Inside Kanye West’s close bond with oldest daughter North — who is following in his footsteps

Kanye West is a father to four children whom he welcomed with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, a partner to Bianca Censori, rapper, and businessman, and as he celebrates his 47th birthday, we’re sure he will be surrounded by his closest family and friends.

One person who is sure to shower him with love will be his eldest daughter North, a “daddy’s girl” with whom he shares an “indescribable” bond.
What has Kanye said about becoming a father?

Kanye had his own battles with fatherhood; after losing his mother Donda in 2007 unexpectedly, he blamed himself for many years for her passing, admitting he felt that if he had never moved to Los Angeles she would still be alive.

But his marriage to Kim Kardashian and the birth of their daughter changed his attitude: “After I lost my mother, there were times I would put my life at risk. I felt like sometimes I didn’t have something to live for. Now I have two really special people to live for.”

“When I look in North’s eyes, I’m happy about every mistake I’ve ever mad,” he told Paper magazine in April 2015.

What has Kanye said about raising North?

After becoming a father in 2013, Kanye said he “would do anything to protect my child or my child’s mother,” and in his 2018 song “Violent Crimes,” he revealed how welcoming a daughter had changed him.

“Father forgive me, I’m scared of the karma / ‘Cause now I see women as somethin’ to nurture / Not somethin’ to conquer,” he rapped.

In his 2021 song ‘Eazy,’ Kanye criticized Kim’s parenting style, and suggested that he had been trying to raise their four children to recognize different values, suggesting Kim has made them “boujee and unruly”.

“I watched four kids for, like, five hours today,” he rapped. “I got love for the nannies, but real family is better / The cameras watch the kids, y’all stop takin’ the credit / Noncustodial dad, I bought the house next door / What you think the point of really bein’ rich for?”

In an episode of The Kardashians, Kim also said that North had complained that she lived in a home, and not an apartment, and preferred cooking ramen with her father to being served a meal from a chef.

North’s TikTok videos have also revealed how much she loves her father, with one offering a glimpse into her bedroom, and revealing a pink-striped picture frame that showcased a picture of Kanye holding North as a toddler.

North is known for her one-liners, often given out across TikTok, and is not afraid to make her voice heard.

She has also branched out in the world of entertainment, and in 2020 joined Kanye on stage to perform a solo rap at the Yeezy fashion show in Paris.

In 2023 Ye previewed his new album at a club where North was in attendance, and the listening party revealed that North had some of the same skills as her father. In Kanye and Ty Dolla $ign’s collaboration, “Talking / Once Again”, she could be heard singing and rapping several lines: “It’s your bestie / Miss, Miss Westie / Don’t tryna test me / It’s gonna get messy / It’s gonna get messy / Just, just bless me / Bless me.”