Ye, or the artist formerly known as Kanye West, is looking to expand his business overseas — to Russia.
The “All of the Lights” emcee is reportedly planning to make a trip to Moscow later this year to meet with President Vladimir Putin and hold a Sunday Service performance, according to Billboard. Ye’s strategic advisor Ameer Sudan said the Chicago native is prepping to make the trip this spring or summer, depending on how open his schedule is. Russia is going to be “a second home” for the Donda spitter, said Sudan, adding that “he will be spending a lot of time out there.”
Sudan told the outlet that the Late Registration rapper is currently working on new business deals with Aras Agalarov, president of the Crocus Group — one of Russia’s leading developers, and his son and business partner Emin Agalarov, who previously worked with Donald Trump to bring the 2013 Miss Universe pageant to the country’s capital. While Sudan did not reveal details about the meetings, he estimated that their plans would raise Ye’s worth to more than $10 billion.
Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that the G.O.O.D. Music founder was worth around $6.6 billion due to his Yeezy Brand and partnership with Adidas AG and Gap Inc. In addition to the money from his popular shoe brand, the outlet said Ye has $122 million in stock and cash, $110 million from his music catalog and $1.7 billion in other assets — including his estranged wife’s SKIMS business.
Aside from his multiple business ventures, Ye is still planning to bring his fans new music. Steven Victor, the chief operating officer of G.O.O.D. Music revealed to Complex that Ye is currently working on Donda 2. If that remains the project’s official title, it will become the first sequel LP in Ye’s discography.