Kanye West, one of the biggest hip-hop artists of this decade, decided to make a dramatic genre change with his latest album “Jesus is King”. This is the first time West has gone full gospel rap. Though faith has been a common theme in many of Kanye’s songs, he takes it to a completely new level with this release.
Kanye is best known for blockbuster albums such as “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” “808s & Heartbreak,” and “Yeezus.” “Jesus is King,” released in late October, has been a hit as it already has over 300,000 followers on Spotify.
This album isn’t only about his love for his faith. This album is also a reflection of the change that West has been through as he has struggled with mental health with thoughts of suicide and having to deal with depression. In some of West’s darkest times, he has been able to battle back and share his message of how his faith in God saved him. He is sharing how he got through and beat his battle with mental health.
Being only a total of 27 minutes this album brings a lot of energy. The music brings many different tempos and has no limits and shows a lot of versatility through music. Such as in his song “Use this gospel” West brought in Kenny G who kills his saxophone solo. West incorporates a gospel choir, has his usual hip hop, and adds some fun choices of instruments.
The lyrics have meaning and purpose in every song. Take his song “Closed on Sunday.” Kanye raps: “Closed on Sunday, you’re my Chick-fil-a.” The meaning behind this is that he wants to take Sundays off and use them as a holy day also known as the day of rest, making time for his faith. It was the little things such as this that made this album stand out. In one of his most popular songs of the album, “Selah,” he quotes scripture from the Bible, using John 8:33 and John 8:36. John 8:36 is rephrased in the song “To whom the son sets free is free indeed.” Selah is one of the most powerful songs on the album. One of the most inspirational songs of the album is in the song “God Is” where West sings along with a church choir.
In some aspects, this album can be regarded as one of West’s weaker albums as it strays away from what made him who he is. Unfortunately, this sharp musical detour can cause Kanye to lose what people find appealing from him. West’s plan for this album was to spread a message through his lyrics and to show the change he has been through. I would give this album a four out of five.. This album was good but I think that it could have been more as it really showed a great message but I’m left wanting more. This is one of the reasons that I did give this album four out of five stars. I felt that it could have been more and even though it is a powerful album it could have been more. All in all, this is a great album and if you haven’t heard it, give it a quick listen and see for yourself the new side of Kanye West.