Pastor Whose Church Held Kanye West's Sunday Service Slams Rapper for His Comments on Slavery
An Atlanta pastor, whose church previously held Kanye West‘s Sunday Service, is slamming the rapper for his controversial views.
On Sunday, Pastor Jamal Harrison Bryant — senior pastor at New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Georgia, spoke to the congregation about West, condemning his previous comments on slavery and his support of President Donald Trump, Complex reported.
Bryant reportedly began his sermon by praising West’s gospel album Jesus Is King, but criticized the rapper for his behavior outside of the music.
“Kanye West is a gifted lyricist. My problem is in between the songs. It ain’t on the album. The album is hot, it’s good. It’s in between the songs. I can’t rest with Kanye saying that slavery was an option,” Bryant said, according to Complex.
In May 2018 West, 42, made headlines following an explosive TMZ interview in which he said “They could have stopped it. They could have said ‘Yo this is going too far,'” of slavery.”
“You hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sounds like a choice,” West added.
Also in the interview, West expressed his love for Trump, 73.
In August of that year, the rapper apologized for his comments.
“I’m sorry for the one-two effect of the MAGA hat into the slave comment, and I’m sorry for people that felt let down by that moment,” West said during a radio interview with 107.5 WGCI Chicago.
In addition to condemning West for supporting Trump, Bryant explained, according to Complex, that he blames the father of four for making Trump feel comfortable enough to visit Atlanta and convince black people to vote for him.
“It’s in between the songs that he says black people should vote Republican because that group kept us free. I can’t resist in between the songs when Kanye would endorse Donald Trump who has never done a thing for black people, but say this is the way that is going to give us resources. It’s in between the songs that he endorsed him, and because he endorsed him, Donald Trump thought that he was going to come into Atlanta, Georgia and nobody was going to check him,” Bryant said, according to Complex.
Last week, Trump touched down in Atlanta to launch a new outreach initiative Black Voices for Trump, which encourages black people to support him, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported.
Bryant’s message on West comes after Bryant redirected a donation West made to New Birth Missionary Baptist Church, according to Complex and AJC, after he the rapper told a crowd in Salt Lake City, Utah that he was happy to stand with Trump — the incident came just after West’s Sunday Service at New Birth in September.
“In between leaving New Birth, went to Salt Lake City and said to a crowd of 98 percent white people that he is proud of standing with Donald Trump and is not going to be bullied by anybody,” Bryant said, according to Complex.
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Both Bryant and a rep for West did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
While West’s views have been highly criticized in recent months, the star is not stepping away from politics.
Last week, speaking at Fast Company’s Innovation Festival, West announced his plans to run for president in 2024.
“When I run for president in 2024 —” West said, to laughter from the audience. “What y’all laughing at?”
West said that if he were elected president, he would “create so many jobs.”
“I’m not going to run, I’m going to walk,” he said. “What they’re saying is Kanye’s crazy — one and three African Americans are in jail and all the celebrities are in jail also because they can’t say nothing because they’re so scared.”
