<p>Even though Kanye West was born in Atlanta, it was Chicago where he grew up and<a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/making/2023/05/04/making-kanye" target="_blank" ><u> found his voice.</u></a> Here he went from handing out mix tapes on the South and West sides, to cutting his teeth as an uncredited producer, to releasing chart-topping singles and headlining major shows.</p><p>But West, who has changed his name to Ye, has become a polarizing figure in recent years. After taking out an<a class="Link" href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/26/kanye-west-takes-out-full-page-ad-apologising-for-antisemitic-behaviour-and-denying-he-is-a-nazi-ye" target="_blank" ><u> ad in the “Wall Street Journal”</u></a> apologizing for antisemitic and racist behavior, he has set off on a redemption tour with two nights of stops in Chicago.</p><p>Ahead of this week’s nearly sold-out Soldier Field performances, WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times asked<b> </b>four Black Chicago writers to reflect on the legacy of Ye (formerly Kanye West) in the city that helped shape him.</p><bsp-list-loadmore class="PageListH" data-module data-hide-dates="true" data-hide-reading-time="true"
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<img class="Image" alt="Ye, formerly Kanye West. " width="490" height="328"
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<a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/music" >Music</a>
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<a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/09/02/ye-kanye-west-chicago-legacy-cultural-influence" >Ye is unrecognizable from the ‘Old Kanye’ we fell in love with</a>
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<div class="PagePromo-description">Before Ye’s return to Chicago, writer Arionne Nettles examines her relationship with the artist’s music and cultural influence.</div>
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<span>By </span><strong><a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/author/arionne-nettles" >Arionne Nettles
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<img class="Image" alt="Ye, formerly Kanye West" width="490" height="328"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8cfd927/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2988×2000+6+0/resize/490×328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F3b%2F33%2Ff5616d02422c8ad3df0dbaf36fb3%2Fye31.png" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
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<a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/music" >Music</a>
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<a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/09/02/ye-kanye-west-legacy-touch-the-sky-love-eroded" >My nearly bulletproof love for Kanye has eroded</a>
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<div class="PagePromo-description">As a Chicago kid, Kanye once touched the sky in my view. His fall has been hard to watch — and harder to forgive.</div>
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<span>By </span><strong><a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/nile-lasana" >Nile Lansana
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<div class="PagePromo-media"><a class="Link" aria-label="There’s still room at Chicago’s table for Ye" href="https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/09/02/ye-kanye-west-chicago-history-legacy-dr-donda-west" ><picture data-crop="medium-4×3">
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<img class="Image" alt="Ye, formerly Kanye West." width="490" height="328"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6cda1f6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2988×2000+6+0/resize/490×328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F8f%2F0a%2F0c3b9d6c46ff825ee58ce7194759%2Fye2.png" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
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<a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/music" >Music</a>
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<a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/09/02/ye-kanye-west-chicago-history-legacy-dr-donda-west" >There’s still room at Chicago’s table for Ye</a>
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<div class="PagePromo-description">Chicago was Ye’s biggest champion. He still represents it — the good, bad and ugly.</div>
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<span>By </span><strong><a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/mary-l-datcher" >Mary L. Datcher
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<img class="Image" alt="Ye, formerly Kanye West" width="490" height="328"
data-src="https://cst.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/06ba88f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2988×2000+6+0/resize/490×328!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fchorus-production-cst-web.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F4f%2F5f%2F2235603345d7a980df904ffb5974%2Flastkanye.png" data-lazy-load="true" src="data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHZlcnNpb249IjEuMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzMjhweCIgd2lkdGg9IjQ5MHB4Ij48L3N2Zz4="
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<a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/music" >Music</a>
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<a class="Link" href="https://www.wbez.org/music/2026/09/03/kanye-ye-essay-rabbi-tamar-manasseh" >I’m a Chicago rabbi, and I choose to forgive Kanye</a>
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<div class="PagePromo-description">This is the season when Jews forgive and ask for forgiveness. I don’t believe any of us are beyond that. Not even Kanye, writes Rabbi Tamar Manasseh.</div>
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<span>By </span><strong><a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/tamar-manasseh" >Tamar Manasseh
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What is Ye’s legacy in Chicago? 2026
IUSTITIA.BG – Investigations 2009-2026 2026-09-03 13:41:25
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