In a screenshot posted on Kanye West’s Instagram account on Thursday, January 23rd, he shared his “billionaire status” after Eton Venture Services confirmed his net worth at $2.77 billion. According to Eton, the valuation is “based on his music portfolio and sole ownership of the Yeezy mark.”
West first gained his billionaire status when he made it to the Forbes billionaire list in 2020. However, Forbes’s current estimation of West’s net worth is $400 million. So what is the truth here? Is Kanye West a billionaire or not?
Well, he definitely was, but he lost that status just three years after gaining it. In 2022, brands such as Adidas, Balenciaga and Gap severed their ties with West after he made antisemitic comments. Ye’s partnership with Adidas was the biggest contributor to the rapper’s fortune. According to Forbes, the Adidas deal alone was valued at $1.5 billion, giving him his golden ticket to enter the land of billionaires.
But back in 2020, “The Gold digger’’ singer wasn’t satisfied with his new billionaire status. A Forbes article reveals that although West had been bugging them for years to be on the list and once he provided the information that confirmed he should be there, he made a very Ye Move: He texted a Forbes editor, complaining that it’s not “a billion” but “It’s $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.”
Losing his billionaire status just a few years later must’ve stung West’s ego since he cared so much about being recognized. But it seems he has climbed his way back up the billionaire ladder after such a brutal fall. All this depends on whether Eton Venture Services’ valuation of West’s net worth is correct. If it’s solely up to Forbes, West’s net worth remains at $400 million, but considering Ye’s past tension with Forbes, it doesn’t seem that he cares what they have to say.
Captioning his Instagram post “LAA LA LA LA,” a reference to his song “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” off of his Graduation album, Ye’s words seem to have a double meaning. Beside flaunting his new status, he’s likely taunting the magazine, letting Forbes know they can’t tell him Nada.