Kanye West is arguably the biggest music star to have ever come out of Chicago, but sometimes people forget about his roots in the Second City. West himself has made it no easier for fans to remember, rapping almost exclusively about trips to Paris and other worldwide travels, but recently he made a grand gesture toward his hometown, reminding all of us he hasn't forgotten where he comes from.
According to VIBE, West has started a music program called Got Bars. The program will be launched through West's nonproift organization Donda House and teach music writing and production.
The 10-week program looks to offer kids ages 15-24, an additional non-violent outlet within their crime-laden community. Donda's House — named after Kanye's deceased mother Dr. Donda West — will partner with the ARK of St. Sabina to present the pilot program for free to participants beginning in August.
"My mom spent her life as an educator and I am happy that Donda's House can pick up her torch and honor her life's mission," West said in a statement released earlier this week.
Donda's House co-founder and Assistant Director Che "Rhymefest" Smith will assist his wife Donnie Smith in the overall operations of the program. Donnie Smith, a high school English teacher will steer the organization, while Rhymefest will work directly with students on the music aspect of the course.
Read more at VIBE.
Jozen Cummings is the author and creator of the popular relationship blog Until I Get Married, which is currently in development for a television series with Warner Bros. He also hosts a weekly podcast with WNYC about Empire called Empire Afterparty, is a contributor at VerySmartBrothas.com and works at Twitter as an editorial curator. Follow him on Twitter.