Album Review : Kanye West - Jesus is King (2019)
Five years ago, no one would’ve guessed that Kanye West was going to eventually release a Christian rap album. After all, Yeezy had just proclaimed himself to be a God, a statement that music enthusiasts are still wrapping their heads around in 2019. But here we are: Kanye is holding overpriced Sunday services, he’s surrendered his life to God and Jesus is King is taking a savage beating from critics. One year removed from Ye and the robust KIDS SEE GHOSTS project, has Kanye West completely lost it? The answer is not as clear as you’d want to believe.
I… welp, kind of enjoyed Jesus is King?
Don’t get me wrong. This is far from being My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or Yeezus. Kanye is somewhere else on this record and he’s never been there until now. Jesus is King is not his most sophisticated record in terms of production or lyrics (although it’s not uninteresting), but it maybe is his most passionate since 808s & Heartbreak and it’s still quite unique? In good Kanye West fashion, it’s not a record you can take at face value. Jesus is King isn’t exactly church music. It’s another step in Kanye’s journey towards complete artistic enlightenment.
In his lyrics on Jesus is King, Kanye’s personal inner journey and his surrender to God are intimately linked. On Selah, he claims that people starting their week on Sunday (with his service) will be set free. That he’s planning to lead his followers out of bondage like Moses did. This is not just ramblings of a man who’s losing his mind. He’s really gathering people on Sundays and galvanizing them around Christian faith. He’s really the coolest thing to happen to Christianity since Jesus himself gave free food to an entire crowd of people. There’s no telling where it’s going to lead.
A reality show host is the president of the United States, right now. Why couldn’t a rapper use Christianity to improve racial inequities in America?
Use This Gospel is another song I really liked. Lyrically, it’s pretty straightforward. It’s about letting go of the past and asking God for forgiveness. But the expression “use this gospel” means “sign this melody to keep yourself on the right way”. It’s a Christian concept, but a very contemporary song. One that you’d actually want to sing. Kanye brilliantly bookends the song by having Kenny G playing the said Gospel on his saxophone, which is low key a strong, unifying message: religion is something we can all gather around to better ourselves, no matter the differences.
It’s a fascinating song in the weird, subversive way Kanye West songs have been fascinating in the last three or four years have been. Every detail is deliberate and filled with meaning. It’s music for overthinkers like me.
Other songs I liked: God Is features some of the most passionate singing Kanye’s ever recorded. Water is one of the most intensely and selflessly Christian song on the album, which is bound to turn people away. But I thought the simplicity and the earnestness him and Ant Clemons are bouncing off each other was really beautiful. I have a soft spot for Closed on Sunday too, because it’s Kanye’s classic let’s-feed-the-sucker-a-bar-to-bitch-about song. It’s such a classic move and everyone fell for it anyway. It’s not for everyone, but once again: 100% deliberate.
I haven’t talked much about the production yet. It’s more bare and straightforward than your usual Kanye West record, but I thought it was filled with the little quirks and idiosyncrasies that make Kanye interesting. Jesus is King is about tone more than it is about details. For example: there’s no pause between songs and Kanye leverages this feature in order to usher you through the wide range of exalted feelings of a Sunday service. It goes from triumphant and exalted to thoughtful and solemn within two songs. The songs are the layers to the overall experience.
There’s a lot to like about Jesus is King. It’s not the straightforward Kanye-is-a-brainwashed-religious-freak album that critics made it out to be. It’s another intricate riddle to unpack. I’m not sure it has much of a replay value, though. Outside of Use This Gospel, I’m not seeing myself singing any of these songs to myself in a year from now. The message and the overall evolution of Kanye West on this record are more memorable than the music itself. It’s an album you can overanalyze more than you can straighforwardly enjoy. But I did earnestly enjoy it to a certain degree.
6.7/10
