How old is Kanye West and what’s his net worth?
KANYE West was once named one of the most influential people in the world but a string of controversies has impacted his music empire.
The acclaimed US artist has 21 Grammy Awards and a successful fashion label to his name, which saw him become one of the world's wealthiest rappers.
What is Kanye West's net worth?
According to , the Gold Digger singer has a net worth of roughly $500million.
Kanye used to be on the prestigious Forbes' billionaire list and was worth more than $2billion in 2022, it was reported.
However, the rap icon lost about $1.5billion worth of that share when Adidas terminated their long-term partnership with him in October 2022.
The sportswear company announced they were cutting ties with the music mogul due to his antisemitic comments online.
While Kanye's music, tours and merchandise made him a multi-millionaire, it was his fashion brand, , that saw his annual profits soar.
At its height, the Yeezy brand was estimated to be worth about $5billion.
Kanye's collaboration with Gap has also ended, which was estimated to be worth around $1billion.
What is Kanye West's background?
Kanye was born in Atlanta on June 7, 1977, to Ray and Donda West, who divorced when he was three years old.
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He and his mother then moved to Chicago, where Kanye became involved in the hip-hop scene from a young age.
The rapper started making music when he was 13 after he persuaded his mother to pay for him to use a recording studio.
When he was 15, he met hip-hop and R&B music producer No. I.D, who quickly became his mentor.
Kanye received a scholarship to Chicago's American Academy of Art but dropped out when he was 20 to pursue his music career.
How did Kanye West get his start in music?
Kanye started out in the music industry as a producer and got his first credits aged 19 when he produced some tracks for rapper Grav.
He then formed and became a member and producer of the Go-Getters rap group.
In the late 90s, he produced records for artists such as Foxy Brown and Harlem World before landing a job at Roc-A-Fella Records in 2000.
It was there where he was credited for revitalizing Jay Z’s career after his contributions to his influential 2001 album The Blueprint.
Kanye finally became a rapper in his own right in 2001 when he convinced the head of Roc-A-Fella records to sign him.
His first single was Through the Wire in 2003, from his The College Dropout album.
The same year he featured on Twista's Slow Jamz, which topped the US charts.
In 2005, Gold Digger, featuring Jamie Foxx, reached No1 on the Billboard Hot 100, but only peaked at No2 in the UK.
He secured the top spot on both sides of the Atlantic with Stronger in 2007.
American Boy, with Estelle, and Jay Z's Run This Time saw him hit the No1 spot twice more in the UK.
In 2011 he secured another top spot in the US on Katy Perry's hit E.T.
Did Kanye West start a school?
In addition to his many business ventures, Kanye opened a Christian prep school in Simi Valley, California.
It's called The Donda Academy, and the school officially enrolled 100 students for this school year.
All students and parents were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
The said it aimed to: “provide the youth with the passion, purpose, and spiritual foundations they need to thrive in tomorrow’s world."
However, the school reportedly closed with immediate effect in October 2022.
According to , parents were notified the Donda Academy would close for the remainder of the 2022-23 school year.
In an email, the principal, Jason Angell, said the decision came "at the discretion of our founder".
The website states they are accepting admissions for the 2023/24 school year.