Kanye West performed two secret concerts for Harris County jail inmates
While Ye lifted his praise in the prison, his wife was visiting Rodney Reed lifting his spirit
Two days before Kanye West and his famed Sunday Service are slated to appear at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Texas, the rapper played two secret performances at the Harris County Jail on Friday.
Two days before Kanye West and his famed Sunday Service are slated to appear at Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church in Texas, the rapper played two secret performances at the Harris County Jail on Friday.
More than 200 male inmates inside the 701 San Jacinto building got to #turnup to Ye’s gospel experience with his 100-member of the choir. The rapper then served up a second hour-long set inside the main Baker Street jail for a smaller group of women inmates, E! News reports.
READ MORE: Kanye West set to appear at Joel Osteen’s megachurch, faces backlash
“This is a mission, not a show,” West reportedly told his jailhouse audience.
Video of the performance has been shared online, which shows several inmates overcome with emotion as the Hip-Hop icon performs hits from his gospel-themed Jesus is King album.
On Sunday, West is taking his Sunday Service to Osteen’s Lakewood megachurch, and a source exclusively tells ET that there will be two Ye-themed services. The first one will be during the morning service. at 11:00 a.m. According the source, the service “will include a conversation between Joel and Kanye about overcoming adversity and his faith journey.” Then at 7:00 p.m., West’s Sunday Service will perform a free event, but attendees are required have an admission E-ticket only available through Ticketmaster, the report states.
READ MORE: Joel Osteen’s church responds to criticism, opens to flood victims
There’s such a demand for tickets that, according to TMZ, scalpers have already copped a bunch of reserve tickets to sell for a quick buck. However, the outlet writes, “We’re told the tickets they have identified as being held by scalpers have been invalidated.”
West’s appearance at Osteen’s church in Houston on Sunday will be the first time that he will have ever spoken publicly about his salvation in front of a large audience. The Lakewood Church boasts about 52,000 people every week, according to the Christian Post, and millions tune in every Sunday to watch Osteen on TV.
It will also be the first time the musician and Osteen meet face-to-face. Yeezy’s wife, Kim Kardashian, is also expected to attend the service, fresh off her visit with death row inmate Rodney Reed.
The reality tv star has been lobbying to set Reed free, and according to TMZ, she met with him Friday in Livingston, TX while her hubby was rocking the jailhouse for inmates in Houston.
READ MORE: Days before Rodney Reed’s execution, new evidence might save his life
West wanted to visit Reed too but only legal visitation was permitted, and since Kardashian is a legal apprentice, she was allowed to chop it up with Reed about his controversial case. The make-up mogul was with the inmate when he received the exciting news that “ the highest court in Texas had issued a stay of execution and remanded the case back to the trial court for further consideration.”
As TheGrio previously reported, 51-year-old Reed had been set for lethal injection Wednesday evening for the 1996 killing of 19-year-old Stacey Stites. Prosecutors say he raped and strangled the teenager as she made her way to work at a supermarket in Bastrop, a rural community about 30 miles southeast of Austin.
