Ye’s unusual property story just got stranger
jn2005 / Stockimo / Alamy Stock Photo ; Pascal Le Segretain / Getty Images
Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has come a long way from his modest childhood home in Chicago. With a stellar career as a successful musician, fashion designer and businessman, it’s no surprise that he has some impressive real estate under his belt. Yet controversy—ranging from anti-Semitic comments to claims of bullying and intimidation from his Yeezy team—threatens to destroy the empire he has fought so hard to build. Most recently, in a surprising turn of events, Ye appears to have tied the knot again just two months after his divorce from Kim Kardashian was finalised. However, all is not as it seems… Click or scroll on for more.
Kanye’s shock ‘marriage’
Bianca Censori / LinkedIn
Ye kicked off 2023 by “getting hitched” to Yeezy designer Bianca Censori in a private ceremony, reports the Daily Mail. The pair were spotted wearing matching rings, which sources say are “a symbol of their commitment together”, but the marriage isn’t said to be legal because they do not appear to have filed a marriage certificate. The 27-year-old Australian, who bears a striking resemblance to Kim, joined Yeezy in November 2020 and is now listed as the Head of Architecture. With an intense new romance on the books, it begs the question, will Kanye be on the hunt for a new home to share with Bianca?
Honeymoon in Utah
Cavan Images / Alamy Stock Photo
The Daily Mail also reported that Kanye swept Bianca away to a five-star luxury resort in Utah in early January 2023. Could this have been the couple’s honeymoon after their unofficial nuptials? The hotel they’re rumoured to have stayed in is the Amangiri, an upscale resort with 34 suites and one four-bedroom retreat. Spread over 600 acres in Utah’s Grand Circle of National Parks and Monuments, it looks like the perfect remote spot for a private getaway.
Censori Overload
jn2005 / Stockimo / Alamy Stock Photo
West seems to have hinted at the relationship in his new song ‘Censori Overload’, released in December 2022. Whether they are hitched or not, the pair must have enjoyed their stay at the Amangiri with its stunning pool, seen here, as well as the 25,000-square-foot spa. And the luxuries don’t come cheap either, with room rates at the five-star resort ranging from $3,300 (£2.7k) to $6,400 (£5.2k). News of Ye and Bianca’s commitment ceremony comes just two months after his divorce from Kim Kardashian was finalised.
Kim and Kanye divorce finalised
Allen Berezovsky / Contributor / Getty Images
Ye and Kim finally reached a settlement in their divorce in November 2022, averting a trial that was due to take place in December. While news that Kim was taking ownership of their main Hidden Hills home broke some time ago, court documents do reveal that Kim has been awarded the neighbouring house that the couple bought together in 2019 according to TMZ. They will share joint custody of their four children, Ye will pay Kim $200,000 (£164k) a month in child support and they will split the cost of their children’s security, schooling and university fees. Neither will pay the other spousal support and they will each pay their own debts. However, while the rapper may have tied up loose ends in his private life, Ye continues to establish himself as a divisive figure…
Courting controversy
MEGA / Contributor / Getty Images
Kanye has always courted controversy but his growing extremism—including promoting clothing with the much-criticised slogan ‘White Lives Matter’—prompted Adidas and other companies to cut ties with him, with Ye claiming he lost $2 billion (£1.6bn) overnight. In late 2022, he announced that he intends to run in the 2024 presidential election. Shortly after, he found himself suspended from Twitter for a second time for inciting violence, according to the BBC.
Running mate Trump?
Ron Sachs / Consolidated News Pictures / Getty Images
Kanye is known to have been a big supporter of Trump in the past—he’s seen here at the White House in 2018. He even paid a visit to Mar-a-Lago in November 2022, with white nationalist Nick Fuentes in tow, to ask the former president to be his running mate, a request which did not go down well. Kanye said that Trump screamed at him, a claim the former president denied. Posting on his Truth Social account, Trump dismissed Ye as “a seriously troubled man” and advised him not to run for office.
