Report: Malik Yusef Forges Kanye’s Signature, Scams German Fashion Brand Out of $750,000

Yusef misrepresented himself as a rep for West, promising the brand a NYFW performance.

Never a dull day in Kanye reporting. Only this time the rapper has little, if anything, to do with it. According to The Blast, longtime associate and collaborator, Malik Yusef, forged West’s signature in a deal that promised a performance from the rapper at a New York Fashion Week event for German designer, Philipp Plein.

READ: Kanye Sues EMI, Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella, and UMG, over Publishing and Recording Contracts

West reportedly had no knowledge of the agreement, though Plein claims to have wired $750,000 to Donda S. House Inc. (renamed Art of Culture in 2018) charity in two separate transfers, with an additional $150,000 sent to Burundi Partlow Consulting, who put Plein and Yusef in touch. The deal also featured a $170,000 travel budget for West, Yusef, six children from the charity, and an orchestra. Reps from Art of Culture deny having anything to do with the deal and debunked Yusef’s involvement with the organization. Yusef told The Blast that he was “not aware” of any problems with the deal, claiming that he and West “have a foundation together that we started,” though that too is now in question.

Late last year, Yusef announced a 10th-anniversary tour for 808s & Heartbreak — the 2008 album that featured his production — without any involvement from West.