Kanye West has been making consistent headlines recently for his controversial behavior, which included wearing a “White Lives Matter” t-shirt to a Yeezy fashion show during Paris Fashion Week in September.
Several models were seen wearing shirts with the slogan in the show, and Kanye later showed up to his daughter North’s basketball game wearing the same t-shirt.
Kanye later defended the shirt on Instagram, writing, “Here’s my latest response when people ask me why I made a tee that says white lives matter. THEY DO.”
Now, the owners of the trademarked phrase revealed the price they’d be willing to sell the rights for.
Speaking to TMZ, activists Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward – who host the radio show “Civic Cipher” – explained that an anonymous listener gave them the rights to “White Lives Matter” in September, shortly before Ye wore a WLM to his Yeezy fashion show.
Kanye hasn’t been able to sell the WLM shirts under his brand since he doesn’t own the rights.
The hosts said they’re prepared to take legal action against anyone who tries to profit off the “White Lives Matter” phrase (including Kanye). They have no plans to sell the rights, but Ramses and Quinton said that they’d charge $1 billion for the trademark, if they were ever to do so.
Previously, Kanye was reported to have a $1 billion net worth, though Forbes said he lost his billionaire status after Adidas terminated their long-standing partnership with Yeezy.
Ye’s net worth has been even further affected, as countless brands and companies have cut ties with him amid his controversial behavior, including Footlocker, the Gap, Balenciaga, and Vogue and its editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.
Kanye may not have the funds to buy the rights to “White Lives Matter” at the moment, but that’s not stopping him from continuing to make controversial comments, including antisemitic and anti-Black remarks.
After Ye was temporarily suspended from Twitter and Instagram in October, it was reported the rapper was planning to by Parler, a conservative social media platform.
“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial, we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” Kanye said in a statement released by the social media site.
It's unclear how much Ye is planning to pay for the site and if the agreement has been officialised.