Kanye West’s Sunday Service Stripped Of Charity Status Over Tax Issues

Kanye West has been through so many different eras that Sunday Service feels like decades ago. In truth, the rapper’s charity organization was launched in 2019. The organization was a catch all for the rapper during an explicitly Christian period in his life. He sought to incorporate his religion into his art and his music. As such, Sunday Service was given a tax exemption. The government decreed that it fell under the 501(c)(3) organization label, which means it promotes “religious, educational, or charitable” purpose. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case.

Kanye West’s Sunday Service was stripped of its charity status on May 14. The Sun reported that the IRS revoked the status on the grounds of improper tax filing. The organization failed to file a Form 990-series return or notice for “three consecutive years.” This will no doubt being a heartbreaking update for Kanye West, who claimed that spent $50 million of his own money on Sunday Service in 2020. The rapper was compelled to spread his Christian message, and thus paid to bring the Sunday Service Choir to join him at Coachella.

“I spent every dime that I have for marketing from Yeezy on Sunday Service,” he told Nick Cannon in 2020. “Every dollar I had. I spent $50 million last year on Sunday Service… The Yeezys, they were selling themselves. So instead of paying for ads, I invested it in the church. I invested in spreading [the] gospel. I invested in saying Jesus’ name on high.” Kanye West’s involvement with Sunday Service has withered in recent years, however. The rapper has returned to making secular music with his VULTURES series. He’s also sparked controversy due to a string of antisemitic comments.

Kanye West helped promote the Sunday Service Choir album Jesus Is Born in 2019. Since then, however, the choir and the organization writ large have been left to fend for themselves. A second release, Sample Sounds, was released in 2022 to minimal fanfare. Jason White, the man who co-founded Sunday Service with West, spoke to Broadway World about the release. Tellingly, he did not mention West’s name once, despite their previous musical collaborations. “We’re really, really excited,” White stated. “To see how [the release] will spark creativity in so many different artists and producers.”