Kanye West is a rapper, a mogul in the music industry, and a fashion designer who's more known for some of his bizarre and Antisemitic controversies. He has released several critically acclaimed albums including “The College Dropout" and "The Life of Pablo”. He's also inappropriately roamed stages at award shows and publicly called out CEOs of fashion companies. Of course, he has also been married to reality TV star Kim Kardashian.
Kanye gets some of his artistic merit and outspokenness from his father Ray West. According to HollywoodLife, Ray was married to Kanye’s mother Donda before they divorced in 1980. Ray has been a part of Kanye’s life since he was born, although once Kanye became famous, Ray took more of a backseat role in his son's life.
Kanye attempted to connect with his dad a few years ago. They bonded while filming Kanye's music video "Follow God". Since then, many fans have been more curious about an important yet unknown person in the "Famous" rapper's life.
Here's everything to know about their relationship, including what Ray thinks about some of Kanye's crazier controversies.
Who Is Kanye's Father Ray West?
According to Newsweek, Ray West was born on November 29, 1925, in Detroit, Michigan. There's not much known about his background growing up, with most details revolving around the time Kanye was born.
Ray ended up becoming a journalist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, one of the more famous publications in America during that time period. Ray married Kanye’s mother Donda and they welcomed Kanye into the world on June 8, 1977. When Ray and Donda West divorced in 1980, Kanye moved to Chicago but spent summers with his father in Washington DC.
Many people may know about Donda because of Kanye's 2021 album dedicated to her. That album was the precursor to beefs with A-list celebrities such as Drake, Pete Davidson, and even Kid Cudi, so it's certainly made its place in history even without considering the music side of things.
Donda was already famous for her influence on her son's life, and his public declarations for her. Who exactly is she, and how did she meet Ray?
According to Los Angeles Times, Donda was born on July 12, 1949, in Oklahoma City. She was an academic professor and the mother of rapper Kanye West. She taught at Chicago State University before retiring to manage her son’s career in the 2000s. She was her son's manager until her death in 2007
There really isn't much known about Donda and Ray's particular relationship. Considering that both had careers revolving around writing and language, there's a strong likelihood that's how they initially met and bonded. However, that's just pure speculation given the evidence at hand.
How Does Ray West Feel About Kanye West's Controversies?
As mentioned earlier, Kanye has been involved in several controversies throughout his career. That's not even including the various beefs and battles he's endured.
According to The National News, in 2005, West made headlines when he said “George Bush doesn’t care about black people” during a live telethon for Hurricane Katrina relief. In 2009, West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2016, West was hospitalized for exhaustion after canceling the remaining dates of his Saint Pablo tour. West has even been banned from Australia for some of his more controversial statements.
West has talked about his struggles with bipolar disorder. However, the diagnosis doesn't account for some of his behavior. For instance, peddling Antisemitic tropes and saying downright harmful things about Jewish people is not a symptom of bipolar disorder, according to the American Psychiatric Association.
The truth is that Knaye's father Ray has been somewhat disappointed in his son. But not quite for anything that's been mentioned thus far in this article. It's actually been Kanye's "estranged" relationship over the years with Christianity.
One thing about Ray is that he cares very much about religion. According to E!, Ray is a Christian marriage counselor. He once opened a Christian bookshop in Maryland called The Good Water Store and Cafe in 2006. The store sells bottled water with proceeds going to the local community, the UN’s Water For Life initiative, and The Kanye West Foundation. He partially lives in the Dominican Republic, where he operates various charities connected to his American-based foundations.
Ray appeared in the documentary “Jeen-Yuhs” which premiered on Netflix in February 2022. In the documentary, both Ray and Kanye are dressed in similar orange and brown overalls exploring Kanye West’s Wyoming ranch on various different all-terrain vehicles. when they discussed Kanye's relationship with Christianity. Ray admitted he was upset with some of Kanye's music due to some of the profanity and controversial topics included in Ye's lyrics, but ultimately seemed proud of his son for his overall accomplishments.
Ye has listened to his dad and has taken it upon himself to become a "born-again Christian", telling Apple Music's Zane Lowe as such back in 2019. West has fully converted to Christianity and even renounced secular hip-hop and focused on gospel music completely, although he has reverted back to making his older styles of profanity-laden music. He launched weekly gatherings dubbed “Sunday Service” which are part-church choir, part-concert.
There are even some that believe West remarried quickly because of his re-commitment to Christianity.
West also released a primarily Gospel album back in 2019, which even included a cameo from his father.
Was Ray West In Kanye West's 2019 Music Video "Follow God"?
“Follow God” is a song by Kanye West from his 2019 album “Jesus Is King". According to HotNewHipHop, the music video was directed by Jake Schreier. The song is about Kanye’s relationship with his father and his faith in God. It has a gospel sound and features a sample from Whole Truth’s "Can You Lose By Following God".
The video features Kanye and Ray driving an ATV through the snowy terrain of Wyoming on Kanye's ranch. The video opens with an interesting monologue from Ray, during which he poses the question, “What does it really mean to follow God?” and answers by recalling the first time he guided his terrified children through a snowstorm.
Kanye says in the song that "I was screamin' at my dad/He told me it ain't christlike", a line that seemingly summarizes the father and son's current relationship perfectly.
Meanwhile, West has recently re-iterated his intentions to run for president again in 2024 after his attempt in 2020. He's also co-parented with his ex-wife Kim Kardashian, doing all of these things while trying to continue his religious aspirations.
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