Forbes estimates the rapper’s net worth is $1.3 billion
Kanye West is now a billionaire, according to Forbes.
The rapper is claiming that his net worth is more than $3 billion — which would make him wealthier than other famous billionaires, such as Oprah Winfrey, whose net worth is estimated at $2.6 billion.
While West has achieved the 10-digit milestone in his wealth, Forbes is reporting that his net worth is much lower than the rapper claims.
Between West’s many assets — including Yeezy, his music label and real estate — and his debt, Forbes estimates the 42-year-old rapper is worth $1.3 billion, according to a report Friday.
Despite the business magazine’s analysis, West maintains that his net worth is higher, and reportedly texted Forbes, “It’s not a billion. It’s $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.”
“We tend to look at self-appraisals somewhat skeptically,” the Forbes report said. “Aside from the music, half of all this presumably belongs to his wife, though she’s no slouch and that math goes two ways.”
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“Given the illiquidity of these myriad assets and the lack of independent backup, we’re giving all of this a 50% haircut: That’s about $125 million in assets, outside of his Yeezy crown jewel. Then, there’s debt: between mortgages, advances and other liabilities, we saw about $100 million that West is on the hook for.”
The Forbes report then estimated West’s $1.3 billion net worth, before noting that it’s $300 million more than Kylie Jenner’s net worth.
Bloomberg reported Friday that Yeezy is West’s largest asset “by far,” and a document reviewed by the outlet showed that “Bank of America Corp. valued the sneaker side of the business alone at as much as $3 billion last year.”
David Choi, West’s accountant, provided Bloomberg with “an unaudited balance sheet that pegs the rapper’s net worth at $3.15 billion and lists more than $200 million of other assets.”
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However, Forbes pointed out that “West’s aggressive $3 billion self-appraisal is clearly based on the idea that the business is infinitely portable. It’s not. Taking Yeezy away from Adidas seems almost prohibitively cumbersome, if not contractually impossible. A safer way to value it: as a royalty stream, like music publishing or film residuals.”
The outlet estimated that West receives about a 11 percent royalty of Yeezy revenue from Adidas, which produces and distributes the trendy sneakers.
Bloomberg called the relationship between Adidas and Yeezy — which expires in 2026 — “more of a profit-sharing agreement than a typical licensing deal.”