KANYE WEST

!e Evolution of Kanye West

By David Quinones

Let’s take this time to celebrate this music legend who undoubtedly has always given his devotion to Jesus Christ by demanding in prayer that Jesus Walks in brand Christian proclamation. In 2004, the song debuted on his !rst studio album, “"e College Dropout”. "e mind of a man who passionately challenged all fashion trends and styled a brand of shoe a#ectionately called “"e Yeezy.” Even with all of that success, he still confessed that Jesus Is King!

From music to fashion, Kanye Omari West has been a staple in the industry for over 20 years. "e entrepreneur, rapper, singer, record producer, songwriter, fashion designer and now full $edged gospel artist, has produced hits for the likes of Beyoncé, Jay Z, John Legend, Common, Jamie Foxx, Rihanna, Alicia Keys, Janet Jackson and many others. Kanye has been a musical force to be reckoned with for almost two decades, but we don’t really want to get into who Kanye was in the old days that made you think about dropping out of college and the fast life with jewelry, clothes and hoes. Nah, in this season we are excited about his deliverance and who he has become in Jesus name. Kanye’s net worth is over a quarter billion dollars due to his stake in music, fashion and real estate, yet he still has the mind to confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! Being a fan of Kanye West in the early years, I saw the transformation of Kanye go from hard core rapper/producer with a huge ego and persona to match to a full $edged spiritual and inspirational Ambassador for Christ. "e ego is still there, but isn’t that what makes Kanye, Kanye? Besides none of us are perfect and there is something about everyone on God’s green earth that isn’t totally pleasing in his sight. However, the true and living God of salvation is who Christ is in Ye’s life now. Now this is not to say that he still doesn’t rub people the wrong way, especially as it pertains to his political a&liations with one of the most controversial men in the world, President Donald Trump. Mr. West has been scrutinized for his connection to Trump and for proudly wearing that MAGA (Make America Great Again) hat, however, there are many African American pastors who support #45 and they still have full churches, so is there much of a his voting choice when the majority of minorities all over America despised him for it. It reminds me of the story of a group of Scribes and Pharisees confronting Jesus while at the Mount of Olives about the woman who committed adultery, and was caught in the act. We know the story about the people so busy trying to get Jesus to look down on the woman who sinned that they forgot their own. "ey asked Jesus if the punishment for someone like her should be stoning as prescribed by the mosaic law in the times of Moses. Jesus was raw with it though, acting like he didn’t hear them. But the accusers kept pushing and Jesus stood up and stated,“He who is without sin is the one who should cast the !rst stone.” All of the people that were there departed, realizing that

not one of them was without sin. "e Jesus Is Kingproject is a phenomenal collection of music that brings me back to my early walk with Christ. Its pure exhortation and praise to our Lord and Savior is current, yet still pays homage to gospel music that was once considered contemporary, but is now looked at as traditional. Go !gure! One of my favorite song is the soulful Hands On, featuring Fred Hammond and albeit a snippet, the choir !lled Every Hour featuring the Sunday Service Choir is enough to get your musical palate watering and yearning for more. Little did we know that two months later, we would get a special gift on a very appropriate Christmas Day, with the release of Jesus is Born, a full album full of nostalgic gospel gems, courtesy of the Sunday Service Choir and not a peep from Mr. West.

Kanye is no doubt a man that has experienced many high and lows, both personally and professionally, but it’s clear that even through the trials, he has seemed to turn them into

“...from hard core rapper/producer with a huge ego and persona to match to a full !edged spiritual and inspirational Ambassador for Christ.”

di#erence? Kanye was a#ectionately explaining triumphs through a God that he has always acknowledged. He has even proclaimed that he will no longer do any music other than gospel music but even if he decides to go back to popular music, who are we to judge? How many times have we gone back on our word? A close source to Root Magazine said that Kanye spends upwards of $2 million a month to move the Sunday Service choir around, doing pop up services around the world, and anyone who does that must be serious about their walk with Christ. Right?