Kanye West’s Sunday Service choir performances provided more than just a place of worship for a former Def Jam artist.
In a dramatic turn of events, Kacy Hill—once a promising talent under West’s G.O.O.D. Music label—recently opened up at a concert about her tumultuous journey to break free from her record deal with Def Jam. Hill, known for her ethereal voice and soulful music, shared the incredible story of how she found an unlikely savior in West after putting in some major legwork. Apparently, it all began with album cover.
“The Kanye West, we’ve all heard of him, I think,” Hill began. “So, I was signed to him. I was signed to G.O.O.D. Music. It was so crazy. Def Jam basically paid to shoot all the album cover for my second album, whatever.
“And then they were like, ‘Actually, we don’t know if we want you still’. And I was like, ‘That’s crazy. I don’t want to be here either’. And then they were like, ‘We actually don’t want to pay for that’. But I had already shot it, and I was like, ‘OK, crazy. And I was like, ‘So do you want me or do you not? What are we doing here?”
Caught in a limbo of indecision and contractual obligations, Hill found herself in a bizarre predicament. Long story short, there was one man—and one man only—who could help her navigate her exit from the label.
“We were in, I was literally in a situationship with Def Jam records where I was like, what are we? And anyway, they were like, ‘We actually can’t keep you or let you go. The only person that can keep you or let you go for your next record is Kanye West himself,” she said.
The revelation that her fate rested in West’s hands was daunting, especially since he had adopted a unique approach to communication. “I was like, no problem. However, at that time he decided he didn’t want to use email and he also didn’t have an assistant. So I was like, that is so crazy,” Hill recounted with a hint of disbelief.
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Determined to secure her freedom, Hill embarked on a journey that would test her patience and resolve. It was at this point, Hill had to literally lock in and go on a wild goose chase to track down West, who had practically unplugged from the grid, despite still having high visibility.
“For six months of my life, I went to Sunday Service,” she revealed. Kanye’s Sunday Service, known for its gospel music and celebrity attendees, became her weekend pilgrimage. “I went to Sunday Service every weekend of my life for six months or something,” she added.
Hill’s persistence was nothing short of remarkable. She described the surreal experience as something close to being a wedding crasher.
“It was like going to someone’s wedding with a contract in your hand where I’d go and I’d be like, ‘That was really beautiful, sir’. And then I’d be like, ‘Can we talk?’” she said.
Despite her repeated attempts to discuss her contract, the outcome remained elusive, at first.
“And every time he was like, ‘Okay. And I’d be like, ‘Okay.”
After months of relentless effort, Hill finally received a breakthrough invitation.
“Finally, he was like, ‘Okay, come to rehearsal on Friday’. I was like, ‘Sick’. And then I was like, ‘What the f##k is rehearsal?’ I didn’t know where and when rehearsal was,” she said laughing.
Eventually, Hill found herself in an office in Calabasas, face-to-face with West.
“He was like, ‘Why are you here? And I was like, ‘I need to get out of this deal’,” she told the audience. West apparently responded “‘OK, what do I need to do?’ And I was like, ‘You can text literally anyone and say that I’m done’. And so he did and he texted someone and said I was done. And I was done.”
Hill’s story concluded on a high note as she recalled West’s reaction to her music. “And then afterwards I played him my second record and he was like, ‘This is cool. Could you make it a gospel song? And I was like, ‘Sure, whatever you want’.”
Kacy Hill’s saga is a testament to her perseverance and the power of personal connections. Despite the challenges she faced, her collaboration with Kanye West remains a significant chapter in her career. West, known for his unpredictable yet impactful influence in the music industry, has worked with Hill on tracks such as “90210” and “Say You Will.”
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