Going it alone
X17Online / YouTube
Ye may do well to focus on his business interests, which have taken a hit following recent scandals. After big corporations cut ties with the rapper, he announced plans to sell repurposed and rebranded Balenciaga, Adidas, and Gap hoodies for $20 (£16) direct to his fans. Meanwhile, he is facing claims of bullying from employees, who accuse him of creating a “toxic and chaotic environment” at work, according to a Rolling Stone report. It’s a major derailment in what has been a stratospheric rise to the top. But where did Kanye start out and how did we get here?
Read on and let’s take a look back at Kanye’s rags-to-riches story and the properties he owns…
READ MORE: Take a tour of Kanye’s homes
Mike Coppola / Getty Images
Having split from Kim Kardashian in January 2021, Ye went on a bit of a property spree the following year, purchasing a new Brutalist-inspired home in Malibu in September 2021 and a Hidden Hills home across the street from his ex-wife in December of the same year, as well as reportedly snapping up a home in Antwerp Belgium. However, he hasn’t always had so many palatial properties to choose from…
Kanye West’s childhood
@kanyewest / Twitter
Kanye Omari West was born in Atlanta, Georgia on 8 June 1977. When his parents, Donda and Ray, divorced when he was just three, the young star and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. At the age of 10, Kanye moved to China (pictured) for a year with Donda, where she taught at Nanjing University as part of an exchange programme.
Where is Kanye West from?
Realtor
After returning to the US, Kanye and Donda moved back to Chicago and the pair lived in this modest timber home in the middle-class South Shore neighbourhood of the Windy City. Recently, the rapper recreated his childhood home inside Chicago’s Soldier Field Stadium for the third and final listening event of his latest album, Donda. His mother, who was an English professor at Chicago State University and also the star’s manager, sadly passed away in November 2007.
Kanye West’s childhood home in Chicago
Realtor
Spread over 1,673 square feet, the latest listing pictures show that the once-loved home has been empty for some time and is in a state of disrepair. Inside, the family home features a living room, dining space, kitchen, four bedrooms and one bathroom.
Kanye West’s childhood home in Chicago
Realtor
Built in 1900, the home sits on a 7,000-square-foot plot and is awash with period features that are in dire need of renovation. From the vaulted ceilings to the hardwood floors and carved wooden doors, the forlorn structure could easily become a beautiful home again once the old house is restored to its former glory.
Kanye West’s childhood home in Chicago
Realtor
After moving back to Chicago, Kanye become interested in the music scene and eventually managed to gain a mentor in DJ and producer No I.D. West graduated from Polaris High School and won a scholarship to study at the American Academy of Art in Chicago in 1997, before transferring to Chicago State University to study English. However, he soon dropped out of college to pursue his music career.
Kanye West’s childhood home in Chicago
Realtor
His childhood home was sold in 2003, but the property has been on and off the market several times over the years at varying price tags. Then in January 2019, Kanye bought the home back for $225,000 (£182k) under a limited liability company he set up under his mother’s name, Donda Services. According to the New York Post, it’s thought that he’s now renovating the house.
The start of Kanye West’s career
Roc-A-Fella Records / Def Jam Recordings
After working with local artists in Chicago, Kanye upped sticks to New York in 2001 and got his big break working on the production of the hit track ‘This Can’t Be Life’ by Jay-Z, as well as the star’s later album Blueprint. Determined to pursue his own music career, Kanye signed with Roc-A-Fella Records, but shortly after, he shattered his jaw in a car crash. Not one to pass up on an opportunity, he decided to record a song about the experience—’Through The Wire’, which he rapped with his jaw still wired closed. West’s first album was released in February 2004 and sold 2.6 million copies, finally making West a star in his own right.
Kanye West’s first home
Zillow
In 2003, just as West emerged as a solo rap artist and producer, collaborating with Jamie Foxx on the single ‘Slow Jamz’, his very first chart-topping single, he took his first steps on the property ladder and splashed out on this minimalist home in the Hollywood Hills for just shy of $1.8 million (£1.5m). The sleek home was just the start of Kanye’s property journey, but it set the scene for the minimalist and sophisticated interior style that he has since become known for.
Kanye West’s first home
Zillow
Inside, the 4,200-square-foot home boasts hardwood floors, stunning high ceilings and sliding glass doors that bring in an abundance of light. Built in 2002, Kanye was the first owner of the lavish house, and with a spacious open floor plan and balcony, it would have been the perfect space for him to pen his first album.
