Kanye West performs for hundreds of inmates at Houston prisons

Kanye West held surprise concerts for hundreds of inmates at two jails in Houston, Texas, on Friday. “This is a mission, not a show,” West told the inmates, according to Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. 

The rapper-turned-gospel singer performed songs from his new album, “Jesus is King,” with his choir. The group performed for more than 200 male inmates at one facility before going across the street and performing for a smaller group of female inmates at another facility, The Associated Press reports. 

“Say what you want about the man,” Harris County Sheriff's Office Public Affairs Director Jason Spencer tweeted. “But @kanyewest and his choir brought some light to people who needed it today at the Harris County Jail.”

The surprise shows took place just two days before West's upcoming service at Pastor Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church in Houston. During the event, Kanye will take the stage with Osteen for a short interview about overcoming adversity and his faith journey.

Ticketmaster crashed for several hours Friday as fans tried to get tickets for the event, which sold out in seven minutes, CBS News affiliate KHOU reports. A leaked resale code left some fans without tickets — and now, people are selling their free tickets to Sunday's service for as much as $500. 

Free Traffic Real Traffic At Your Finger Tips

Get Traffic With Zero Money Down

Join with bonus

“Someone can resell that same ticket over and over again. Only the first scan will get in,” a church spokesperson told KHOU. “We recommend that no one pay for or buy tickets in any way. There's a high probability they will not get in if their tickets are purchased.”