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Update: Kanye West Explains His $53 Million Debt

Evette Dionne
Last Updated February 15, 2016, 7:50 PM
Update: Kanye West has expounded on his tweets to explain what this $53 million debt is. He starts off by explaining why he's asking for help, in a lament about how rich people are usually "too cool to ask for help." He goes on to say he only wants to be an artist and make the world a better place. And then things take a turn for the personal.
West breaks down that Adidas funded his MSG fashion show, but that he feels it's only a small-scale representation of what he has to offer. And according to Ye, he's got hedge fund guys and billionaires calling him on the heels of his pleas for patronage from Zuckerberg and Page.
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Sounds like even Kanye's debut is on another level. Update 11 a.m.: Kanye West continued his pleas to Mark Zuckerberg, doubling down on his public cries for help and adding Google's Larry Page to the mix as someone he'd accept money from. West also called out all of the "dudes in San Fran" for playing rap music but not supporting artists. What is the debt West is talking about, you might be wondering? His tweets imply that he wants to get out from under the recoupable debt he owes to Universal Music, the company that releases his records. "I know y'all tired of music controlled by money and perception. I'm proud of every dime of debt I got," West tweeted.
West continued, promising the love of the world and his eternal respect in return for a little cash flow. He also promised to make the world a better place with his art before pivoting to solicit help from another source.
This article was originally published on February 14. After several delays, Kanye West finally released his seventh solo album, The Life of Pablo, on Saturday night. The Chicago rapper announced the album's availability on streaming service TIDAL and his website last night during a performance on Saturday Night Live.
The album's release is the epic finale of a few whirlwind weeks. There was a feud with Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose, confusion over the album's title, an album release party and fashion show at Madison Square Garden, beef with Taylor Swift's squad, and the SNL performance. West should be elated. After all, he played his new music for the first time during New York Fashion Week in Madison Square Garden.
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Unfortunately, the Yeezus rapper and his famous family aren't celebrating on an island with umbrella drinks. In a spurt of sporadic tweets, West said that he's $53 million in debt. He also made a plea to Mark Zuckerberg to "invest 1 billion dollars into Kanye West ideas."
It's a strange turn of events, but definitely fits in with the chaos that's been swirling around the legendary rapper in recent weeks.

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