Kanye West Surprises Texas Inmates with Performance: ‘This Is a Mission, Not a Show’

Over the weekend, Kanye West surprised inmates in Houston, Texas with gospel-filled worship services.

“This is a mission, not a show,” he told the audience, as reported by CBN.

Ahead of his conversation with Joel Osteen at Lakewood Church in Houston, West visited the Harris County Jail and performed for both the men and the women from his ‘Jesus is King’ album. Around 200 male prisoners showed up to the service, lifting their hands and singing along. As the gospel choir sang, the rapper embraced the men in orange jumpsuits and led them in prayer.

The women experienced the same service after the men. Many of them were in tears as the choir sang over them.

“It really was like a worship service,” said Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzales. “Very uplifting not only for the inmates that are in here—you can see some who were down on their knees in prayer—to even some of our teammates who were brought to tears.”

Although the jail hosts several faith-based events, Gonzales said West’s appearance was the largest to date.

Public Affairs Director for the Sheriff’s Office, Jason Spencer, attended the event and tweeted pictures of inmates on their knees.

“Say what you want about the man, but Kanye West and his choir brought some light to people who needed it today at the Harris County Jail,” he said.

Say what you want about…