Here’s everything you need to know about Kanye West’s father Ray West and the man Ye calls ‘my best friend.’
Kanye West is focused on raising a family of four but who is the man that raised Ye himself? The “Gold Digger” rapper has made it clear that he’ll do whatever it takes to keep his family together amid his tumultuous divorce with Kim Kardashian. Most recently, he spent Super Bowl Sunday with his kids North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm. He took them to his weekly Sunday service and brought his eldest two kids to the big game.
However, the Grammy Award-winning artist claimed the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star had tried to keep him away from his kids. However, that hasn’t stopped him from fighting for his family and he even sent the SKIMS founder roses on Valentine’s Day. Ye may be struggling to keep his own family together but here’s everything you need to know about his relationship with his dad.
Ray West
Kanye West’s dad is Ray West. (David Fisher/Shutterstock)Ray West, 73, is a man who has lived many lives. He started off as a photojournalist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and captured many famous faces like Maya Angelou, Ronald Reagan and civil rights activist Ralph David Abernathy. He also picked up a slew of other careers along the way including being a paparazzo, marriage counselor and store owner.
He also has been a passionate advocate for social justice for his entire life. He embarked on his activism journey when he joined the Black Panthers in the 60s and 70s. While he put that part of his life to the side when he started his photojournalism career, he returned to it when he founded his own charity. He created the Good Water foundation in the Dominican Republic. Kanye disclosed the extent of his father’s charitable heart during an interview with BBC when he said his father moved into a homeless shelter “not because he was homeless, because he wanted to help the ex-drug addicts, he wanted to get that close.” Ray returned to the US in 2018 when he was diagnosed with cancer but has since moved back.
Ray West’s relationship with son Kanye
Kanye West performs on stage. (Cindy Barrymore/Shutterstock)Ray married Kanye’s mother Donda and they welcomed Kanye into the world on June 8, 1977. The pair got divorced three years later and the family was separated when Donda brought Kanye with her to Chicago. Even though Kanye was primarily raised by his mother and was extremely close to her, he spent summers with his dad in Atlanta and always maintained that his father helped take care of them despite their money woes.
Kanye was devastated when Donda passed away at 58 years old due to a cosmetic surgery that went wrong in 2007. We know that Kanye has dedicated not one but two albums to his mother but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t appreciate his father. In fact, Ye referenced his dad’s hard work over the years in his song “Father Stretch My Hands.”
Kanye and his dad weren’t always close but once his mom passed, they grew closer. Kanye attempted to connect with his dad, especially after he overcame cancer and spent some time in America. Ray even filmed for Kanye’s “Follow God” music video. They bonded while filming and at the end of the music video, Kanye says, “It took me 42 years to realize that my dad was my best friend.”
