Words By Jada G.
“I want to scream so loud for you, cause I’m so proud of you/Let me tell you what I’m about to do…”
There’s not much in this world of which I’m sure. But the one thing I know without a doubt is that I love my mother with every core of my being. My mom is my superhero. In my mind, she can do anything, and there’s no one better walking this earth. As a kid, I would put my hand in hers and I couldn’t wait until the day mine resembled hers. Our hands are the same size now, and I want to do everything to show her my appreciation for the sacrifice and all the love that made me the person I am today.
“I appreciate what you’ve allowed for me. I just want you to be proud of me…‘
I can’t imagine losing my mother, and it’s with that intangible thought that my heart felt heavy when I heard of Dr. Donda West’s all-too sudden death last Saturday. Kanye’s love for his mother is front and center throughout his music, so much so that her death was national news. Dr. West was an accomplished professor who raised her son on her own in Chicago. She put a familiar face on a familiar story of the single parent family, and became hip hop’s representative mom by raising a superstar. Dr. West’s passion for education and excellence is evident in her son. But she stood by him when he exited the lecture halls, and traveled the road to superstardom by his side, just as my mom did when I left med school behind to follow the uncertain road of journalism. She collects my articles just like Dr. West collected Kanye’s Grammy’s.
“I’ll never let you go. I wrote this song so you know, wherever you go…”
I empathize with Kanye’s loss just as I did when Tiger Woods lost his dad. They’re the great mother/father and child duos. Celebrity separates us but the love is just the same. Kanye’s loss is no different from any great loss that we’ve faced in our lives or that lay ahead. We all have a mother, a father, a child, a friend or a loved one that we could not bear to lose. With his inspiration lost so unexpectedly, we know that Kanye’s suffering unbearable pain. As time goes by, he can find solace knowing that his mother did see his dreams materialize, and they celebrated each other at the pinnacle of his career. And perhaps Dr. West’s greatest lesson is how to turn tragedy into triumph. Without it, Kanye couldn’t have fought his way through a wired jaw and “Through the Wire” may have never been.
Dr. West and Kanye embodied one of life’s greatest love. And with a love so vocal and deep, it was hard not to pause when we heard the news on Saturday.
Other Articles - Donda West Talks Kids, Kanye & Society Days Before Death (Text & Audio) (AccessHollywood)
Chicago State to host memorial for Donda West (USA Today)
John Legend’s press statement regarding Ms. West (HHNLive)
Jay-z & Rhymefest pay tribute to Kanye’s Mother (PR Inside)
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/global/images/default-avatar.jpg){kind=avatar}
primero
my heart goes out to the dude. fucking tragic. i just hope he soldiers on and doesnt start lashing out.
Feels like we all lost a little something when Dr.West passed away, but i can only imagine the pain Kanye is going through…
I just want to stress to everyone on TSS to keep praying for that brother and his whole family. It just goes to show that you never know what a day will bring. To all you dudes & gals out there who got “issues” with your mama [whether it be that she disapproves of something going/not going on in your life or other residual issues just know that when she's gone... SHES GONE!!... Make your mends today if you can because tomorrow ain't guaranteed homies....
I hope this tragedy will maybe manifest in some positivite way in terms of KanYe's musical gifts... They say the best art is created usually out of a painful place.....
Keep your head up 'Ye! Your open affection and admiration to your mother is inspiring and I'm sure that we could all use that openness to pick up the phone [or walk into her room] to tell her “Hey Mama… I’m sooo proud of you…”.
ok, some rich rapper/producer’s mom died getting cosmetic surgery and im supposed to pray for him? im not trying to be an asshole but im not sure why i should care. im not a big fan of kanye either but if my favorite artist’s mom died i still wouldnt care. people die. it sucks, we know. but when people say shit like “Feels like we all lost a little something when Dr.West passed away” i can only laugh.
I kinda agree w/ Chris. I think it’s messed up that Kanye’s Mom passed, but I don’t feel like I lost anything per say. I come to TSS to get the latest music, news & gossip. But this whole thing is kind of a bummer. Can we lighten the mood a lil bit? Ye, hold your head, Fam.
