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Kanye West talks about serving God during visit with Osteen

Published:Tuesday | November 19, 2019 | 12:00 AM
Rapper Kanye West (right) answers questions from Joel Osteen during a service at Lakewood Church on Sunday.
Kanye West performing during his 'Sunday Service' pop-up concert at Emancipation Park last month.
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HOUSTON (AP):

Rapper Kanye West told parishioners at Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch on Sunday that his recent spiritual awakening has made him realise that he’s no longer in the service to fame and money but “in service to God”.

West spoke to a packed crowd of about 16,000 people at Lakewood Church’s 11 a.m. service during an interview with Osteen from the stage. West told the parishioners about his recent conversion to Christianity and how God has been guiding him.

“I know that God has been calling me for a long time and the devil has been distracting me for a long time,” West said. He added that at his lowest point, when he was hospitalised in 2016 after a “mental breakdown”, God “was there with me, sending me visions and inspiring me.”

Gospel album

Last month, West released Jesus is King, a Gospel-themed album that’s been described as Christian rap.

The rapper’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, and their daughter, North West, joined him at the church. They sat in the front row of the cavernous arena, the former Compaq Center, which was once the home of the Houston Rockets. Many of the parishioners seated around West took photos of him with their cell phones.

“This is like the Super Bowl today,” said Amy Holmes, who was visiting from New Orleans with her husband and decided to attend.

West was also scheduled to perform in the evening at Lakewood with his “Sunday Service,” a church-like concert featuring a choir. Tickets for the free concert were distributed through Ticketmaster and sold out within minutes Saturday, though some people have been reselling them for hundreds of dollars.

West has been traveling around the U.S. holding his ‘Sunday Service’ concerts since January, including at the Coachella festival, an outdoor shopping centre in Salt Lake City, and an Atlanta-area megachurch.