Only one year after the release of his last album, “Ye,” Kanye West dropped his ninth studio album last Friday, Oct. 25. This album is drastically different than any other West has released. The album titled “Jesus is King” is a Christian rap album. “Jesus is King” is only about 27 minutes long and features gospel choirs and songs about transformation and Chick-fil-A.
West begins the album with “Every Hour,” a song that features Sunday Service Gospel Choir. Sunday Service is a gospel-rap group led by West that performs every Sunday morning as part of a nonlinear church service. The gospel choir is undoubtedly the best part of the album and arguably underutilized by West, only having main features on “Every Hour” and “Selah.” The choir adds a level to the songs that helps merge these two genres together while still giving West the platform to communicate bigger philosophical struggles throughout the songs.
On James Corden’s “Late Late Show,” he did a version of Carpool Karaoke called Airpool Karaoke in which the entirety of the Sunday Service choir accompanied West and Corden to sing a few of the songs from “Jesus is King,” and the result was beautiful and impactful music.
Songs on “Jesus is King” tell stories of the trials and struggles West went through before he was a Christian and during his walk to becoming a Christian. “Water” talks about the renewing powers of baptism and alludes to John 4:13-14, in which Jesus speaks about living water and everlasting life. “Hands On” addresses the judgment West faces from other Christians on his own Christian philosophy when he says, “What have you been hearing from the Christians? / They’ll be the first one to judge me / Make it seem like nobody love me.” And “Follow God” makes a statement about how people are willing to tell you when you aren’t being Christ like, but no one gives you affirmation when you are being a good Christian.
“Closed on Sunday” is easily the most talked about song on the album, partially because listeners can’t tell if it is a joke or not. In the song, West presumably sings to Kim Kardashian West telling her, “Closed on Sunday, you my Chick-fil-A/ Hold the selfies, put the Gram away/ Get your family, y’all hold hands and pray.” While the overall message is a good one, it’s lost in the silliness of the Chick-fil-A reference.
Overall, the album is revolutionary for the Christian rap genre. For anyone to be talking about a Christian rap album in the first place is a huge step forward for the entire genre. West pushes the envelope of Christian rap and adds elements of gospel music and testimony to create an honest and open minded project. Other than the genre, for West, “Jesus is King” is very similar to his previous albums “Ye” and “The Life of Pablo.” His journey is well communicated through “Jesus is King,” but the album is carried by his lyrics alone, with the music and production quality seeming almost like an afterthought.
“Jesus is King” provides new and refreshing conversation about what it takes to be a Christian in both the Christian and secular communities, but the music itself fell a little flat.