Well when you become a big fan (as i have with Kanye) with an artist, you dig deep and study them, and you feel like you’re a part of their life… Kanye blesses me and other with amazing music, so we consider him a friend of ours… so if your friends mom died, you’d mourn or not?
It’s kinda f%#cked up that people are not happy with someone offering prayers to another person and their family because they happen to be a “rich rapper/producer”. It’s also f%cked up that that someones mother passed away… someone, who you know is heavily influenced by and loved their mom greatly …all dudes can say is they come to TSS for the latest music news and gossip…. go holla @ comcreteloop.com SMH LOL… Y’all dudes need to spend less time on the surfing internet for music and start living life with your families… maybe that will help you get your mind and priorites right… Its never cool to disrespect condolences for the death of another being on ANY level… and with that …I’m gone.
remember when nas mom passed he was in bad shape also let hope that girl kanye got in his corner is a real ride or die chick cus the next female in his life gonna have alot to contend with
Chris – I didn’t find myself grabbin a box of tissue when she died, but I did have that “damn” feeling when I got the email & for about the next hour or so.
1. Like it or not, she, via Kanye, became a figurehead of sorts for hip-hop in terms of the love for moms & women that the media doesn’t portray enough.
2. People say whatever about Kanye’s abilities as an MC, but somehow he managed to supplant his mom into our collective minds as one of the main subtopics in his music. There’s certain mothers of artists that become a part of the music & culture. She was one of those.
3. I’m not sure where you are but her death made the local news here. Think about that for a minute.
4. Sometimes (and I know someone will come in strictly to contradict this), we need reminders of the mortality of our own parents & loved ones. Those reminders come in diff ways for diff folks. I’m pretty sure her death touched more people, at least in a little way, than left people unaffected.
Just my .02.
1st off Homie, I never disrespected anyone, but I’m not a Kanye Stan & it doesn’t affect My life in anyway. Yeah, it’s sad, & anytime someone passes, people are reminded of their own mortality. But it’s depressing. If my Mom passed away (God forbid) I don’t think Ye is gonna lose any sleep.
Read again – “Just my .02″
I never asserted there was disrespect intended by your og post.
If my Mom passed away (God forbid) I don’t think Ye is gonna lose any sleep.
==================
And uhh…there’s alot of stuff that you, me and others do that won’t cause a blip on Kanye’s radar, so…uhh…yeah. Kanye’s a “star.” We’re mere mortals who’s lives & every move aren’t chronicled.
@ the end of the day, I didn’t lose a wink of sleep over Kanye’s mom. However it did remind me to make sure I called my mom.
Amp Geez, I believe your missing the entire point.
Kanye probably wouldn’t lose any sleep but I’m
sure ya lady or the folks you run with would take
some time out to console an aching AmpG…it has
nothing to do with being a ‘Stan’. Just being respectful.
Gotty-I wasn’t responding to you. Paul Onion (huh?) kinda called me out & I was just defending my comments.
I didn’t think my post was as insensitive as others. And I didn’t miss the point. I get it. Yeah, I feel bad that Dude’s Mom passed, knowing what kind of influence she had on Him & His work. But the world doesn’t stop because of it. All we can do is try to show those close to us that we love em while their still here.
I think it’s relly bad considering what we all know Kanye has been through. He and his family are in my prayers. Everything happens for a reason though, I hope this brings some attention to the dangers of cosmetic surgery and the unfortunate pressures of being in the public eye for celebrities. R.I.P
Amp – None taken sir.
I listened to “Dance” too…
Kanye West is devastated and seemingly “in denial” after a botched plastic surgery likely led to the sudden death of his beloved mother, friends told the Daily News.
The rapper, who has been in Europe on tour with his album “Graduation,” needed several days to gather the strength to fly back to the U.S., family friends said.
Adding to the tragedy, a friend says, the Grammy-winning rapper didn’t think his mom, Donda West, needed any physical improvement – much less radical cosmetic surgery.
“I don’t think Kanye was aware Donda was getting the surgery, or certainly the extent of it,” a family friend said. “He loved and supported her just the way she was. He thought she was beautiful.”
Donda West, 58, died on Saturday at a Los Angeles hospital just 24 hours after receiving a breast reduction and tummy tuck from Dr. Jan Adams, a well-known TV doctor with a hidden history of DUI convictions and six-figure medical-malpractice judgments.
