Contrary to reports that circulated Wednesday, Kanye West is not worth anywhere close to $6.9 billion U.S.
“It’s not true,” reported Forbes, insisting the reports are based on “the magical thinking around sales that don’t exist yet … The sky high estimate is the latest of West’s attempts to inflate his net worth.”
According to Forbes, West is actually worth about $1.8 billion (all figures U.S.). This is up from the $1.3 billion value the publication gave him last April.
On Thursday, Bloomberg reported that West’s Yeezy sneaker and apparel deals with Adidas and Gap are worth as much as $4.7 billion. The New York Post reported the rap star could now be worth “more than $6 billion” and Sky News referred to West as “the richest Black man in U.S. history.” (That would be Robert F. Smith of Vista Equity, who is worth a reported $6 billion.)
Last April, Forbes pegged West’s net worth at $1.26 billion, a figure he disputed. He accused the magazine of being “disrespectful” and “purposely snubbing me.”
According to Forbes, West supplied documents showing his assets include $17 million in cash, $35 million in stocks, $81 million in “buildings and improvements,” $21 million in land and about $3.8 million in vehicles.
After factoring in music worth about $90 million and the rapper’s $100 million in debt, Forbes determined West had a current net worth of $1.3 billion.
In a text message to the magazine, West disputed the number. “It’s $3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count.”
If West’s own figure is to believed, though, Wednesday’s media reports would mean his net worth more than doubled in only 11 months.