Just in case any of you have been living under a rock for the past month, Kanye West, fashionista and rapper, notorious for his luxurious attire, cars, housing, travel, and events, has just announced that he is $53 million in personal debt. On Feb. 15, West took to his Twitter account in a rampage, tweeting, “Yes, I am personally rich and can buy furs and houses for my family, but I need access to more money in order to bring more beautiful ideas to the world."
So what exactly do these beautiful ideas entail, and why does he need $53 million to create them?
West is facing the traumatic yet truthful reflection of the fashion business in today’s society. Fashion is a business that requires a significant amount of upfront costs that can only promise little in return. West found this out the hard way, in 2009, when he created a women’s clothing line named Kanye West. He was baffled when the line was denied in almost every store, which put the rapper out about $30 million. With better luck in the following years, West struck a deal with Nike. What was at first successful there created an even bigger deal for West at another top competitor. West soon took up a contract with Adidas where he could not only expand his shoe line, but also take his art to clothing with the small price of putting himself another $16 million in debt. This past New York Fashion Week, we got the first look at Yeezy 3 in a rented-out Madison Square Garden, packed full with celebrities, politicians, socialites, and Manhattan’s elite. Renting out the enormous indoor arena on top of production, lighting, hiring staff, and models cost West about $2 million. West knew that even if his shoe line stayed sold out for the next decade, he would still be fighting off this debt, and that’s why he took it upon himself to personally ask Mark Zuckerburg for $1 billion, through Twitter, of course.
Within a few days of West’s outreach, Jeremy Piatt, supporter of the arts, co-founder and creative director at Paul Bunyan Design in Minneapolis, Minnesota, created a public GoFundMe campaign to get the rapper out of debt. By the tenth day, Piatt raised close to $8,000. After reaching out to West’s people, Piatt’s charitable donation was declined. So if West is truly in debt, why won’t he accept the eight grand? The answer is simple, really; he needs $53 million, so what’s $8,000 in the grand scheme of things?
The rapper's loss ended up becoming another’s gain. Piatt decided to take the money and donate it to another organization that will reflect the same goal of raising money for the good of the arts. The organization, Notes for Notes, is a non-profit organization that plans, builds, equips, and staffs after-school centers for children to come play, record, and enjoy music. The locations are fully equipped with recording studios, every instrument under the sun, and staff members that are trained in music. Notes for Notes doesn’t just act as a creative outlet for children still in school, but also as a place that will keep these inner city students out of trouble. The organization has 11 locations from coast to coast and more on the way.
Although West thinks that he is “a creative genius," and that the ideas he wants to bring into the world are beautiful, I would have to disagree. Don’t get me wrong, I will definitely be waiting around the computer when the new Yeezys are released, but there are more beautiful things in the world than a pair of shoes and an updated fashion line. The fact that I can donate $5 to a cause like Notes for Notes and they will accept my donation with open arms and gratefulness is an amazing feeling and that is more than what I can say about Mr. West’s “charity." So, since Kanye won’t settle for anything less than $1 billion from Zuckerberg, follow the link below and donate your money to a cause that is actually worthy of your time.
Some ideas in life are more beautiful than shoes, Kanye, and I think it’s time you learn that.
