Kanye West Is Rebuilding His Childhood Home for ‘Donda’ Listening Party

Kanye West is going all-out for the next Donda listening party. The “Yeezus” rapper is rebuilding his childhood home in the middle of Chicago’s Soldier Field ahead of performing his upcoming album on Thursday, according to photos from inside the stadium circulating online. West previously hinted at the importance of the home in which he lived with his late mother, after whom the album is named, wiping his entire Instagram before uploading a photo of the house his team is currently duplicating.

West has spoken out many times about the importance of his childhood home, even visiting the building in 2011 with Jay-Z. It was also featured in a 2018 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians when West took his now-estranged wife Kim Kardashian and their children to his hometown. Last year, the rapper bought the house for a reported $225,000.

West is paying tribute to his late mother Donda with his upcoming album after her heartbreaking death in 2007. The album has already been played at two listening parties in Atlanta and is believed to be heading for widespread release following his Soldier Field performance. West’s creative process has led to many delays in the release of Donda, including his decision to rent out Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where he has set up living quarters to finish the album.

West also has been feuding with fellow rapper Drake after the “God’s Plan” artist called him “burned out” during his feature on Trippie Redd’s Aug. 20 song “Betrayal.” The Grammy-winner posted a screenshot of a group text on Instagram last week of a message he sent to Drake that included a photo of Joaquin Phoenix in costume as the Joker, along with a message reading: “I live for this. I’ve been f—ed with by nerd ass jock n—s like you my whole life. You will never recover. I promise you.”

West continued by sharing Drake’s Toronto address publicly in a since-deleted screenshot of the Maps app. Drake didn’t appear to be too bothered by the doxxing, sharing a video to his Instagram Story on Monday riding in a car with the top down while chuckling to himself.