Kanye West may be at the very top of the entertainment world, with his recent album “Jesus Is King” (2019) hitting top of the Billboard 200 charts, but the fantastically famous and wealthy singer took time out of his day to help a homeless veteran.
On Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2020, the rapper, driving in his matte black Lamborghini Urus, valued at over $200,000, pulled off the freeway near his home in Calabasas, California, and had his bodyguard approach the man.
Photographers caught images of the homeless vet holding a sign explaining that he was “on the road” and that “anything helps.” West’s bodyguard gave the man cash, although it’s not known how much he gave the man.
The charitable act may be a sign of West’s recently rediscovered faith.
This isn’t the first time that the rapper and recording artist has shown an interest in the issues of homelessness. In the summer of 2019, West began to develop prototypes of prefabricated dome houses on his Calabasas property, intended to help address the massive housing problem in the L.A. area. The dome houses were inspired by the iconic design of the Skywalker residence on Tatooine in “Star Wars,” per Dezeen.
In May 2018, the artist tweeted that in addition to his music, entertainment, and designer shoe line, he was “starting a Yeezy architecture arm called Yeezy home.”
“We’re looking for architects and industrial designers who want to make the world better,” he added.
Along with his plans to build housing for low-income and homeless people, West has previously shown a concern for the plight of homeless fans. A fellow rapper, Nino Blu, was sleeping out on the streets, hoping for a chance to meet his idol when West invited him into Electric Lady Studios in Greenwich Village, New York, in 2018.
While it’s not clear why West stopped to give money to this particular homeless man, it’s possible that the rapper noticed that he was a veteran. As per the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans: “11 percent of the adult homeless population are veterans.” In addition to all the usual difficulties that homeless people face—lack of affordable housing and difficulty finding employment etc.—veterans living on the streets also often face post-traumatic stress disorder and disabilities related to service.
West’s wife, and mother of their four children, Kim Kardashian West has also recently spoken about her desire to help the less fortunate. She is studying for the California bar exam, which she hopes to pass by 2022, and hopes to further her work in criminal-justice reform.
Focusing on those who have been wrongly incarcerated is her passion, as she explained at Television Critics Association event. “I don’t see how I could just say ‘no’ to someone that really needs help if I know that I can help them,” she said per Fox News. She will be releasing a documentary on Oxygen, called “Kim Kardashian West: The Justice Project,” focusing on the cases of four wrongly incarcerated people.
As for Kanye West, he openly talks about how his change of heart and behavior is due to his faith. As he told pastor Joel Osteen and his congregation at a special event at Lakewood Church, “All of that arrogance, and confidence, and cockiness that y'all have seen me use before, God is now using for Him.”
Highlighting the change in his sense of purpose, West said, “Every time I stand up I feel that I’m standing up and drawing a line in the sand,” adding that, “I’m here in service to God and no weapons armed against me shall prosper.”
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