THEY say money can’t buy you happiness, but as billionaire Kanye West knows, it can pretty much buy you anything else… from $750k (£540k) solid gold toilets to $500 (£360) daily haircuts.
The rapper – who is currently in the process of a bitter divorce from wife Kim Kardashian – could be set to see his wealth top $6.6billion according to recent reports.
Kanye, 43, who has four kids with Kim, has racked up an estimated $3.7bn (approximately £2.6bn) from his fashion brand Yeezy and a $1bn line with Gap, as well as $1.7bn (£1.2bn) in shares in Kim’s underwear range SKIMS.
He also boasts a music catalogue worth an estimated $110m (£79m), according to Bloomberg.
And with great wealth, comes a very luxurious lifestyle, and the chance to make some VERY extravagant purchases. Here we take a closer look at what Kanye has chosen to spend his billions on…
It goes without saying, the first thing you purchase when you become an internationally renowned superstar, is a flash mansion to live in – or five.
The star’s property portfolio includes a $60m (£33m) Hollywood mansion, boasting eight-bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and a pool Kim confessed to never using.
The pair also snapped up two neighbouring properties to increase their land to an impressive eight acres.
Kanye’s property portfolio also boasts two ranches worth $28m (£20m) out in Wyoming, including a $14m (£11m) property with a restaurant, a saloon, an event building, at least ten cabins, a mountain range, and two private lakes.
Even celebrities encounter the call of nature, so of course it only makes sense the ‘flush’ rapper would splurge $750k (£540k) on four gold-plated toilets when he initially moved into his Bel Air mansion back in 2013 -which is said to be where Kim will continue to live with the kids after their divorce.
The thrones – fit for a rap king – aren’t the only extravagant purchases the pair made around the house either.
They reportedly also splashed out on a Swarovski encrusted fridge, and Louis Vuitton wheelie bins.
In one of the biggest mysteries of 2019, Kanye and Kim managed to baffle fans with their very unique basin-free bathroom sink.
After Kim gave a tour of their minimalist home, people were left wondering where the water went when the taps were switched on.
The works of art were said to have been designed by Kanye with the help of specialists, and are estimated to have cost a staggering $25k (£18k).
Generous Kanye doesn’t just splurge on gold items for himself – he also likes to spoil his pals too.
For example, he treated Jay-Z to a rather unique father’s day present when he first became a dad to Blue Ivy in 2012 – a $34k (£24k) skull covered in 24-karat gold and over 1,000 red topaz gemstones.
Not content with getting a courier to drop the package off, Kanye got a private jet so he could drop the handmade gift from Lions & Sons off to the rap mogul.
If Kanye is that generous with his mates, you could imagine his loved ones are lavished with gifts – and you’d be right.
In happier times, Kanye showered mother of his children Kim with expensive diamonds including two engagement rings, worth $7m (£5m).
She also received a $1m (£750k) ‘push present’ after the birth of Saint in 2015 – a glitzy Lorraine Schwartz choker.
Among her other gifts was a hand-painted Hermes Birkin bag, worth at least $40k (£31k) and a $200k (£147k) neon 4×4 truck.
Among the slightly more bizarre gifts, last year Kanye surprised Kim with a hologram of her father – who died in 2003 – for her birthday.
As wedding presents go, Kanye opted for a rather unique gift for Kim before their nuptials – reportedly buying her 10 branches of Burger King.
For one Christmas he also bought her hundreds of thousands of pounds in stocks and shares.
Kim was delighted with the unusual gift, which saw her own a stake in popular brands such as Disney, Apple, Amazon, Adidas and Netflix.
When Kanye went on tour with Rihanna in 2008, her dad Ronald Fenty revealed Kanye got a haircut from his barber every day, costing $500 (£360) a pop – which works out at about $182k (£131k) a year.
In 2010, he revealed on The Ellen DeGeneres Show he’d replaced his bottom teeth with a diamond and gold encrusted grill, saying nonchalantly: “I just thought that diamonds were cooler.”
Of course, it’s well known you have to spend money to make money, and Kanye is no stranger to splashing the cash to ensure his career continues to be successful.
In 2016 Kanye insisted his Yeezy fashion show was to be held at Madison Square Garden, costing over $125,000 (£100k) just to rent out.
Kanye has also created some of the most expensive music videos in the world.
On the list of the 50 most expensive videos ever, Kanye is featured twice – at number 30 for Stronger – which cost $1.2m (£865k) – and Touch the Sky, which cost $1m (£750k).
He earned 66,000 votes after entering the race to become the 46th president of the United States, but failed to raise the funds from donations and ended up spending a rumoured $12.5m (£9m) of his own money on the campaign.
This works out at around $200 (£145) per vote, and his presidential ambition is said to have contributed to the breakdown of his marriage to Kim.
