Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, returned to Chicago’s South Side today for a special celebration honoring the life and legacy of his late mother, Dr. Donda West.

The City of Chicago officially honored Dr. West with the honorary designation “Dr. Donda West Way,” along 78th Street from South Shore Drive to Coles Avenue — just steps from the South Shore neighborhood where Ye spent much of his childhood.

Ye was present for the ceremony, smiling and celebrating alongside community members as Chicago paid tribute to the woman whose influence extended far beyond her famous son.

Dr. West was a respected educator and scholar who spent decades at Chicago State University, where she served as a professor and eventually chaired the university’s English, Communications, Media and Theater department. She also played an important role in the development of Chicago State University’s Gwendolyn Brooks Center for Black Literature and Creative Writing, an institution dedicated to the study and celebration of Black writers and literary culture.

She later retired from academia in 2004 to help manage her son’s rapidly growing career.

The location of the honorary street designation carries an especially personal connection for the West family. Ye’s childhood home was located at 7815 S. South Shore Drive, and he spent approximately eight years of his childhood there with his mother.

Dr. West died in 2007 at just 58 years old. Her relationship with her son became well known throughout his career, with Ye frequently speaking about her influence on his life, creativity and success.

Today’s ceremony brought that story back to where much of it began — Chicago’s South Side — permanently placing Dr. Donda West’s name within the community she and her son once called home.

Archived video from today’s honorary street naming ceremony is available to watch on demand below.

A historic celebration of democracy, culture, service, and hope to take place June 18th in Chicago and livestreamed to the world.

CHICAGO — The Obama Foundation today announced the performers scheduled to take the stage at the Obama Presidential Center’s Grand Opening Ceremony on June 18. The historic event, held at the Center’s John Lewis Plaza, marks a milestone for the city of Chicago and communities around the world. The ceremony will bring together global leaders, artists, changemakers, and citizens for an inspiring celebration of the values that shaped the Obama presidency and continue to power civic engagement across generations.

Located on Chicago’s South Side, the Obama Presidential Center is a global hub designed to inspire, empower, and connect people to create change. Beginning June 19, visitors of all ages will be invited to explore the open campus, engage with immersive exhibits and public programs, and discover how they can make a difference in their own communities. Celebratory events will continue through the weekend, offering a preview of programming that will bring the entire campus to life throughout the year and beyond.

“This Grand Opening ceremony will be unlike any other — filled with music, performances, and hope,” said Valerie Jarrett, CEO of The Obama Foundation. “The Grand Opening Ceremony will reflect a spirit of inspiration and joy, with a big boost from the performers who are sharing their talent with us. We hope to inspire people everywhere to believe in their power to bring change home.”

The Grand Opening Ceremony will be livestreamed globally beginning at 11 a.m. Central Time on Obama.org, and on The Obama Foundation’s TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook accounts. 

Performers taking part in the June 18 ceremony will include: 

• Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artists The Roots
• Multiple GRAMMY, Oscar, Golden Globe, and Special Tony Award-winning artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Bruce Springsteen
• Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artist Christina Aguilera
• Multiple GRAMMY, Oscar, and Emmy Award-winning artist Common
• Multiple GRAMMY, Golden Globe Award-winning artist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Eddie Vedder
• Multiple GRAMMY, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning artist Jennifer Hudson
• Multiple GRAMMY, Oscar, Emmy, and Tony Award-winning artist John Legend
• Multiple GRAMMY and Oscar Award-winning artist Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Stevie Wonder
• Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artist Marc Anthony
• Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artist Tems
• Multiple GRAMMY Award-winning artists, multiple Golden Globe winners, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Inductees, and Kennedy Center Honorees U2’s Bono and The Edge
• Actress and producer Marsai Martin

The Obama Presidential Center opens to the public on June 19. While Museum tickets are sold out for opening weekend, the rest of the campus is free and accessible for the general public.

The Grand Opening Weekend of the Obama Presidential Center is made possible through the generous support of GCM Grosvenor, Abbott, BMO, ITW, and Northern Trust. 

Naomi Raine and Chandler Moore have officially announced their exits from Maverick City Music, marking a major shift for one of the most influential worship collectives of the past decade.

The news arrives without scandal or spectacle, but it still carries weight. Maverick City Music didn’t just produce songs — it helped reframe what worship could sound like, look like, and feel like for a generation raised on genre-blending playlists, vulnerability, and authenticity. Naomi and Chandler were central to that identity.

In many ways, the transition had already begun.

Just weeks before the announcement, Naomi Raine released her solo project, Jesus Over Everything, on September 14. The album feels stripped-back and intentional, less focused on communal anthems and more on personal conviction. Songs like “Lost in Hallelujah” lean into restraint rather than climax — worship that doesn’t rush resolution or try to sound bigger than it is.

Addressing the shift directly, Naomi framed the moment as growth rather than departure.

“This isn’t really an ending. It’s a new beginning. A new chapter,” she wrote. “I learned so much about God, about people, and about myself. Every song was written from a pure place — just wanting to please God.”

Her statement reflects a throughline that’s been present throughout her work: faith as something lived and evolving, not fixed or performative.

Chandler Moore followed with his own message, emphasizing clarity and forward momentum rather than nostalgia.

“These last few years have been locked in on what really matters in my life and my career,” he shared. “It’s been scary at times, but full of fresh vision and real excitement about the future.”

That recalibration has increasingly shaped Chandler’s solo direction, which he says is focused less on production and more on connection.

“I’m stepping into the next phase, ready to make music that helps people feel a little more human, a little more understood, and a little less alone.”

That approach mirrors what drew so many listeners to Maverick City Music in the first place. The collective disrupted traditional worship norms by embracing cultural nuance, emotional honesty, and musical hybridity — pulling from gospel, CCM, soul, and contemporary Black music without forcing clean lines between them.

Naomi and Chandler weren’t just contributors to that sound — they helped define it.

Their exits don’t signal an abandonment of that vision so much as an expansion of it. Naomi’s Jesus Over Everything and Chandler’s forthcoming solo work suggest both artists are exploring what faith-centered music looks like when it’s untethered from a single collective framework.

For fans, the moment may feel like the closing of a chapter — but Maverick City Music was always designed as a community, not a container. Its influence was never meant to stop at the group itself.

As Chandler put it plainly:

“The dream hasn’t changed. The sound continues.”

What changes now is scale and direction, not intent.

Naomi Raine and Chandler Moore aren’t leaving behind what they helped build. They’re carrying it forward — on their own terms, in their own voices, and into whatever comes next.

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