Kanye West almost quit rap and called it “the devil’s music,” according to his pastor

Kanye West's delayed gospel-rap album Jesus Is King has a new release date of October 25. However, according to a recent Apologia Studios interview with West's pastor Adam Taylor, West was on the verge of quitting hip-hop entirely, and called it "the devil's music."

Taylor and West began their working relationship in May when the rapper became a member of the parish at West's Placerita Bible Church, as Complex points out. Soon after revealing how he was "radically saved," West told Taylor he was having difficulty reconciling his career and his faith.

"One time, he told me that he wasn't going to rap," Tyson says in the interview at the 23:30 mark. "I said, 'Why not?' He said, 'Well, that's the devil's music.' I said, 'Hey, man. Rap is a genre. You can rap for God.' I think he was already thinking about it a little bit, but I just definitely said, 'Hey, bro. I think you need to use your talents that God's given you and use that platform for God.'"

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Kanye appears to be doing just that: He can be heard saying "I'm not here for your entertainment. I'm an evangelist," in a new trailer for his upcoming IMAX movie Jesus Is King: A Kanye West Film. Read our review of Kanye West's recent New York City stop here.