Leave it to Kanye and Kim Kardashian West to put their own spin on the Friday afternoon news dump.
It is Chicago.
Yes, like the city. Twitter immediately erupted with jokes about the unusual moniker, as is to be expected with any Kardashian-Jenner baby news. Why didn’t they choose Wild Wild? At least it’s not Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri West. But it kind of sounds like the name of a hospital, no? Or maybe her name is actually Schaumburg, but it’s just easier to say Chicago. (That last one is for you, Chicagoland natives.)
Hear us out: Chicago is actually a great name for the baby girl. It might even be perfect. We would not make such a bold claim without backing it up, of course, so here are a few reasons.
Kanye’s ties to his hometown are quite meaningful.
After his parents divorced when he was 3, Kanye and his mother, Donda, moved to Chicago. He grew up in Oak Lawn and references the city in his work quite often, most prominently in the 2007 song “Homecoming.” Featured artist Chris Martin sings about fireworks at Lake Michigan, and Kanye raps about meeting a girl named Windy, a blatant metaphor for the Windy City that could double as a nickname for his child. In case it was not clear, he later raps, “If you don’t know by now, I’m talkin’ ’bout Chi-town.”
Rumor has it the Wests named their first daughter North because she represented a high point in their lives. Saint was reportedly chosen for their second child because he was a blessing after Kim’s difficult pregnancy. Chicago seems to be just as special to the couple.
Several photos of Kanye arriving at his Calabasas, Calif., office on Wednesday circulated the web, and he was beaming in them. Beaming! How often do you see this man without his trademark scowl? Let him have it.
We eventually get used to these odd celebrity baby names.
Fine, mom, we would not jump off a bridge if all our friends did. If other celebrities name their kids after unusual objects or concepts, why shouldn’t Kimye? Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin named their daughter Apple, which ended up fitting well with the biblical theme established by their second kid, Moses. We all thought Blue Ivy was a weird choice, but now Beyoncé gets to call her Azul when she sings in Spanish.
North made quite a splash when her name was first announced, causing everyone to yell about cardinal directions like we were a bunch of lost explorers. I eventually became enamored with the name. It is short, catchy and certainly memorable. Plus, her parents give her the cute nickname Nori, as Kanye sings in “Only One,” a song told from the perspective of the late Donda West as she looks down on her son from the afterlife.
So yeah, Chicago seems promising.
This family is all about staying relevant.
The Kardashian-Jenner clan is all about staying in the news, and a name like this one is likely to keep the West branch of the family there for a while. Until Kylie and Khloe’s babies dominate the headlines, anyway.
It is also worth noting everything Chicago-related in pop culture will also have a Kardashian West connection. This kid shares the name with a rock band, a defiant poem by Carl Sandburg, a fantastic Sufjan Stevens song, a Tony-winning musical and all that jazz.
We're so flattered! Welcome to the world, Chicago West! https://t.co/aIXCDJewPN
— Chicago The Musical (@ChicagoMusical) January 19, 2018
It’s not that unusual to name your kid after a city.
BuzzFeed reporter Sylvia Obell made a good point: If city names like Brooklyn and Paris have been accepted for children, why not Chicago? There’s not much else to say here.
Also, if Dallas and Brooklyn and Savannah and Charlotte and Paris and Phoenix can be names why NOT Chicago.
— Sylvia (@SylviaObell) January 19, 2018
I'm more here for it by the minute.
Finally, Chi is an adorable nickname.
We like Nori, and Saintie is pretty cute, too, if less creative. Chi, pronounced “shy,” might be the best of the three nicknames. Not only does it remind us of Lena Waithe’s heartfelt Showtime series about the city, “The Chi,” but it also has exceptional rhyming capabilities. Kanye’s going to have some fun with this one.
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