In October 2019, Kanye West released his much-anticipated gospel album Jesus is King, which he recently performed at Joel Osteen’s megachurch. Kanye’s renewal of faith has been controversial, with some embracing it and others wondering how genuine it is. While Kanye’s media presence can be distracting, it’s important to look at his work and hear the message he has to offer through his music.
Jesus is King is not a surprising shift in genre for Kanye. Kanye has been singing about Jesus since his 2004 debut album The College Dropout, featuring the song “Jesus Walks.” Another example is his 2016 album Life of Pablo, which contains the gospel/rap ballad “Ultralight Beam” and the title track in which Kanye relates his life to St. Paul. This new album marks a transition where he will release gospel inspired music more frequently and separating himself from secular topics.
Response to the album has been mixed. Some agree that Kanye is a genius as a producer (and knows how to make tracks sound great). While most criticisms come from his lyrics. In my opinion, there are some gems in this album. Some songs sound fantastic and even have a strong message. (Then there are other songs that are less than ideal.)
To start, the most problematic songs are “On God” and “God is.” Musically, I find “On God” grating, repetitive, and annoying. Lyrically, the song contains themes from the prosperity gospel. Kanye says he has received so much favor because he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. The song mostly focuses on his materialistic achievements like his Grammys and his money. One lyric, “That’s why I charge the prices that I charge,” is especially off-putting to hear in a gospel album. “God is”, while musically better that “On God,” still has a prosperity gospel leaning. Specifically, the lyric, “From the rich to the poor all are welcome through the door,” directly contradicts Jesus, who states “truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 19:23).
Despite these problematic songs, there are more songs that are genuinely good. Specifically, the songs “Follow God,” “Closed on Sunday,” and “Hands On,” are stick out as the best songs, both musically and lyrically.
“Follow God” has the best rap on the whole album. It starts with a sample from Whole Truth’s 1974 track “Can You Lose By Following God.” That opening line, “Father I stretch my hands to you,” becomes the refrain for the whole song. It expresses the motif of desperately and frequently reaching to God. The song is dense, but it flows incredibly well. Kanye tells a story about a man who struggles with putting his faith into practice. The character’s strict father constantly tells the him his actions “ain’t Christ-like.” The father’s pressure causes the son to confront his father about his pride and self-righteousness, only to be pushed away. The entire song reflects how dichotomous one’s faith and one’s actions can be.
“Closed on Sunday” is carried by a peaceful acoustic guitar and melodious choir in the background. It is as if the listeners receive a day of rest from the gospel/rap style of the rest of the album. The lyrics “closed on Sunday, you my Chick-fil-A” may be goofy, but the song contains a genuine message about taking a break from social media to care for your family. Kanye shares how, as a father, he is called to protect his family and “raise them in the faith.”
“Hands On” is a hauntingly beautiful song about how Kanye will be judged by the world for his conversion. A single violin chord and an autotuned choir flow throughout the song as Kanye raps. He anticipates all the criticisms he will receive. Many will say “he ain’t really different” and that the Christians “will be the first one to judge” him. By judging the authenticity of his conversion rather than accepting him, Kanye says the Christians make him feel unloved. All they will do, he suspects, is tear apart his songs lyrics, rather than actually listen. The song ends by tying in the purpose of the song’s title. Kanye pleads, “Lay your hand on me, please pray for me.” The song is an invitation to put aside biases and pray for a fellow Christian as he journeys in faith.
Overall, the album is worth a listen. Kanye’s artistic signature is continually present in the album, and the number of appealing songs outnumber the bad ones. More importantly, it’s about hearing Kanye’s story of an imperfect man renewing his faith in God.
- Gossip in Bridgerton - March 25, 2021
- Attack on Titan and Its Lessons on Just War Theory - February 15, 2021
- Playing ‘Among Us’ as a Saint - November 26, 2020