Kanye West is one of the most important artists in popular culture thanks to the contributions he has made in the world of music and the world of fashion. West has also come a long way in the world of real estate, starting his career from his modest Chicago home to the massive California mansions he now owns. So read on for a tour of their impressive portfolio of properties.
The childhood home
Chicago
During his childhood, Kanye lived in Chicago with his mother, Donda. in a modest frame house in Windy City’s middle-class South Shore neighborhood. The rapper recently recreated his childhood home inside Chicago’s Soldier Field Stadium for the third and final promotional event for his latest album, Donda. This house was West’s first major home as it is where he spent most of his time with his mother until he moved to New York for a time.
The artist’s first mansion
Hollywood Hills, Calif.
In 2003, just as West was beginning to make a name for himself as a solo rap artist and producer, he took his first steps in real estate, purchasing a home in the Hollywood Hills for just under $1.8 million. The elegant abode was only the beginning of Kanye’s real estate journey, but it is credited with laying the groundwork for the minimalist and sophisticated interior style that he has since become known for.
An apartment like no other
SoHo, New York
Every celebrity sets foot in New York at least once, and Kanye West was no exception. When his debut album came out in 2004, Ye decided to buy an apartment on the fourth floor of a luxury building in Manhattan’s trendy SoHo area, and the rapper reportedly paid $1.9 million in 2004 and in 2006 bought the joint apartment for $1.25 million.
West then hired Italian architect Claudio Silvestrin to combine and transform the spaces to fit the minimalist aesthetic that West has become known for. Kanye eventually sold the apartment for $3 million in May 2018.
The first house as a couple
Bel Air, Calif.
In January 2013, shortly after Kanye and Kim announced the pregnancy of their first child, the couple purchased their first piece of real estate together. This Bel Air mansion was chosen as their favorite and they paid $9 million to make it their home. The celebrity couple renovated the property to match its minimalist style, then sold it for a much higher price in 2017 for $17.8 million. This house was the first of the couple, so it became one of the best known since it sometimes appeared on the Keeping Up With The Kardashians program thanks to Kim.
A custom mansion
Hidden Hills, California
After living together for a while, the couple decided to get married in Italy in 2014, and the newlyweds decided to move to Hidden Hills. The couple spent $20 million on this new property and an additional $20 million on extensive renovations to meet Kanye’s minimalist aesthetic. Renovations took three years, so Kim and Kanye lived for a while in Kris Jenner’s mansion across the street. Ultimately, this was the residence where the family grew up and lived for several years until the couple announced their divorce.
Kanye West’s Ranch
Wyoming
In 2019 Kanye, following in the footsteps of various celebrity farm and ranch owners, purchased a rural retreat known as Monster Lake Ranch, in Wyoming. When this purchase was announced, it was said that the property would be a quiet place for the rapper to relax away from the bright lights of Los Angeles and would be the ideal place to spend some quiet time with his family.
This ranch has a huge field, animals, a central house and even a race track where the rapper’s children can enjoy rural fun away from the media. But, after news of the couple’s divorce broke in February 2021, it emerged that Kanye fled to his private ranch in Wyoming to escape the media and not much information is currently known about the property.
The second ranch
Wyoming
Not content with just one ranch, in November 2019 billionaire Ye purchased a second ranch for $14.5 million to expand his massive property portfolio. The second ranch is located near Greybull, Wyoming and is about an hour away from his first. This second was described as Kanye’s therapy space, it’s where he spent time in lockdown writing the lyrics for his latest album, Donda, following his split from Kim.
A hideout for the artist
Calabasas, Calif.
In addition to spending time at his Wyoming ranches, Kanye has spent time at a charming ranch in Calabasas, Los Angeles. The rapper has used the house as a base and headquarters for his Sunday service since he bought it in 2018 for $2.2 million and for now Kanye has declared that it is the perfect place to live as it allows him to be close to his children. while they live with Kim in her Hidden Hills mansion.
