Album Review :
Kanye West - Jesus Is King

By in Reviews | 6 Comments

Label: G.O.O.D. Music / Def Jam Recordings
Release Date: October 25, 2019

Tracklisting:

  1. Every Hour (feat. Sunday Service Choir)
  2. Selah
  3. Follow God
  4. Closed on Sunday
  5. On God
  6. Everything We Need (feat. Ty Dolla $ign and Ant Clemons)
  7. Water (feat. Ant Clemons)
  8. God Is
  9. Hands On (feat. Fred Hammond)
  10. Use This Gospel (feat. Clipse and Kenny G)
  11. Jesus Is Lord

“Damn” is the only curse word you’ll hear on Kanye West’s latest album.* Jesus Is King is gospel rap, and not only in the usual sense. With the help of the Sunday Service Choir and Fred Hammond, the gospel influence is potent; although rhymes and beats are present, the latter are especially minimal. Opening track, “Every Hour,” includes no rapping at all and reminds me a little bit of Tonéx. Lyrically, the album is forthright in its expressions of Christian faith. Bible verses are referenced in “Selah” in such a way that would make even Goliath dizzy, while “Water” mentions Jesus’ name 16 times. The best song, “Use this Gospel,” also finds Kanye stating truths about spiritual warfare: “Our demons are tremblin’ / Holy angels defendin’ / In the Father, we put our faith.” If the demons needed any more convincing, the euphoric synth arpeggio in “On God” might just take them out. To my surprise, Jesus Is King sounds more “Christian” than the Christian hip-hop I usually listen to.

* In the new version of “God Is,” the line “this ain’t ‘bout a damn religion” has been altered to “this ain’t ’bout a dead religion.”

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MrM
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MrM
November 1, 2019 5:38 pm

This was a release that really caught me off guard. I don’t really follow Kanye but he is a fascinating icon of todays culture. I had no idea he had any tie to religion, much less a brand new gospel release.
But even though it’s a short and to the point review, the closing line summed up most of my thoughts on it. I’m curious to see if his release sends a surge of popularity for other gospel rappers out there

Lee Brown
Member
November 1, 2019 4:34 pm

Super short review. Would love to see some more depth. There are so many articles and discussions surrounding this album. Would have been good to touch on any of that and some depth to why or why not get/stream this.

brambonius
Guest
November 2, 2019 1:06 am

Tell me more about the effect synth arpeggios have on demons…

Daniel J
Guest
Daniel J
November 3, 2019 5:07 pm
Reply to  brambonius

Well in all honesty, they pale in comparison to the effect a puppy dog has on allah’s angels

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