But most of West’s fortune doesn’t come from his music, Forbes reported. His footwear and apparel brand Yeezy, in partnership with Adidas, is expected to bring in more than US$1.5 billion in sales in 2019.

Here’s a look at how West has built and spends his multimillion-dollar fortune.

West is now officially the highest-paid person in hip-hop, according to Forbes, surpassing Jay-Z for the first time, and is worth about five times more than he was in 2014.

Yeezy’s success has stemmed in part from West’s unique marketing strategies. He rolls out new products in limited numbers, which boosts the hype and causes them to sell out quickly.

In 2018, Kardashian West was at the centre of her husband’s Yeezy Season 6 campaign, stepping out in public wearing the new collection and being photographed by the press.

Despite his current success, West’s personal-finance journey has been somewhat tumultuous.

In 2014, he was worth an estimated US$30 million, according to Forbes. But in 2016, he tweeted that he was US$53 million in debt and asked Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to invest US$1 billion in “Kanye West ideas”.

Now, West’s net worth is estimated to be somewhere between US$240 million and US$1 billion. He and his family live in a palatial US$60 million mansion in Hidden Hills, California.

The 15,667-square-foot (1,450-square-metre) home sits on three acres with expansive gardens, vineyards and fountains. The couple bought the home in 2014 for US$20 million and reportedly spent four years and US$20 million renovating it before they moved in in 2018.

The hip-hop artist has also dropped millions on real estate around the country. In New York City, his former Soho apartment (bought by West in 2004 and sold in 2018) just went back on the market for US$4.7 million.

Days before his one-time Manhattan apartment hit the market, West bought a US$14 million ranch in Wyoming. The massive property includes a restaurant and saloon, a ranch-style event venue, a maintenance shop, an office building, horse barns, sheds, corrals, storage facilities, and a state-of-the-art shooting range.

West also owns 300 acres of land in Calabasas, which neighbours the Hidden Hills gated community that he and his family currently call home. It’s unknown how much he paid for the property.

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In a 2018 interview with radio host Charlamagne Tha God, West said he wanted to be “one of the biggest real estate developers of all time, what Howard Hughes was to aircrafts [sic] and Henry Ford was to cars.”

West branched into commercial real estate earlier this year, when it was reported that he would invest US$1 million into a historic Chicago theatre.

The owner of the Avalon Regal Theatre said in February that West had committed to spending US$1 million to renovate and reopen the 91-year-old cinema, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

Earlier this year, West discussed relocating to Chicago – where he grew up – with his family.

When it comes to buying lavish gifts for his wife, West goes all out.

Kardashian West has been spotted carrying a Hermes Birkin bag – which can sell for between US$9,000 and US$500,000 – that was gifted to her by West and painted by her daughter, North.

Kardashian West’s 20-carat diamond engagement ring, worth an estimated US$4.5 million, is among the most expensive celebrity engagement rings. That ring was not the ring West proposed with, but an upgrade from the original 15-carat ring reportedly stolen when Kardashian West was robbed in Paris in 2016.

The hip-hop artist also spends extravagantly on his children. For Christmas in 2014, West reportedly spent US$74,000 on gifts for his firstborn daughter, North, who was 18 months old at the time. The haul included a US$62,000 diamond-encrusted tiara and a US$12,000 toy replica of his black SUV.

He has been photographed driving several different luxury cars that each cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to website Auto World News, West has been photographed several times driving an Aston Martin DB9.

Although the exact extent of West’s fortune is unclear, Kardashian West suggested last year that her husband was probably a billionaire.

In a July 2018 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Kardashian West said it didn’t come as a surprise to her when reported that her younger sister, Kylie Jenner, was almost a billionaire. (Less than a year later, Forbes reported that Jenner had indeed reached billionaire status.)

“You’re not almost a billionaire, are you?” Kimmel asked Kardashian West.

“I would say my husband is,” Kardashian West said. “So that makes me one, right? Close, by proximity.”