Kanye West is first to win both Billboard Top Gospel, Top Christian Album awards with ‘Jesus is King’
Kanye West has become the first artist to win both Billboard’s Top Gospel Album and Top Christian Album awards with his Christian album Jesus is King.
The 2020 Billboard Music Awards were held Wednesday, and West won four Billboard awards, including all three of the Gospel categories and one of the three Christian categories.
West won the award for Top Gospel Artist, Top Gospel Album and Top Christian Album for Jesus is King, and Top Gospel Song for "Follow God."
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“The controversial star won for both top gospel album and top Christian album for Jesus Is King. West is the first artist to win in both categories,” reported Billboard.
West was also nominated for Top Christian Artist and Top Christian Song. However, those awards went to Lauren Daigle and For King & Country’s song "God Only Knows," respectively.
“Thank God for the favor the increase,” posted West on his official Twitter account. “thank Billboard awards for the 9 nominations and 4 wins. Invite me next time and I’ll pull up.”
Last October, West released Jesus is King, a Christian album, after the mainstream entertainment celebrity had publicly declared that he was no longer going to make secular music.
Music for the album included songs with Christian-themed titles, such as the aforementioned "Follow God," as well as "Everything We Need," "On God," "God Is," and "Closed on Sunday."
In conjunction with the album, West also released a 35-minute IMAX documentary with the same title. The album debuted on the top of the Billboard 200.
Jesus is King broke West’s prior streaming record, giving him approximately 196.9 million on-demand streams, according to Billboard.
In July, West announced that he was running for president in 2020 as a third party candidate, explaining that it was part of an effort to spiritually revive the United States.
“For the other candidates, I just gracefully suggest y’all bow out — Trump and Biden, gracefully bow out,” West told Forbes in an interview earlier this year.
“It’s God’s country, we are doing everything in service to God, nobody but God no more. I am in service of our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, and I put everything I get on the line to serve God."
