Ahead of Kanye West’s Sunday Service concert at Pastor Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church on Sunday, he and members of the gospel choir performed at two Harris County jails.
West performed songs from his Jesus is King album for more than 200 men at the Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, Friday before walking through an underground tunnel system to perform another show for a smaller group of female inmates at the Baker Street Jail, the Houston Chronicle reported.
“This is a mission, not a show,” West told the inmates in a video released by the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.
During the performance’s finale, many of the male inmates wearing orange scrubs knelt down in prayer together.
Several of the women inmates cried as they were moved by the lyrics sung by West and the gospel choir.
Lauding West’s decision to perform a concert for the inmates, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott posted a message on Twitter Saturday saying,
“What Kanye West does to inspire the incarcerated is transformative. Saving one soul at a time.
Inmates who turn to God may get released earlier because of good behavior and may be less likely to commit future crimes. It would be great if other artists followed Kanye’s lead.”
