Netflix 'Jeen-Yuhs': Who Is Ray West, Kanye West's Dad?

Episode 2, titled "Act II: Purpose," of the Kanye West documentary series, Jeen-yuhs: A Kanye West Trilogy, is out on Netflix now. Once again, Kanye West's (who is now known as Ye) late mother Donda West appears throughout the documentary in archival footage, praising her son and his talents.

Kanye West himself has spoken fondly of his mother and has even named two albums after, Donda (2021) and the upcoming Donda 2. Kanye West's relationship with his father has also been mentioned in the songs "Father Stretch My Hands" and "Follow God" but who is Kanye West's father, Ray West? Newsweek has everything you need to know.

Who is Ray West, Kanye West's Dad?

Kanye West was born June 8, 1977, in Atlanta, Georgia, to parents Donda and Ray West.

Sadly, Donda and Ray West divorced in 1980, when Kanye West was three years old. He moved with his mother Donda West to Chicago. Donda West recalled in her memoir Raising Kanye, written with Karen Hunter, Kanye West would spend summers with his father in Washington, D.C.

West's father is a former Black Panther and was one of the first Black photojournalists at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

During his award-winning career as a photojournalist, he worked with many famous people including Maya Angelou, Ronald Reagan, and civil rights activist Ralph David Abernathy.

He became a Christian counselor and in 2006, he opened the Good Water Store and Cafe in Lexington Park, Maryland with the help of his son. The Good Water Store aims to promote clean water education and awareness.

The Good Water Store also sells its own brand of bottled water called Good Water, with proceeds going into the local community, the Kanye West Foundation, and United Nations Water For Life initiative.

In 2019, Ye released the song "Follow God" about his connection to his father and God. He even managed to get Ray West to star in the music video.

Lyrics to "Follow God" include: "I was screamin' at my dad/He told me it ain't Christlike" and "Father, I stretch, stretch my hands to You."

In the final verse, Kanye West raps: "I woke up this morning, I said my prayers
"I'm all good, then I tried to talk to my dad (stretch my hands to You)
"Give him some advice, he starts spazzin' on me
"I start spazzin' back, he said 'That ain't Christ-like'
"I said, 'Aah'"

In the video, Ray and Kanye West are dressed in similar orange and brown overalls exploring Kanye West's Wyoming ranch on various different all-terrain vehicles.

At the end of the video, Kanye West included the written message: "My dad came to visit me at one of our ranches in Cody, Wyoming. He talked about his love for fishing, and how he could come here in the summers. It took me 42 years to realize that my dad was my best friend.

"He asked me, 'How many acres is this?' I told him 4,000. He replied with these three words: 'A Black man?'"

He later shared the message on Twitter with his 30 million followers.

The song, which appears on Kanye West's 2019 album, Jesus is King, was awarded Top Gospel Song and Rap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards and 51st GMA Dove Awards in 2020, respectively.

Today, Ray West reportedly currently lives in the Dominican Republic, where he runs a charity for victims of prostitution and his Good Water Foundation.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, his former partner Brenda Bentley said: "It also is dangerous in the DR because of high crime. There's not a lot of police activity. Most people at Ray's age would put their feet up but he's still got his vision. I've been there to see his work. He's doing good.

"He's financing the work himself. He sells purified water and uses the profits to fund projects like healthcare for women."

He did return to the United States for treatment for prostate cancer in 2018 but as of September 2021, resides in the Dominican Republic.

jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy airs Wednesdays on Netflix.