Kanye West’s fans rush to his stage as he performs Sunday Service amid a Mormon conference in Salt Lake City
His breathlessly awaited album Jesus Is King blew past its most recent release date at the end of last month with nary a peep.
Kanye West continued to bring his Sunday Service program to the masses on Saturday, even if his upcoming album still needs some work.
The 42–year–old rapper sent crowds of fans rushing to his hastily constructed stage Saturday in Salt Lake City, Utah, which coincided with the semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Competition: Kanye West, 42, performed his Sunday Service on Saturday in Salt Lake City, Utah, at the same time as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ General Conference
Kanye set up his Sunday Service show near The Gateway, a large residential complex and shopping center.
Video shot by fans at the event shows a massive throng of fans running up to the stage ahead of the performance.
The Jesus Walks rapper was dressed for the show in one of his regular uniforms with a white sweatshirt reading ‘Jesus Is King’ and featuring images of religious icons.
He added a pair of golden brown jeans and black boots.
Packed: Video shot by fans at the event shows a massive throng of fans running up to the stage ahead of the performance
Still at it: Kanye reiterated his support for Donald Trump and praised the Republic Party of Abraham Lincoln for freeing the slaves
Kanye had his head bowed at the start of the performance as someone read a prayer.
The musician and producer also made a return to politics after staying quiet on the subject.
He stirred controversy throughout 2018 with his unabashed support for President Donald Trump, which alienated many of his core fans.
He distanced himself from conservative politics earlier this year, but his Saturday performance featured a show of support for President Trump, as well as reference to how the Republic Party of Abraham Lincolns day had freed the slaves, according to the Deseret News.
‘I ain’t never make a decision based only on my color,’ he said. ‘That’s a form of slavery — mental slavery. I ain’t drink from the white person fountain…. I ain’t playing with them.
‘All these mind controllers, the media, all of these mind controllers. I find that wherever Christ is where I’ve got my mind at. We find that the love of Christ is where I’ve got my mind back.’
His own merch: The Jesus Walks rapper was dressed for the show in one of his regular uniforms with a white sweatshirt reading ‘Jesus Is King’ and featuring images of religious icons
Beating his own path: ‘I ain’t never make a decision based only on my color,’ he said. ‘That’s a form of slavery — mental slavery. I ain’t drink from the white person fountain…. I ain’t playing with them’
Eyes on the prize: ‘I find that wherever Christ is where I’ve got my mind at,’ Kanye continued. ‘We find that the love of Christ is where I’ve got my mind back.’
Kanye also warned his fans about the dangers of social media from the stage.
‘Do not read comments on the Internet. These people don’t know you like that. Social media is designed to make you think slower…. They want to slow you down and control you,’ he said, according to reporter Hunter Schwarz.
The musician also urged the people in the crowd to focus less on things like music and sports, and instead focus on societal ills, adding ‘there’s one in three African–Americans in jail in this country.’
Beware: Kanye also warned his fans about the dangers of social media from the stage; pictured with his wife Kim Kardashian in New York City on September 29
MIA: So far, his album Jesus Is King has yet to materialize, though Kim shared a version of the tracklist and lucky fans have heard a version of the album at listening parties; pictured in NYC
Though his Sunday Service performances were originally performed near his home in Calabasas, California, Kanye has performed it on other days of the week and taken it on tour in recent weeks, often featuring local choirs to augment his traveling singers.
He’s been using the shows to promote Jesus Is King. Attendees at recent listening parties have described it as a gospel-heavy album with more muted rapping contributions from Kanye and no swearing.
The album’s tracklist was previously posted to Twitter (in a different order) by his wife Kim Kardashian.
On the road: Kanye has started performing Sunday Service on other days of the week and taking it on tour ahead of his album drop
Sharing his truth: ‘This album has been made to be an expression of the gospel and to share the gospel and the truth of what Jesus has done to me,’ Kanye said in New York; pictured with Swizz Beatz (R) and Rick Fox (L) on September 29
‘This has been an incredible journey,’ Kanye said during a New York City performance late last month.
‘By having the luxury of having an amazing choir around me every Sunday I came to know the truth and the joy of Jesus Christ.
‘This album has been made to be an expression of the gospel and to share the gospel and the truth of what Jesus has done to me. When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he does for me, my soul cries out,’ he concluded.
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