The coroner is investigating “complications of surgery” as the cause. An official determination won’t be made for weeks.
“Donda had image issues, like a lot of women,” said the friend, to whom Donda West had confided in recent weeks.
A funeral is scheduled for Tuesday in Oklahoma City, according to the family friend.
“there’s alot of stuff that you, me and others do that won’t cause a blip on Kanye’s radar, so…uhh…yeah. Kanye’s a “star.”"
that’s why it was on the local news. did you care about paris hilton going to prison or lindsay lohan going to rehab? not many people do. but that kind of crap makes local and national news. moms die every day, thats not a hard concept to understand, but you choose to call your mom when KANYE WEST’s mom dies. why? anyone who cares about kanye west’s mom anymore than anyone else’s is liable to be called a stan. especially since she died in an act of vanity and kanye is a douchebag who doesnt deserve any condolences.
Regardless of who Kanye is, or how it happened, it’s still effed up that His Mom died. I feel for Him. I may be a jerk but I’m not an asshole. I think Chris is a Ye’ hater, using this as a perfect opportunity to kick dirt.
sad, and not just cuz its kanye. mothers have tended to be the stabilizing figure in the black community, so getting lost in your own ‘what if’s', remembering your own losses, or feeling empathy for the next brother -known or unknown- during his time of grief isn’t necessarily any kind of contrived emotion. it’s just heavy. heavy enough to cause ripples in the pond.
especially since she died in an act of vanity and kanye is a douchebag who doesnt deserve any condolences.
==============
:|
OD
Son needs a hug.
May god have mercy on your soul, Chris.
I understand that we all have opinions, but to talk ill about the passing of someones love one is just wrong.
Especially when someone is going through a difficult period, I do care if he is star or not. The joy of your whole existence should be to love to your fullest.
Kanye hold tight, no words can express the lost that your feeling at this time. May you found comfort in your time of grief.
One
i can’t even listen to this story anymore. i heard Ye cancelled some shows too. Much luck to him!
Amen. I cried when I heard the news, because all I could think about was my own mom. The only possible way I could handle losing her is with God at my side, and even then, I know that I’d still feel like giving up.
I cannot even imagine. I do know that she is immensely proud of her son, and that she’ll always be with him in spirit.
He’s definitely in my prayers. :-(
IM WITH CHRIS.
who cares? i hate fkn Kanye West. Always have always will. Well, maybe I dont ‘hate’ him, but I think his music is fcking garbage.
I cant believe all you fake bleeding heart internet sissies.
Theres so much more going on in this world RIGHT FKN NOW that needs all your bountiful compassion, because you’re such caring wonderful soulful people, and Kanyes music blah blah blah look how fkn nice you are etc.
One thing ive learned about people who act so caring and compassionate & are so quick to show the world what a beautiful soul you have, underneath it you’re some ratty little hipocrits. forget you.
And you know what else? Isnt it messed up that all that super star rap star rich man money bought your mother to her death getting some vain-ass plastic surgery….
That sh*t is devilish, and nasty, and in the end its some rich celebrity shit.
Dafur.
Going through some similar shit of my own right now….My pops in pretty much in the process of dying…Was told to expect about another 6 months…Shit is FUCKED!
Not to sound like to much of a pussy, but I got this the other day……and it sums up the world we live in pretty good.
A Message by George Carlin:(Who recently lost his wife)
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life. We’ve added years to life not life to years. We’ve been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We’ve done larger things, but not better things.
We’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We’ve conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We’ve learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete…
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn’t cost a cent.
Remember, to say, “I love you” to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
George Carlin
Great Post…shit made my eyes well up..My own heart is breaking slowly into a million pieces. It’s a time in my life that I’ve dreaded for as long as i can rember. I gotta go hit the bong!
real talk.
It’s always when George Carlin speaks seriously that I gain so much out of him.
Good looks Neil & you know in the back of mind you & your pops are in my thoughts my dude.
“anyone who cares about kanye west’s mom anymore than anyone else’s is liable to be called a stan”
———————————————————————–
Go right a-fucking-head you idiot… because i have a heart im a stan? Then i guess im gonna drive my car off a bridge and kill my girl… fuck outta here
My favorite Carlin quote
“Do you ever get that strange feeling of vuja de? Not deja vu, vuja de. It’s the distinct sense that somehow, something that just happened has never happened before. Nothing seems familiar. And then suddenly the feeling is gone. Vuja de.”
