As many fans patiently await the release of his upcoming album, Jesus is King, Kanye West‘s much-beloved Sunday Service tour is still ongoing.
Last Saturday, the unique invite-only show stopped in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the 42-year-old rapper spoke in front of thousands of people about his journey to Christianity, with a backing choir accompanying him.
West, however, performed only one song at the Gateway — the massively crowded open-air venue — after launching into a heated political rant.
While reminding fans that he’s an avid supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, the Stronger rapper tried to justify exactly why to those who disagree with him.
Because of their shared political party, West compared Trump, 73, to former president Abraham Lincoln, adding that the 19th-century Republican leader “freed the slaves.”
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“Abraham Lincoln was the Whig Party,” said West. “That’s the Republican Party that freed the slaves.”
He proceeded to tell the audience that he would not oppose Trump simply because he was African American.
West continued: “I ain’t never make a decision based only on my colour, that’s a form of slavery — mental slavery. I ain’t drinking from the white person fountain. I ain’t playing with them. All these mind controllers, the media, all of these mind controllers.”
The musician’s words were met with an abundance of mixed reactions. Cheers, applause and many shouting “boo” echoed throughout the complex.
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West later claimed that his belief in God gives his mind clarity, before speaking about the woes and non-progressive nature of social media.
He said, “I find that wherever Christ is, is where I’ve got my mind at. We find that the love of Christ is where I’ve got my mind back.”
West’s social media rant, however, won back the majority of the crowd. “Do not read comments on the internet,” he said. “These people don’t know you like that.”
“Social media is designed to make you think slower,” he continued. “They want to slow you down and control you.”
Adding to that, West addressed the current state of criminal justice reform, claiming that with the power and reach of social media, a large amount of people are still focusing on the wrong, and often trivial, issues.
“Right now, there’s 1 in 3 African Americans locked up in this country,” he yelled. “This is not a museum.”
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The show concluded with a high-energy performance of Jesus Walks — which comes from West’s critically-acclaimed 2004 album The College Dropout.
Saturday’s concert was held right before the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held its twice-yearly conference.
As of this writing, it’s unclear when Jesus Is King will be released to the public. It was initially set for a Sept. 27 release, according to Kim Kardashian.
The Jesus Is King film will premiere exclusively in select IMAX cinemas on Friday, Oct. 25, as reported by Pitchfork.
— With files from The Associated Press
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