Kriti Mehrotra
Directed by Clarence “Coodie” Simmons and Chike Ozah, Netflix’s ‘Jeen-Yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy’ gives us an inside look into both the formative days of the rapper’s career as well as his experiences as a superstar today. It thus explores all aspects of his life to emphasize his hard work, his values, his hidden yet witty charm, and his journey from a relatively unsuccessful producer to a global hitmaker, amongst much more. However, now that even the documentary has pinpointed that Kanye was incredibly close to his mother, let’s delve into his actual relationship with his father, shall we?
Who is Kanye West’s Dad?
Kanye West was born to Donda and Ray West in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 8, 1977, only to primarily be raised by the former in Chicago, Illinois, once they divorced after five years of marriage — when Ye was just 3. With that said, since the artist spent most of his summers right beside his father and they’ve never really had any significant problems between them, it’s evident that they’re also relatively close. Kanye has actually gone as far as to maintain that Ray readily supported/provided for them despite financial troubles to ensure that all his dreams could one day come true.
As per reports, Ray has been a man of many vocations throughout the decades, going from being a member of the Black Panthers to becoming one of the first Black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Apart from that, he has also dedicated himself to his faith, served as a marriage counselor, and opened up a café in Lexington Park, Maryland, reportedly with the help of the startup capital given by his son.
Ray is even a passionate advocate for social justice, which is why he established the Good Water Foundation in the Dominican Republic a few years ago to help victims of prostitution, addiction, corruption, and more. In fact, he once willingly moved into an old homeless shelter as well, “not because he was homeless,” Kanye revealed, but “because he wanted to help the ex-drug addicts; he wanted to get that close.”
Where is Kanye West’s Dad Now?
Despite nearing his mid-70s, from what we can tell, Ray West continues to reside in the Dominican Republic even today, where he spends most of his time serving the community through his non-profit institution. According to reports, Kanye’s father funds his profession of selling purified water himself, and all proceeds from there go directly towards other projects like healthcare for women or support organizations.
In 2018, Ray came back to the United States of America after being diagnosed with prostate cancer to receive proper treatment, yet he returned when it went into remission. During this period, though, he reconnected with his son to such an extent that he even got to feature in the music video for “Fellow God,” a single from Kanye’s 2019 album, ‘Jesus Is King.’
“My dad came to visit me at one of our ranches in Cody, Wyoming,” the rapper had penned in the end card of the video. “He talked about his love for fishing, and how he could come here in the summers. It took me 42 years to realize that my dad was my best friend. He asked me, ‘How many acres is this?’ I told him ‘4,000.’ He replied with these three words: ‘A Black man?'”
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