Kanye asks Zuckerberg for US$1B

  • 16/02/2016
Kanye West at the listening party for his new album (Getty)
Kanye West at the listening party for his new album (Getty)

Kanye asks Zuckerberg for US$1B

Rapper and fashion designer Kanye West, who says he is US$53 million in debt, has asked Facebook Inc's chief Executive officer Mark Zuckerberg to invest US$1 billion into his "ideas".

West asked his Twitter followers to urge Zuckerberg to support him. "World, please tweet, FaceTime, Facebook, instagram, whatever you gotta do to get Mark to support me ...," West tweeted.

The rapper also asked Alphabet Inc chief executive Larry Page to help him with his financial troubles.

West, who claimed he was "still 53 million dollars in personal debt," said that people do not give money to "real artists" like him but rather open schools in Africa.

Neither Zuckerberg nor Page have verified accounts on Twitter, the microblogging website.

Some Twitter users have reached out to Zuckerberg via Facebook Messenger asking him to help the rapper out

On Saturday night, prior to releasing his eighth studio album and performing on TV comedy show Saturday Night Live, the rapper revealed via Twitter that he was US$53 million in debt.

"I write this to you my brothers while still 53 million dollars in personal debt," he tweeted. "Please pray we overcome ... This is my true heart."

West, who's married to reality TV star Kim Kardashian, has been putting tens of millions into his fashion label. According to the Business Insider website, his latest clothing line is selling high-end coats and jackets for as much as US$3,000 to US$4,000. The Kanye sweatpants alone cost US$510.

In a 2015 interview with BET, the controversial rapper said he incurred US$16 million in debt from his fashion business.

Via online streaming, more than 20 million viewers watched West debuted his new album, The Life of Pablo and clothing collection during a New York Fashion Week runway show last Thursday.

Reuters