If Jesus is King, Then why is Kanye’s Newest Album Mediocre at Best?

photo courtesy of @kanyew.est

Oh Kanye. What can we say about the unconventional artist that has not already been said a million times?

At the ripe age of 42, rapper, producer and visionary, Kanye West, has been a hip-hop icon for over 15 years. Since the release of his debut album, The College Dropout, Kanye has created one sensation after another, becoming one of the greatest artists of our generation. Fresh off the release of both Kids See Ghosts and Ye last year, Kanye went into his routine hibernation state to produce what we assumed would be another banger known as Yandhi. However, when word spread of his intriguing “Sunday Services,” and Yandhi’s release date came and went, fans started to become curious about Mr. West’s new approach. Kanye held a series of public and private religious services, mixing gospel versions of his older music with traditional church music. It was later announced that his next album would be a gospel album titled, Jesus is King.

After some confusion over finalized release dates and missed deadlines, Jesus is King ultimately dropped on October 26th.

Jesus is King is exactly what one would expect of an experimental 2019 Kanye gospel album. So…you can infer there’s many blessings that are paired with numerous flaws. Sorry Kanye, but you weren’t God’s perfect creation this time around. Nevertheless, let’s dive in track by track.

Bops:

Every Hour – Taken directly from the Sunday Service, “Every Hour” is a beautiful church choir song that sets the tone for Jesus is King. The lyrics, “Sing till the power of the Lord comes down,” delivers a powerful message that drives the song from start to finish.

Selah – “Selah” is undoubtedly the best song on the album. From the chilling organ to the exhilarating drums, the song is unparalleled. While Kanye promotes a conceited theme on the track, his flow is as stellar as ever. By utilizing the extensive power and vocals of the Sunday choir, Kanye is able to create a sonic experience that should have been the pace for the entire album (you’ll understand the ‘should have’ when we discuss the flops later).

Follow God – Kanye is back and his rapping is impeccable as ever. On this record, he discusses the journey he endured to come back to God after his rocky past…trouble in paradise? He also considers his own father and compares it to the relationship he had with God while growing up‍. Using a familiar sample of “Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1,” Kanye makes it clear to listeners that this new direction of his is here to stay.

On God – With a synth line reminiscent of old Kanye, “On God” energizes the middle of the album. Side note, we would like to give a huge shout out to Pierre Bourne for the stellar production of this track. Continuing where we left off, the message Kanye sends on this particular track is very egotistical. Are we surprised? He preaches that by converting to God, all the problems in life will be solved, including mass incarceration and social injustice. Kanye also claims that he’s the greatest artist, resting or alive. We’ll be the judge of that.

Everything We Need – “Everything We Need” kicks off with beautiful harmonies before switching into a fantastic beat and verse about Kanye’s gratefulness to his new life and all that God has given him. So, essentially it’s another track created to convert listeners over to God. Clever idea, Kanye!

Use This Gospel – We’re not sure what’s worse; the fact that Kanye sampled the seatbelt warning sound, or that we’re willing to completely ignore the repetitive annoying noise because of the fucking amazing CLIPSE REUNION! For those who don’t know, Clipse is the hip-hop duo consisting of Pusha T and No Malice. The two brothers parted ways almost a decade ago and this was their first reunion since 2009. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, good old Kenny G comes in with one of the sexiest saxophone solos ever. This is an amazing feature that is sure to give you chills. Blast it!

Flops:

Closed On Sunday – “Closed on Sunday, you my chick fil a”… really Kanye? You can’t self- proclaim that you’re the greatest artist alive or dead, and then proceed to rap about a homophobic chicken sandwich franchise and your wife’s love for selfies. Surely this is the weakest track on the album and someone needs to learn to get with the times.

Jesus Is Lord – Yes, because we really wanted to hear Kanye recite a bible verse with dramatic horns in the background for 49 seconds. Next.

Water - Between the awkward reggae beat and the intro ad libs by Art Clemens, this song sounds like it was just assembled from leftover samples that got axed in the first round of mixing. Not to mention the obvious boredom and little energy escaping from Kanye’s verse. Not a fan.

Meh:

God Is – Just because you included pretty instrumentals does not make it okay to preach, Kanye! Tsk tsk.

Hands On – We will admit, this was an extremely cool production. Kanye delivers truth on social issues he regularly faces and announces how he hates hypocrites—because, you know, Kanye has never ever been hypocritical in his life. Nevertheless, Fred Hammond's contribution to this track creates a vibrant sound scape that leads to an amazing outro and saves Kanye from his never ending stream of controversial statements.

Final Verdict

Jesus is King falls short. We all know what Kanye is capable of, and truly this record is just lazy and forgettable. The overall lack of flow from track to track makes it a jarring listen, and while there are several highlights, its weak spots shine through and eventually take over. Additionally, the overall message of the album is chaotic and messy. Kanye eventually ends up emerging as his usual highly conceited self, comparing his struggles to those of Jesus Christ, and misconstruing the message of the bible to fit his own lifestyle.

Overall score: 6.5

Alright we’ll admit, it was a 7. Then Donald Trump Jr. said he liked it, so naturally it had to go down a peg.