West’s Wyoming Ranch
Kanye West never ceases to amaze me. Whether he’s interrupting acceptance speeches, holding court in the Oval Office opposite the President, or quite literally redefining the entire fashion industry. Unquestionably with Ye, there is never a dull moment. The evolution of the man is fascinating, from generational hip hop star to a man who’s music has become a footnote to a now much-diversified list of talents and accolades. You could describe Kanye West as having a Midas touch because everything seemingly turns to gold when he’s involved. So when the news broke that West had purchased a ranch in Wyoming. I couldn’t help but assume he has something big planned for his latest investment.
The plot of land in question is called Monster Lake Ranch, which commanded a hefty asking price of $14 million, located just outside of Cody, Wyoming. The 9,000 acres property reportedly houses eight lodging units, two freshwater lakes, a restaurant, an event centre, meeting facilities, and is known for its “monster trout” fishing. Also boasting horse barns, corrals, and horses. Whether this purchase has a specific purpose for West going forward is yet to be determined. All we do know is that Kanye West is currently there finishing off his new album ‘Jesus is King’ that is expected to drop September 27th.
Vogue Arabia Interview
West had previously alluded to his future investment during an interview for Vogue Arabia, where Ye interviewed his wife, Kim. Asking her “It’s a bit of a cliché, but how do you see yourself in 10 years’ time?” to which she answered, “I see us living on a ranch in Wyoming, occasionally going to Palm Springs and our home in Los Angeles—and becoming a lawyer.” Something that now becomes clear as an exciting bit of foreshadowing from the pair. Almost like one of the many leaks; that they have come so accustomed to with his Yeezy product line.
West’s real-estate dreams
As mentioned previously, Kanye makes a habit of keeping things interesting, both for himself, and those who follow him. So to say this property has been purchased as nothing more than a holiday home for his family is perhaps slightly underestimating West’s character. If we rewind to comments Ye made in May, the real reason for this tremendous investment potentially becomes more apparent. Stating that he wanted to “be one of the biggest real-estate developers of all time.”
Yeezys new Architectural arm
Something that coincides with the work being done on the new architectural arm of Yeezy entitled Yeezy Home that has begun work in California to attempt to provide a bridge between social and income classes, creating affordable homes that West hopes will better the world. Whether or not this project is going to extend onto the land purchased in Wyoming is unlikely, but it is clear for all to see, that architecture is something West is looking to explore more openly going forward. For there are already many similarities that can be drawn between the world of fashion and the world of architecture as the designers roll in both in a lot of ways is the same. A principal his friend, peer and fellow designer Virgil Abloh agrees on, considering himself an architect first, studying and then receiving a Master of Architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).
As for Kanye West, the lack of formal training or recognition in the field is unlikely to hinder his progress. Talking to Charlamagne Tha God while walking through West’s own sprawling Calabasas estate, he said;
“I’m going to build five properties, so it’s my first community, I’m getting into development… It’s just the next frontier for me, to develop, We’re standing on my first property. So I’m going to be one of the biggest real-estate developers of all time—what Howard Hughes was to aircraft and what Henry Ford was to cars. Just the relationships I have with architects, my understanding of space and sacred proportions, just this new vibe, this new energy…We gonna develop cities.”
Kanye West
A bold claim of course, but let it be known that back before Yeezy had established itself with a home at Adidas. When Kanye West was nothing more than a rapper trying to infiltrate the fashion world, they said he would never change fashion, yet he did. Yeezys now lead the way in the world of online trainers. So at this stage, I find it increasingly difficult to bet against him in anything he wishes to concentrate his efforts on.