Fast forwarding to 2002, Kanye would get into a car accident, which caused him to shatter his jaw. Only two weeks after that incident, Ye went to the studio & recorded “Through The Wire”. This would be Kanye’s breakout song that showed he’s not just a producer.

A couple years after Donda started teaching, she married Ray West. Ray is a former Black Panther & was one of the first black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Pictures of Donda West photographed by Ray West in the 1970s.

On June 8, 1977, Donda West gave birth to Kanye Omari West in Atlanta, Georgia. Kanye lived in Atlanta for 3 years until his parents got a divorce. This prompted Donda & Ye to move to Chicago together.

Donda began teaching again, but this time at Chicago State University. Around the same time Kanye was attending Polaris School for Individual Education. In 1987, Donda & Kanye moved to Nanjing, China, where Donda taught at Nanjing University for a year. In all, Donda spent 27 years at Chicago State, including 24 as head of the department of English, communications, media & theater.

At a very young age, Ye showed interests in becoming a musician. He started writing poetry when he was 5 & began making musical compositions in the 7th grade. He would sell these compositions to other artists.

Around the early ’90s when Kanye was a teenager, Donda helped introduced Ye to the legendary Chicago producer we all know as No I.D. From that point on, No I.D. would help Ye with his rapping & production talents.

A young 19 year old Kanye freestyling in New York City.

After graduating from high school, Kanye received a scholarship to attend Chicago's American Academy of Art in 1997. Shortly after, he transferred to Chicago State University to study English. At age 20, Ye dropped out to pursue his musical career. This didn’t resonate very well with Donda, but she came around to accept his decision.

In 2000, Kanye began producing for artists in Roc-A-Fella Records as an in-house producer. This is where Ye’s career started to take off. He would help with Jay-Z’s 2001 album The Blueprint, while also helping make beats for Ludacris, Alicia Keys, & Janet Jackson. Kanye would later get signed to Roc-A-Fella as a recording artist.

Kanye playing Jay-Z the beat for “Lucifer” for the first time.

Donda would take notice of Kanye’s success & would later move out to California in 2004 to work as Kanye’s manager. Donda was always seen at award shows & side parties with Ye & would always defend Kanye’s controversial comments.

Kanye & Donda revisit their Chicago home & reminisce about Kanye’s childhood.

In 2005, Kanye would release a song titled “Hey Mama” from his second studio album Late Registration. In the song, Kanye praises his mom through all of the hardships they’ve been through & her always supporting him. Kanye premiered the song for the first time on The Oprah Winfrey Show.

Kanye & Donda singing “Hey Mama” together.

Sadly only two years later, Donda West passed away due to post-operative factors from cosmetic surgery. In 2009, California passed the “Donda West Law”. This made it mandatory for patients to receive medical clearance through a physical examination before undergoing elective cosmetic surgery.

Kanye reflects on the passing of his mom in an interview with David Letterman.

In 2008, the non-profit Kanye West Foundation was renamed to The Dr. Donda West Foundation. The foundation was committed to providing high-quality programs in partnership with community organizations. It later ceased operations in 2011.

Going all the way to 2021, Kanye would name his tenth studio album after Donda. Ye followed the album up with a sequel album named Donda 2 in 2022.

Throughout the album Donda, there would be references of Donda West on the tracks from “Donda Chant”, “Praise God” & “Donda”. “Donda Chant” says Donda 58 times, the age Dr. Donda West passed away at & it also represents her last heartbeats. “Praise God” & “Donda” both contain speeches from Donda West.

In 2022, Kanye opened Donda Academy, a pre-kindergarten to Grade 12 Christian private school, in Simi Valley, California.

Donda West played a pivotal role in shaping Ye’s character and career. Her unwavering support & guidance helped Kanye become the man he is today. Although she passed away in 2007, her impact on Kanye's life continues to be evident in his artistry.

“The giant looks in the mirror and sees nothing” -Donda West

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