Kanye West behind on property taxes for his childhood home

Where’s the mon-Ye?

Kanye West made his childhood home on the South Side of Chicago an icon of his origin story. Now, under the artist’s ownership, the property faces an uncertain future.

West, who legally changed his name to Ye in 2021, purchased his mother’s former home in 2018. West went on to prominently feature the humble three-bedroom in album art, television appearances and live performances.

Amid other real estate losses, the controversial music and fashion mogul has since fallen behind on the property’s tax bill, Crain’s Chicago Business reported.

An entity tied to West owes Cook County, Illinois an overdue property tax bill of about $1,514, the outlet reported. Similar to the house itself, the bill is modest compared to the rest of the rapper’s multi-million-dollar property portfolio. But his trove or trophy homes, too, have faced financial setbacks.

West recently racked up real estate losses in California and Wyoming, and is attempting to offload several other properties. This follows the hip-hop legend’s years-long fall from public grace amidst erratic behavior, mental health problems and antisemitic comments.

A four-year-old West moved to the three-bedroom home in South Shore with his mother, the late Donda West, in 1981. Donda West sold the property in 2003, according to Crain’s, less than a year before Kanye released his debut studio album, “The College Dropout.”

West’s mother tragically passed away in 2007 at the age of 58, due to complications from a cosmetic procedure.

Che “Rhyemefest” Smith, a previous collaborator and childhood friend of West, reportedly purchased the Chicago home in 2016. Smith planned to transform the site into a nonprofit art incubator in honor of Donda West, who taught English at Chicago State University, but changed course due to structural damage.

Subsequent plans to tear down the circa-1905 home were abandoned after West purchased it in 2018 for $225,000.

West’s stewardship of the 1,600-square-foot house saw significant improvements to the exterior, Crain’s reported, including a new roof, siding, windows and a custom, wrought-iron fence with the initials “DH,” for “Donda’s House.”

West has earned a reputation for leaving properties in worse condition than he found them. West’s former Malibu mansion, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Tadao Ando, was left abandoned and hollowed out by the rapper in 2022. The home sold in 2023 for $21 million, roughly $36 million less than what West paid for it.

The artist’s two massive Wyoming ranches have faced similar troubles. West sold his 6,700-acre Bighorn Mountain Ranch in October, Cowboy State Daily reported, to the same family he bought it from. He paid $14.5 million for the sprawling ranch in 2019, according to the outlet, and parted with it at a discounted $14 million.

West’s other Wyoming property, the 3,885-acre Monster Lake Ranch, is on the market for $12 million, according to People — a steep discount from the $14 million the rapper paid in 2019.

Several of West’s California properties, including a for-sale 1.25-acre Calabasas ranch, a burned-out former church, and a commercial building on Melrose Avenue, are in various states of disrepair. West’s Calabasas condo, which carries its own unpaid tax bill, is on sale for $2.95 million, according to The Sun.

West has taken better care of his childhood home. He proudly turned the light blue facade into an emblem of his 2022 album, “Donda 2,” and constructed a replica of the property at the controversial listening party for his 2021 album “Donda.”

The current interior condition or occupancy of the real-life home is unclear. The Ye-controlled entity behind the property is unreachable, Crain’s reported, as its address is tied to a private rental office space in California.