In a world filled with eccentricity and audacity, there are only a few celebrity figures who stand out quite like Kanye West. From his 2009 VMA mic grab from Taylor Swift to his rather messy divorce from Kim Kardashian, the rapper had constantly been in the spotlight for his controversial behavior time and time again. While most of his incidents always garnered attention, a few have slipped through the cracks.

One of them is Ye’s 2016 incident with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. While the 46-year-old was in debt, he reached out to the 39-year-old tech genius to invest 1 billion dollars in his plans.

Kanye West called on Mark Zuckerberg to help clear his debt

In the early 2000s, Kanye West made his name as a creative genius. With the rapper’s various record-breaking albums and hits, the world expected him to be swimming in cash. However, in 2016, Ye claimed that was not the case when he revealed that he was $53 million in debt. In a now-deleted thread on X (formerly Twitter), the father of four had called on Mark Zuckerberg to invest $1 billion in “ideas.”

Ye’s tweeting spree did not end there. The rapper also tagged the former Google CEO Larry Page and asked the same of him. When he did not get a response, he added, “All you dudes in San Fran play rap music in your homes but never help the real artists. You’d rather open up one school in Africa like you really helped the country…if you want to help… help me.”

West’s sudden online breakdown came shortly before the Yeezy creator was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and ended his marriage with Kim Kardashian.

Kanye West’s thoughts on his bipolar diagnosis

In 2016, everyone’s doubts about Kanye West were confirmed. With the rapper’s increasingly erratic and controversial behavior reaching new heights, the world was sure that something was up. After he had called out Mark Zuckerberg for an investment, it came out that the 46-year-old had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder after being hospitalized for a psychiatric emergency. 

While the rapper had initially brushed off the diagnosis claiming it was wrong, his 2020 run for president and the then-declining state of mind had fans believing otherwise. Since then, West seems to be learning to live with his demons and has even been turning them into his superpower.

What do you think of Kanye West’s 2016 peak of unhinged tweets era? Let us know in the comments below.