There was once a time in which Kanye West was considered the archetypical "Calabasas Elite." Rich beyond comprehension, married to one of the continent's most famous names, and prone to indulging in all manner of hedonistic practices. After a period during which his baser urges seized control of his musical direction, a movement culminating in the hellspawn that is the Lil Pump-assisted "I Love It," Kanye appeared to undergo a slew of epiphanies. The most impactful one -- Yeezy's boundless newfound devotion to God -- continues to this day.
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Consider that yesterday marked the one year anniversary of Sunday Service, and Kanye has since been moving like a changed man. So much so that he has seemingly cast his devotion to L.A. culture aside. "I'ma take offense to somebody calling me secular," says Kanye, sliding from singing to ranting with a practiced touch. "Ya'll could look at the affordable homes we was building and call that bizarre. Ya'll can take the picture of me painted in silver and call that what ya'll want. But don't call me secular. Cause secular is trying to say that I do anything for anyone other than Christ. That's where they got it messed up. That's where they got it twisted. I've worked for people other than Christ before, it landed me right in the hospital. It landed me right in debt."
As one enthralled parishioner cries out "testify," so does Yeezy continue. "I was highly distracted, I'm sorry. I was extremely distracted by a lot of the same things that got a lot of us to fly out to L.A. in the first place. I was distracted by them the same trophies and man-made ideals. I was distracted from what God was telling me to do." No more parties in L.A. indeed. It's a bold declaration from Kanye, though an admirable one. Even amidst being dragged into the narrative on Drake's Rap Radar appearance, the Calabasas legend opted to engage in the tried and true biblical practice of turning the other cheek.