HIP HOP SUPERSTAR KANYE WEST BECOMES A BILLIONAIRE- FORBES

Kanye West's sneaker line alone has been valued $1.26bn (£1.02bn

Hip hop superstar Kanye West is officially a billionaire after his sneaker line was described as "one of the great retail stories of the century", according to Forbes magazine.

The rapper and fashion designer, who has long coveted the status, is said to have a net worth valued at $1.3bn (£1.05bn).

Despite now being officially classed as a billionaire, West was unhappy with Forbes and claimed they had undervalued him.

West’s big break came in 2000, when he began producing for artists on Roc-A-Fella Records. He worked on JAY-Z’s “The Blueprint” (2001) and is often credited for revitalizing the rap mogul’s career. He also produced for other artists, including Beanie Sigel, Ludacris, Alicia Keys and Janet Jackson.

The rapper reportedly sent a text to one of their employees reading: "It's not a billion.

"It's 3.3 billion since no one at Forbes knows how to count."

Forbes has valued his Yeezy sneaker line alone at $1.26bn (£1.02bn).

The magazine reports that the brand is "challenging Nike's Air Jordan for sneaker world supremacy" and is "one of the great retail stories of the century".

The 42-year-old is also one of the most acclaimed and biggest-selling music artists of the last 20 years.

His GOOD Music record label and the rights to his back catalogue are worth at least $90m (£73m) in total, according to Forbes.

The magazine said the statement of assets supplied to them by West's team lists $17m in cash (£13.7m) and $35m in stocks (£28m).

West's other notable assets are $81m (£66m) in property and $21m (£17m) in land, according to his team.

The rapper and his wife, the reality TV star Kim Kardashian, are known to own several properties in Los Angeles and Wyoming.

Kanye West is married to the reality TV star Kim Kardashian 

Forbes, which stressed there was a lack of independent verification for its figures, has listed West as having debt of about $100m (£81m).

That adds up to a net worth of $1.3bn (£808m) in total, the magazine said.

This places him above sister-in-law Kylie Jenner, who has a $1bn net worth, largely from her cosmetics business.

West was displeased with an article last year in which Forbes refused to class him as a billionaire.

The rapper is said to have texted a reporter saying it was a "disrespectful article" that was "purposely snubbing me".

His ire was further provoked earlier this month when Forbes released its annual billionaires list, with West's name absent.

"You know what you're doing," West is said to have texted a Forbes journalist.

"You're toying with me and I'm not finna lye down and take it anymore in Jesus name."



----SKYNEWS