From music to business and politics, how Kanye West expanded his empire
Kanye West has been rocking the game ever since 1996 and is currently one of the biggest musicians of all time. The Grammy-winning rapper, who is currently working on a sequel to his 10th album ‘Donda’ called ‘Donda 2’, has had a fruitful career with several ups and downs. A documentary featuring the highs and the lows called ‘Jeen-Yuhs’ is all set to be released on Netflix. The feature will shed light on the rapper with footage covering his career moves from the last 21 years.
Kanye West has witnessed several career-defining moments only because he never shied away from experimenting and taking risks. From dropping multi-platinum albums to becoming a billionaire, all thanks to his Yeezy sneakers and other profitable ventures, the rapper turns everything he touches into gold. Kanye, who now goes by the name of Ye, even tried his hand at politics by announcing his presidential run back in 2020. The ‘Stronger’ hitmaker’s career transition surely sets an example for others as we explore his risk-taking abilities to only go big in life.
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Kanye West's musical experiments
Kanye West has been dubbed genius by many due to the experimental music that made him what he is today. He is known for crafting progressive hip-hop by infusing pop sensibilities in his tracks. The multiple-award-winning musician also played with sounds from soul, baroque-pop, stadium rock, electro, house music, indie rock, synth-pop, progressive rock, industrial, punk and gospel in order to secure the numero uno position in the industry. With 10 albums and numerous awards in his kitty, Kanye West has so far sold over 160 million records and won 22 Grammys. The Chicago native was named Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2005 and 2015.
Kanye West as an entrepreneur
After Kanye West realized he had earned enough fame and money from music, the rapper decided to turn into businessman — another profitable move for him. Kanye, who now goes by the name of Ye, joined hands with Adidas for the Yeezy sneakers. He is also one of the biggest investors in his estranged wife Kim Kardashian’s venture SKIMS. The renowned hip-hop icon also joined hands with clothing label GAP for their new collection. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the legendary rap star is valued at a massive $6.6 billion. However, Forbes reported that he was valued at $1.8 billion in 2020 but even then, he is the richest Black man on the planet.
Kanye West for President
Kanye West, the risk-taker, seemed content enough with his career in music and pocketing fat pay cheques from different businesses. In July 2020, amid his mental health episodes, Kanye announced that he will be running for the presidential post. He took to Twitter to share the big news saying, “We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision, and building our future. I am running for president of the United States! #2020VISION.” However, unlike his music career and profitable business ventures, Kanye failed to be taken seriously.
We must now realize the promise of America by trusting God, unifying our vision and building our future. I am running for president of the United States 🇺🇸! #2020VISION
— ye (@kanyewest) July 5, 2020
Kanye again went to back to music and dropped his 10th studio effort ‘Donda’- a sequel of which is already in the making. It is safe to say that despite Kanye’s career transitions, he has eventually returned back to his musical roots.