Photo: Gary Gershoff/WireImage
IsKanye Westgoing back to his hometown for good?
A rep for West did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Sources tell TMZ that West has already found a new house in Chicago, but he also intends to keep the current home in Calabasas, California that he shares withKim KardashianWest and their childrenNorth, 5,Saint, 2½, and — yes— Chicago, 9 months.
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West has had Chicago on the brain recently. Last week, the 41-year-old rapper sent out a series of tweets about his hometown, including a claim that, “I will teach a course at the Art Institute of Chicago and the American Academy of Art.”
However, the Art Institute of Chicago has since denied that.
“We’re flattered that Mr. West would have an interest in teaching emerging artists and designers at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. However, Mr. West is not currently teaching at SAIC, and at this time, there are no plans for him to do so,” Bree Witt, the school’s public relations director,toldThe Chicago Tribune.
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On Friday, the rapper shared a number of Instagram clips of himself lecturing a group, though the location was not disclosed.
He may not be starting a class anytime soon, but the father of three claims he will be opening a Yeezy office in the Windy City.
West also promises that he would be helping to restore the shuttered Avalon Regal Theatre in the South Shore neighborhood, which he called the “Regal Theatre,” and that he would “do” the Chicago Comedy Jam (which runs from Oct. 5-6 at the Arie Crown Theatre).
“It is super inspiring I’d even say it is overwhelming which is my favorite description,” West wrote. “We need to be overwhelmed with love and inspiration.”
West’s love for his hometown extends beyond last week’s tweet storm, obviously. Despite being born in Atlanta, Georgia, Kanye has long shared that growing up in the city — where he moved with his mother after his parents divorced — deeply influenced his life.
It’s also where West began his career, first as a producer, and then as a member of a late-’90s Chicago rap group called the Go-Getters.
West eventually broke through as a solo artist with his debut albumThe College Dropoutin 2004. But it was on his 2007 hit “Homecoming,” off his third studio albumGraduationthat he decided to voice his appreciation for his hometown city, rhyming about his love for Chi-Town and his guilt over leaving “her” to pursue his musical dreams.
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Since then, West has devoted much of his activism to helping the city,speaking out about the city’s gun violenceand even forming anon-profit called Donda’s Housein 2013 to provide “unprecedented access and education from leading experts in the music, fashion, and entertainment industry to Chicago’s creative youth and young adults.”
source: people.com
