Kanye West has claimed he was ‘two months away’ from bankruptcy after losing $2 billion in one day when Adidas ended its partnership with Yeezy.
The 46-year-old rapper lost his billionaire status in 2022 when a number of brands terminated his lucrative contracts over his anti-Semitic outbursts and were outraged by his decision to promote White Lives Matter T-shirts during his Paris Fashion Week show.
Kanye said he put “everything I had” into Sunday’s $7 million Super Bowl ad for his fashion brand and new album Vultures.
‘I’m just being honest with you. “It was two months before I was going to go bankrupt, and I put everything I had into it (the album and the Super Bowl ad),” he said TMZ.
Kanye said that when his wealth started to plummet, he moved to Italy with his wife Bianca Censori.
Kanye West has claimed he was ‘two months away’ from bankruptcy after losing $2 billion in one day when Adidas ended its partnership with Yeezy
‘We moved to Italy. We moved to the factories and survived. We survived the cancellation. We are number one again,” he said.
On Monday, Kanye said Yeezy had made $19.3 million from the Super Bowl ad and that Vultures was number one in 100 countries.
When asked if he felt the controversy “helped” him, Kanye replied, “It wasn’t about the controversy. It was about being able to say out loud how you felt.
“If I didn’t have the different skills in music, clothes and the fan base, they could have destroyed me. But because we had all those skills, somehow here in this universe I am able to fight.”
Kanye was asked if he regretted his anti-Semitic comments, to which he replied, “Hey, I’m entitled to their opinion – I’m entitled to my opinion.”
The rapper was back in the spotlight on Sunday evening with his bizarre commercial for his fashion brand during the Super Bowl.
During the promo, filmed in the back of a car, Kanye joked that his team had spent so much money on the Super Bowl 2024 spot — which reportedly totals $7 million in 30 seconds — that they ran out of budget to make a commercial.
He said, ‘Hey everyone, this is you guys and this is my commercial… (my team) spent all the money on the commercial (so we) didn’t actually spend any money on the actual commercial.
“But the idea is I want you to go to Yeezy.com. I’m going to write it at the bottom of the screen… and I have a pair of shoes, and um… that’s it.’
The 46-year-old rapper lost his billionaire status in 2022 when a number of brands terminated his lucrative contracts due to his anti-Semitic outbursts (pictured with Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden)
On Monday, Kanye said Yeezy had made $19.3 million from the Superbowl ad and that Vultures was number one in 100 countries
Sunday’s commercial prompted fans to visit his website, where merchandise for his new album Vultures 1 was available for purchase
While West’s bizarre homemade addition to the TV show was at odds with the glossy, big-budget commercials that aired Sunday, fans claimed it was a stroke of marketing genius.
The bizarre rapper was present at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as the Kansas City Chiefs triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers to claim their third title in five years.
Brands like Dunkin’ Donuts, Mountain Dew, Uber Eats and Oreo spent an average of $7 million each to secure an advertising spot during Sunday night’s Super Bowl, watched by 114 million people around the world.
But while West’s bizarre homemade addition to the TV show clashed with the glossy, big-budget commercials that aired Sunday, some fans claimed it was a stroke of marketing genius.
On X, formerly Twitter, one impressed viewer wrote: “The genius that is Kanye West. Put a commercial on the Super Bowl that goes beyond the Super Bowl.”
A second added: “The biggest Super Bowl commercial out there.”
While a third admitted: ‘I haven’t seen the Superbowl but I’ve seen this ad three times. Actually quite genius of you.’
Elsewhere, a fourth wrote: “Ye’s #Superbowl commercial is the mosiest Ye commercial ever.”
The ad appeared to be a clever marketing ploy after West – who has renamed himself the abbreviated Ye – withdrew his latest album, Vultures 1, from streaming platforms and changed the album cover.
German sports giant Adidas has ended its collaboration with Kanye due to the American rapper and designer’s controversial behavior in 2022
West’s Yeezy deal with Adidas was the crowning glory of his fortune, with sales rising to $1.7 billion in 2020 – earning him $191 million in royalties
The bizarre rapper was present at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas as the Kansas City Chiefs triumphed over the San Francisco 49ers to claim their third title in five years.
Sunday’s commercial urged fans to visit his website, where new album-related merchandise is available for purchase. The album returned to streaming platforms Monday morning.
West entered enemy territory when he arrived at the Super Bowl on Sunday – where his rival Taylor Swift and ex-wife Kim Kardashian were both in attendance.
The rapper was in full disguise as he headed to the big match hand-in-hand with his wife Bianca Censori.
He wore an Alexander McQueen crucifix mask, a black leather jacket and shiny leather trousers, while Bianca wore a jacket and a shiny hooded accessory.
The designer mask was placed snugly over his head covering and was possibly worn as a tribute to the late designer, who died on February 11, 2010.
Kanye’s marriage to Kim officially ended in 2021 and she has since been in a relationship with Odell Beckham Jr.