We all know that one person who can act a plum fool at the worst times. It’s that uncle who gets drunk and starts cursing everyone out, or the cousin who is bipolar and starts telling the family’s secrets. Either way, you can never predict when this explosion will happen, so you worry about them often. In the celebrity world, one person who is unpredictable is Kanye West. Ever since his interruption of Taylor Swift, his actions have been very strange. Of course the death of his mother sparked a mental break, but he went into a downward spiral very quickly. To keep up with surprising acts, he recently formed a gospel choir that has been the talk of celebrity news and of church folks. No one saw it coming, but now that it’s here, some have been in awe and some not so much. He has taken the gospel world by surprise, and some people are questioning his motives.
The point of music, in my opinion, is to influence and entertain the masses with your talent. Most artists have yet to figure this out, which is why mumble rap still exists. I will admit that I liked Kanye West pre-breakdown, but I was never a huge fan. When I first saw a taping of his gospel choir, I was extremely skeptical. I even went as far as to ask what kind of ploy was he trying run on us. Keep in mind that I sing gospel and the choir was great, but in stead of enjoying it, I looked for a hidden agenda. I was being the judgmental Christian that I always dislike. The recent video of his choir singing at my friend’s church in Chicago made me open my eyes. He was just being another Kirk Franklin back in the day. When Kirk Franklin first appeared on the gospel scene, he was talked about negatively. Being a child, the music spoke to me, but not to the seasoned Saints.
I often say that we can miss the message due to focusing too much on the messenger. Even though we wouldn’t dub Kanye as a gospel artist per say, that doesn’t mean that he can’t have good gospel songs. Secular artists switch over and sing gospel all of the time, with KeKe Wyatt, Kelly Price, and Al Green being amongst the many. Kanye has some questionable acts, but this is not one of them. He is spreading the good news of Jesus around the world. The one truth we must agree on is that even if this is a ploy, he is still spreading the news of the mighty God we serve. It may not be the famous Marvin Sapp or Fred Hammond, but the same message stands. We as Christians have to understand that God can and will use anyone He pleases. It is up to us to receive the message. This requires spiritual maturity, which many of us lack due to judgement. Will you open your spiritual eyes and ears and receive it?
Be Sweet 