info@businessghana.com
Kanye West made a highly anticipated appearance at televangelist Joel Osteen's mega church in Texas on Sunday where he opened up about his faith and his latest album.
The 42-year-old rapper appeared at the Lakewood Church in Houston where he talked about his 'journey to his faith' for about 20 minutes before the crowd of 17,000.
'I know God's been calling me for a long time and the devil has been distracting me for a long time,' West said when he took to the stage in a smart black suit.
The rapper opened up about his spiritual awakening, saying God gave him visions which inspired his gospel album and the creation of Sunday Service.
'When I was in my lowest points, God was there with me and sending me visions and inspiring me. I remember sitting in the hospital at UCLA after having a breakdown and there's documentations of me drawing a church and writing about starting a church in the middle of Calabasas,' he said.
'Even after that I made the Life of Pablo album and said this is a gospel album. I didn't know how to totally make a gospel album and the Christians that were around were too beaten into submission by society to not speak up and profess the gospel to me because I was a superstar. But the only superstar is Jesus,' he said.
'All of that arrogance, and confidence and cockiness that y'all seen me use before God is now using for Him,' West said to the cheers of the crowd.
'Because every time I stand up I feel that I'm standing up and drawing a line in the sand and saying I'm here in service to God and no weapons armed against me shall prosper.
Osteen then asked him to speak about worshiping fame and money.
'It's like the devil stole all the good producers, all the good musicians, all the good artists, all the good designers, all the good business people and said, "you gotta come over and work for me." And now the trend, the shift, is going to change. Jesus has won the victory,' West said.
'Now the greatest artist God ever created is now working for him,' he added with a smile.
Earlier on Sunday Jenna Bush Hager shared a picture posing with Kardashian following an interview on Kim's time speaking with death row inmate Rodney Reed
West explained he was inspired to turn to faith by his own upbringing where his father took him to church three times a week and his mother took him to church every Sunday.
'As I now have a family, I'm 42 years old and married for five years, there's a blatant responsibility for me to become more like my mother who has gone to heaven and more like my father, who is working in building a water purification center in the Dominican Republic.'
West's wife Kim Kardashian was sitting in the front row of the mega church with their daughter North listening in to his speech.
The rapper then discussed his latest album Jesus is King.
'Closed on Sunday is the hardest record ever made because it's talking about protecting your kids from the indoctrination of the media,' West said, speaking on his track Closed on Sunday.
Osteen asked what advice he'd impart to his younger self.
'You know, it's nothing I can say to the younger Kanye through words. I could speak to the younger Kanye through music....We on they neck. This music coming every month. God is strengthening our hands. We have writers, producers, we're taking all the most fire producers and bringing them back to God,' West said.
West closed out his time on stage with a prayer. At the end of West's speech the camera flickered to Kardashian who was smiling in the front row as the crowd applauded the celebrity couple.
Kardashian, along with a slew of other celebrities, have called on Texas Governor Greg Abbott to stall Reed's death sentence and look into new evidence that could exonerate him
West is expected to return to the church at 7pm for a performance with his gospel choir to perform songs from his latest album.
'Kanye and Joel are friends. He’s been wanting to come out for some time and it just worked out for this weekend,' Lakewood representative Donald Iloff said to the Houston Chronicle ahead of West's appearance.
Earlier on Sunday Today show host Jenna Bush Hager shared photos with Kim Kardashian, wearing the same gray oversized suit she wore to Sunday's church service, following an interview on death row inmate Rodney Reed.
Kardashian, along with a slew of other celebrities, have called on Texas Governor Greg Abbott to stall Reed's death sentence and look into new evidence that could exonerate him.
Reed, who was convicted for the 1996 Texas murder of 19-year-old Stacey Stites, had his execution, which was set for November 20, delayed by Texas officials thanks to the protest of high profile figures like Kardashian, Dr. Phil, and Rihanna.
The Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles on Friday unanimously recommended a 120-day reprieve for Reed. The board's decision now goes to Gov. Greg Abbott.
On Friday Kanye West brought his Sunday Service program to the Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, ahead of his performance at Osteen's megachurch.
The moving service saw inmates raising their hands to West's music, much of it from his latest album, as the group of 100 singers and musicians performed early Friday morning.
