Kanye West has reduced the asking price of his 4,000-square-foot Malibu property from $53 million to $39 million due to difficulties finding a buyer for the gutted house.

In 2021, West acquired the residence, designed by Tadao Ando, for an astounding $57.3 million from bicycle designer Richard Sachs. He proceeded to strip the house of all its fixtures and furnishings, including removing windows and doors. The following year, West enlisted contractors to commence extensive renovations. However, construction abruptly ceased within a year, leaving parts of the structure exposed to the elements. Reports indicate that neither West nor his contractors have been seen at the property since. This serves as yet another unfinished project in West’s portfolio.

The challenges of incomplete renovations and the inability to sell the house are not the only issues with the Malibu property. 

In September 2023, Tony Saxton, a contractor involved in the project, filed a lawsuit against West that cited hazardous work conditions. Saxton alleges that he was forced to work 16-hour days and sleep on the floor of the partially demolished house. He claims to have been terminated after he raised concerns about the planned electrical system, and he asserts that he is still owed over $1 million in compensation. Consequently, a lien has been placed on the house, preventing its legal sale until any debts to Saxton are settled.

The Malibu debacle adds to West’s missteps, peculiar behavior and controversial actions. Over the past couple of years, he has engaged in multiple antisemitic rants, encountered setbacks in his lucrative business ventures and squandered a significant portion of his net worth. 

Additionally, West faces a lawsuit from a former employee of Yeezy and Donda Academy that alleges that the rapper threatened students by saying he would shave their heads and confine them in cages.

West’s latest album, Vultures 1, a collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign, received a lackluster reception. Consequence editor Wren Graves described it as “dead on arrival.”

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