How did Kanye West find spirituality? Rapper became religious after 2016 hospitalization
Netflix documentary on Kanye West called ‘Jeen-Yuhs’ will try to bring the hidden chapters of the rapper’s life in front of his fans. The trilogy that hits the Internet on February 16 will take both Ye’s personal and professional life into consideration. Whilst the world talks about his chaotic personal life and very successful work life, many forget to discuss how spiritual Kanye is.
The Sunday Service Choir of the 44-year-old rapper is well-known but it only started in 2019 whereas, the multi-platinum rapper has been making music since 1996. The ‘Donda’ hitmaker has been very vocal about his faith and even dropped a full-length album called ‘Jesus Is King’ in December 2019. The album won the Top Christian Album and Top Gospel Album awards at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards and Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in 2021. Kanye West has time and again shared his valuable opinion on religion and faith and as his documentary nears its release, lets’ dive deep into the spiritual side of the acclaimed hip-hop artist.
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Kanye West's insights on Christianity
Even though Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir was introduced in 2019, the rapper had dropped a song in 2004 called ‘Jesus Walks’. In the song, he raps, “They say you can rap about anything except for Jesus / That means guns, sex, lies, videotape / But if I talk about God my record won’t get played.” It won the Grammy for Best Rap Song also scoring double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
If his fans want to explore his views on religion, they can always plug into his songs like ‘Ultralight Beam’, ‘I Am A God’, ‘Low Lights’ + Highlights’ and ‘New God Flow’ among a few others. In an interview with the BBC in 2013, the Grammy-winning rap icon encouraged his fans to have self-belief and self-esteem by saying, ““Go listen to all my music. It’s the code to self-esteem. If you’re a Kanye West fan, you’re not a fan of me. You’re a fan of yourself. You will believe in yourself.”
‘I thought I had it all figured out’
Kanye West sat for an interview with Vogue in 2019 where he opened up on his ego whilst also speaking about Christianity. “I thought I had it all figured out. [God has changed] everything, my ego”, said Kanye, adding, “God put it all together. I’ll tell you what, when I don’t apply grace, I don’t get the results I’m looking for. Everything must be done with grace. That’s one of the things I pray for and I need to pray for more.” He further stated, “A lot of times, people try to point out the flaws of people who are Christian. But always remember, Christians are not Christ. We fall short. We all fall short of the glory.”
In 2008, Kanye told The Fader, “I’m like a vessel, and God has chosen me to be the voice and the connector. I can’t be responsible. I’m good, but I’m not that good. So my job is just to be in the studio and do videos, and I just stand here and let God do the rest.” However, Kanye stopped talking about God and religion for the next few years as he embroiled himself in a lot of controversies both personally and professionally.
The Sunday Service Era
Kanye West took a new route in 2019 by conducting the first Sunday Service Choir and he continued the same as it soon become a hit with his listeners. He brought the choir to Coachella in April 2019. He dubbed himself as “born-again Christian” during an interview with Chance the Rapper. He apparently dropped a subtle hint on finding spirituality after he spoke to Zane Low on his Beats 1 show. He revealed that he began reading the Bible during his 2016 hospitalization for mental health issues, and started “writing and copying out Bible verses. He added, “Now that I’m in service to Christ, to let people know what Jesus has done for me”, as reported by Consequence.
