Kanye West says ‘radical obedience to Christ’ got him past his mental breakdown
Hip-hop and fashion trailblazer Kanye West revealed his submission to Christ has been instrumental in his mental health journey.
The “Jesus Walks” rapper graces the cover of the August 2019 issue of Forbes and in an in-depth profile, titled “Kanye’s Second Coming: Inside The Billion-Dollar Yeezy Empire,” he opened up about his diagnosis with bipolar disorder and his successful Yeezy sneaker.
In 2016, West checked himself into a Los Angeles hospital which caused him to cancel his tour at the time due to mental illness.
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When asked how he came back from that difficult season, West told Forbes it was "being in service to Christ, the radical obedience" that got him through.
The 42-year-old also mentioned his faith when talking about his Athletic Shoe empire, Yeezy sneakers, which, according to Forbes, is expected to generate $1.5 billion in annual sales this year.
“I’m just blessed through the grace of God to go from tweeting at Mark Zuckerberg,” West confessed. The rapper admitted he asked the technology entrepreneur for $1 billion to help fund his creative ideas when he was $53 million in debt.
In just a few years, West turned his life around. He owns 100% of Yeezy. The Chicago native has also taken a step back from his regular outspoken rants on stage and social media to focus his energy on what he calls Sunday Services.
West began Sunday Service meetings — which his wife, Kim Kardashian West, described as a "spiritual Christian experience" — this year. As of now, the events happen every Sunday and include gospel music but omit preaching.
“I had the idea of making a church before but I really was sketching it out. Then in 2019, I was like I’m not letting a Sunday go by without making this,” West said on the season finale of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians” in June.
They began the meeting in a “James Turell inspired” circular dome but because of how rapidly attendance increased they had to move Sunday Service outdoors.
“I think the intention was always for it to be this smaller experience but then when I was posting pix online everyone really liked to see what was going on," Kardashian West said in the episode. "So Kanye is going to continue this and hopefully have it grow and become a really big experience.”
The famous Kardashian sisters were on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" earlier this year and Kim, Kourtney and Khloe revealed what actually goes on at West’s Sunday Service events.
“There’s actually no praying, there’s no sermon, there’s no word; it’s just music,” Kardashian West said, although many of the clips shared online by the beauty guru have featured prayer.
“But it’s Christian,” Kourtney clarified. Later, she said that they perform West’s hit song, “Jesus Walks.”
“There’s a choir; it’s gospel music,” Kardashian West added.
In a recent interview with Elle, the KKW beauty guru said Sunday Service was inspired by her husband's personal faith.
“It’s definitely something he believes in — Jesus — and there’s a Christian vibe. But there’s no preaching. It’s just a very spiritual Christian experience,” she said.
Although Sunday Service is exclusive, people can see a glimpse of the songs posted on social media every week. Many of Kardashian West's clips feature her daughter, North West, dancing to the music.
