Kanye West Sets Sights On Russia To Expand Empire, Wants Meeting With Putin
By Fiyin Olowokandi on January 11, 2022 at 4:00 PM EST
Kanye West is looking to spread his influence beyond the borders of the United States, and his focus is none other than the controversial country, Russia.
It is no news that the United States and Russia rarely see eye-to-eye. However, that's not stopping the successful fashion entrepreneur from reportedly creating a base in the Eastern European nation.
Kanye West Is Planning A Trip To Russia
According to Billboard, Ye is planning a trip to Moscow sometime this year and wants to meet with President Vladimir Putin. Per Ameer Sudan, who is identified as Ye's confidant and strategic advisor, the visit would happen in Spring or Summer, depending on the rapper's schedule.
The "Praise God" rapper hopes to make Russia "a second home," says Sudan. "He will be spending a lot of time out there." Sudan is working with US attorney Scott Balber of Herbert Smith Freehills to make the trip come to life.
Sudan and Balber are liaisons between Ye and Azerbaijani-Russian billionaire Aras Agalarov, with whom the rapper plans to work. When in Russia, the Yeezy founder plans to host the country's first Sunday Service and expand his business.
Aras Agalarov Is The 'Trump Of Russia'
Although details of Ye's partnership with Agalarov aren't open to the public, it is estimated to increase Ye's net worth to more than $10 billion. The 44-year-old is currently worth about $6.6 billion, according to Bloomberg.
Per reports, Agalarov has earned the nickname of "Trump of Russia" because he follows in Donald Trump's steps of self-branding his buildings. He has even worked with the former president on the 2013 Miss Universe pageant held in Moscow.
Agalarov and his son Emin Agalarov were reportedly part of the infamous 2016 Trump Tower meeting held to find dirt on Hillary Clinton ahead of the 2016 elections.
It's unsure if Ye's visit to Russia has any political undertones, but given that the rapper ran for the 2021 presidential elections, it can't be completely dismissed.
A Netflix Documentary In The Works
Kanye's upcoming visit to Russia comes shortly after it was announced that the musical genius has a Netflix documentary on the way. As The Blast covered, fans would get to see Ye's journey to fame and success in a three-week documentary series titled "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy."
Per reports, the docu-series, which will premiere worldwide in February, took decades to make and has been described as "an intimate and revealing portrait of Kanye West's experiences."
An official trailer for the documentary has since been shared on YouTube and features his life-changing accident, his collaborations with Pharell and Jay-Z, and Yeezy's success story.
