Kanye West makes 'rich list' history

American rapper Kanye West has sent shock waves on the socials after reports that he is now worth $6.6 billion (R97 billion), thanks to his Yeezy brand. 

This is a notable increase from the amount that was initially reported by Forbes in April last year that claimed that the FourFiveSeconds hitmaker was worth $1.3 billion (R19 billion). 

According to People magazine, the rapper's sneaker and apparel business Yeezy, which is now in partnership with Adidas AG and Gap Inc., is worth between $3.2 billion (R46. 9 billion) and $4.7 billion (R68 9 billion). 

A report by Bloomberg claimed that the value of the new Gap collaboration, which is scheduled to hit stores in America during their summer, "could be worth as much as $970 million (R14.2 billion) in total". 

Bloomberg added that West, who currently has complete ownership and creative control of his sneaker and apparel brand,  signed a 10-year agreement to design and sell clothes under the Yeezy Gap label.

The 43-year-old rapper is reported to also have $122 million (R1.8 billion) in cash and stock and $110 million (R1.6 billion) from his music catalogue, along with $1.7 billion (R25 billion) in other assets, including estranged wife Kim Kardashian West's Skims business. 

News of West's estimated value ste tongues wagging on social media.