<p id=”par-1_54″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/kanye-west/?swcfpc=1″>Kanye West’s</a> mother and father supported his <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/music/”>music</a> career. Still, his father wasn’t a fan of every part of his music. West’s father, Ray, once said he couldn’t approve of the language his son used in his music. He said West went against the way his parents raised him with some of his songs.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-kanye-west-s-father-once-said-he-didn-t-approve-of-one-aspect-of-his-music”>Kanye West’s father once said he didn’t approve of one aspect of his music</h2>
<p id=”par-2_46″><a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/who-are-kanye-wests-parents.html/”>West grew up</a> in a middle-class suburb of Chicago. His mother, Donda, once worked as the chair of the English department at Chicago State University, and Ray was a Black Panther turned photojournalist. Ray did not approve of the language his son used in his music.</p>
<p id=”par-3_50″>“I’ve stated to him very clearly that he needs to move beyond the negative language and the ‘[n-word]’ statements,” Ray told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/the-passion-of-kanye-west-71551/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Rolling Stone</a> in 2006. “It’s all right to say ‘b****’ and ‘motherf***er’ on the corner, but when you start operating on a different level you can’t talk like that.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Kanye-West.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Kanye West wears a blazer and sunglasses.” class=”wp-image-3760275″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Kanye West | Rich Fury/VF20/Getty Images for Vanity Fair</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_12″>He didn’t think he raised West to use language like he did.</p>
<p id=”par-5_36″>“Fine, you’re trying to get some street acceptance,” he said. “Now that you got that, get back to your roots. You know that’s not where you came from. You know that’s not how you were raised.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-kanye-west-turned-to-his-father-during-his-divorce-from-kim-kardashian”>Kanye West turned to his father during his divorce from Kim Kardashian</h2>
<p id=”par-6_24″>While West and Kim Kardashian <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kim-kardashian-shared-protects-kids-stories-kanye-west.html/”>went through a divorce</a>, he <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kanye-ye-west-kim-kardashian-father-help.html/”>turned to Ray for support.</a> According to him, his father would not help him.</p>
<p id=”par-7_65″>“My dad told me three weeks ago, it’s the first time he ever said that,” he said on <em>Hollywood Unlocked</em>. “[He told me] that my mom told him, ‘I’m moving to Chicago and if you try to come find me, you’ll never see him [Ye] again’…Why did he say that? Because I was begging him to call Kim and he was refusing to do it.”</p>
<p id=”par-8_20″>He explained that his father did not have the wealth or power to influence any part of the divorce proceedings.</p>
<p id=”par-9_40″>“He said, ‘I don’t want to talk.’ And I said, ‘Dad, I need your help. I can’t see my kids, I can’t do this,’” West recalled. “My dad didn’t have the voice or the money to stand up [for me].”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-he-dealt-with-bullies-as-a-child”>He dealt with bullies as a child</h2>
<p id=”par-10_35″>West grew up to become one of the biggest celebrities in the world, but he didn’t get much respect as a child. Ray recalled a time when other children attempted to steal his son’s bike. </p>
<p id=”par-11_19″>“They pulled a knife out on him and slashed his tires,” he said. “He was about eight or nine.”</p>
<p id=”par-12_26″>West’s childhood bullies gained further ammunition when he returned from <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/kanye-west-presidential-bid-sparks-memories-of-when-he-lived-in-china.html/”>a year in China</a> with his mother. She worked as a visiting professor at Nanjing University.</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Kanye-West-2-1-1-1-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Kanye West wears a sweater and sunglasses. He holds a microphone.” class=”wp-image-3760280″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Kanye West | Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-13_23″>“When he came back from China, he was teased frequently,” his father said. “He was called China Boy. Kids can be very cruel.”</p>
<p id=”par-14_5″>Still, West maintained robust self-confidence.</p>
<p id=”par-15_33″>“The braggadociousness comes from his mother’s father, Buddy,” Ray said. “Buddy is a true Muhammad Ali fan. He will tell you in a minute that he’s the best thing to ever come along.”</p>