized on her massive social media following to launch the brand and take it to enormous heights.
As the pandemic hit the same year, she was quick to respond to new demands and launched new loungewear, as people were looking out for comfy clothes then shapewear items for formal gowns. Her businesses, coupled with her cash and investments, real estate, paychecks from Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and mobile game have also managed to raise her net worth to a billion.
Kardashian West owns a majority stake in closely-held Skims, which hasn’t disclosed its revenues. A source familiar with Skims told Forbes about a transaction that values the shapewear company north of $500 million. As a result, Forbes estimates her Skims stake is worth a conservative $225 million, enough to lift her fortune to $1 billion. While married to Kanye West, the couple together would have a combined estimated wealth of $2.8 billion.
Conclusion
Kanye West’s two decades of being in the limelight and hustling as a rapper, producer, and businessman have helped him generate such massive income. His net worth tops $1.8 billion as of the year 2021 and makes him the first black man rapper to be a billionaire.
The massive net worth is accredited to his years of service as a musician and his entrepreneurial ventures that helped him achieve lucrative long-term deals with Adidas. His annual royalty from Yeezy shoes and his clothing line designed for Gap with the name Yeezy are both highly profitable. Despite his divorce from Kim Kardashian, he still owns a stake in Skims. He spends vast amounts on philanthropic services also while coming up with new business ventures now and then. Kanye West is surely an enigma who does not fail to surprise. Eccentric and mentally affected by bipolar disorder, he has only soared higher in the last decade.