Thanks G…Now find me some sneaks..I need some retail therapy..lol
Chris Searl Says:
“anyone who cares about kanye west’s mom anymore than anyone else’s is liable to be called a stan”
———————————————————————–
Go right a-fucking-head you idiot… because i have a heart im a stan? Then i guess im gonna drive my car off a bridge and kill my girl… fuck outta here
–, Na, because you’re bleeding your so-called heart out all over the internet about your favorwit widdle wap superstar poor widdle im such a nice guy with such a big heart because i care so much, YOU should gitthefuckouttahere. you call this shit ‘having a heart’??!!
theres REAL people ALL AROUND YOU right now going through a million times worse pain than what this dudes doing right now, family death, but mixed with addiction, despair, abuse, rape, murder – just normal family stuff, but lucky for Kanye West and the rest of the human race we have YOU here and your big kind caring heart.
SO lame, lmfao
love,
Dafur-Money.
All of these spewers of so-called realism about the world, strike me as immature cowards who use the internet as a project. You want to project to all of us that you’re so hard and able to rationally process death, tragedy, etc. but clearly, your so emotionally involved in proving your point that “compassionate” people are essentially stupid and hypocritical.
Instead of letting folk peaceably pay respect to a departed black ancestor, you create discord. Yes, the world is full of fucked up shit, like we don’t know this already. Your judgments still don’t change the fact that many brothers and sisters see the archetype of the strong and loving black mother in the late Dr. Donda West. If we want to show love, condolences, or deconstruct death then dammit why do you have to hate? What is the worth of your so-called “life lesson” on death and celebrity? If your relative is raped, mugged, killed and no one cares ’cause life happens and shit happens – let it roll off your back. Don’t cry, don’t burden your friends, just keep it moving.
Fuck this arguing shit!!! Save the back-and-forth nonsense for those corny-ass wack-ass websites!!!R.I.P. Donda West, Kanye stay up, now let’s get back on music shit y’all.
Man, your name is DMoney… biter
SMH at the fact you cant understand we aint bleedin hearts out, we’re payign our respects to a hip-hop mother… who said i bleeding my heart out, crying, etc… not me
Get shit right before you “diss” people
And i donated to the UNICEF aid to Darfur, im not ignorant, you are thinkign that’s the worst thing going on in the world
It was sad she died but it could of easily bein prevented if she listened to the first doctor and never got the surgery. I don’t feel sad or anythink she should of listened to the advice given would these Hiphop star feel sad if anyone of our moms die ? No why should we feel sad that they lost a mom when if our mom die they would’t give a shit unless it mean’t we were buying their albums.
SMH at some of the posts.
Superstar or not he lost his mom. My prayers go out to him and the whole west family.
I feel for dude, as i do for any human who loses someone near and dear to them under tragic circumstances. Especially Moms, and he’s very vocal about his love and how grateful he is to her for her parental sacrifices during his childhood. That’s a beautiful thing. And i’m not a huge Kanye fan, but best to his and his fam at this time. That’s all. Peace
maybe im a bad person, but i just dont care.
seriously.
and its not trying to ‘prove that im tough’ or whatever, i just DO NOT fcking care, & thats just genuinely the way i feel about it.
pardon moi, mr sensitive great-guy.
& i also just genuinely feel that you guys pourin your hearts out is bullshit & lame & fake & i hate you for it.
again, pardon moi merci.
i dunno, some of us who listen to this murder music just genuinely feel that way. like “i dont fucking care”, its not an act, i like life, i like certain people, but im under no illusions and do not express false emotion because i think that shits foul, & to be honest, fcking disrespectful to someones death you didnt even know.
man up.
Dear Ms. J,
Every word you wrote was felt, deeply. For those who say “I don’t care” have not truely loved and lossed. But one day they will, it is inevitable. It is so important to surround ourselves with positive and compassionate people. The ones who will hold you up, when your mind and body tells you that you can’t go on. May Ms. West RIP and Mr. West find peace and comfort during this difficult time.