The artist formerly known as Kanye West visited his hometown of Chicago on Tuesday (Sept. 22) to honor his late mother, Dr. Donda West.
Ye was among those in attendance at an honorary street naming ceremony in his mother’s honor, with a Dr. Donda West Way road sign unveiled at the corner of 78th Street and South Shore Drive.
Kicking off the proceedings was Garrard McClendon, a writer and professor at Chicago State University, where Dr. West spent nearly 30 years and served as the chair of the English department. Greg Mitchell, alderman for Chicago’s 7th Ward, took the mic from there, noting that today stood as a chance to pay tribute to “a woman whose impact stretches far beyond the block, far beyond Chicago, and far beyond her lifetime.”
Per Mitchell, Donda was “not only a scholar” but also a “builder of people,” “cultivator of talents,” and “champion for Black creativity and intellectual excellence.”
Joining Ye and city officials at Tuesday’s ceremony were Rhymefest, GLC, Don C, and Really Doe.
There was also this playful moment, which saw Mitchell amending his comments mid-sentence, seemingly at Ye’s behest. The crowd, it’s clear, absolutely loved it.
Dr. Donda West died in 2007 at the age of 58, with “multiple post-operative factors following surgery” cited as a contributing factor in comments later provided by a medical examiner. In the years since, Ye has repeatedly referenced his mother in his work, including on Donda, a 2021 album featuring samples of her voice and named in her honor.
More recently, Donda’s voice can be heard at the end of “Mama’s Favorite,” a song off Ye’s latest solo studio album as of this writing, BULLY.
