Burger shop owner reveals next step after Kanye legal scare

The burger shop owner at the centre of superstar rapper Kanye West’s legal threats has revealed his next moves.

The owner of the Kanye West-embattled burger shop will retain the store’s name and rebrand his products in honour of other famous college dropouts after being legally threatened by the rapper.

West sensationally threatened legal action against the burger shop dubbed The College Dropout – named after the rapper’s debut title – because it featured his material without permission.

The burger shop, located in the Melbourne suburb of Ivanhoe, had burgers named after West’s songs and sported a mural of the rapper at its entrance.

Owner Mark Elkhouri has revealed he will expand the theme to other celebrated college dropouts, including Quentin Tarantino, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates.

The rethink forced by West’s legal demands could also prove a blessing in disguise, with Mr Elkhouri buoyed at the opportunity to appeal to wider audiences by recognising other famous dropouts.

“The brand has shifted in some ways to celebrate these specific figures now. Not everyone is a Kanye West fan, so I do honestly think this may be a blessing in disguise where I can probably appeal to a wider audience,” Mr Elkhouri said.

“For the guys that are involved in tech, there’s Bill Gates, Steve Jobs.

“There’s more of a female presence now, Marilyn Monroe, guys that are involved in film, there’s a burger named after Quentin Tarantino, Brad Pitt.

“It’s forced to extend out the idea of being creative.”

The man behind The College Dropout has revealed the rapper making legal threats against him had effectively saved his life. Picture: Twitter

West took legal action against the burger creator after following the shop for months on Instagram.

Mr Elkhouri had only ever intended to honour West by using his material and had assumed the Instagram follow simply served as an appreciative nod back, but the burger creator soon found himself in hot water with the artist’s legal team instead.

But he has resisted questioning his allegiance to West, remaining a loyal fan and opening up to NCA NewsWire about how the rapper helped save his life – and his important standing in society with mental health issues on the rise.

“I was so committed to wanting to push this narrative out there of how important Kanye West is to society,” Mr Elkhouri explained.

The Kanye mural at the shop's entrance has now been painted over. Picture: Supplied

“We need that more than ever with issues in mental health and Kanye talking about his own mental health out there.

“I myself suffered from depression years ago, so there are ways in saying, well, Kanye actually saved my life.

“I hope people go and see his music catalogue – revisit it, check it out again and try and see the same inspiration that I see. Maybe it might work for them.”

Store owner Mr Elkhouri says he remains a loyal Kanye fan. Picture: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

West has ironically been struck with his own legal trouble for failing to gain permission in recent times, with the 45-year-old being sued for sampling 1980s dance hit “Move Your Body” without consent.

Mr Elkhouri isn’t planning on holding a grudge against the rapper despite being forced to pivot his business.

When quizzed on whether naming burgers after Drake – West’s rapping rival – could be a fitting response, the shop owner reinforced his loyalty to the latter.

“I’m just going to have to say this is what it is and move on, move forward,” he said.

College Dropout burgers previously featured Kanye logos on their buns. Picture: Supplied

“When Kanye and Drake were beefing, I was on Kanye’s side the whole time. I told all my staff I’d refuse to play any Drake songs during that whole process.

“I am a true Kanye fan, and if you know Kanye fans, we’re very outrageous in some ways and loyal.

“If Kanye West is going through a divorce with Kim Kardashian, well, so are we.

“We don’t appreciate people talking negatively about Kanye West.”

Burgers at The College Dropout ironically gained their reputation at a university shop.

“Zingers in Paris”, the “Gold Digger” and the “Heartless” were some of the burgers paying tribute to West.

The College Dropout was ironically born out of a university, where Mr Elkhouri started making burgers in a dessert shop.

He expanded his operations after gaining popularity, deciding to focus on burgers and create a restaurant more fitting of a fast-food establishment.