Ugh.
Total disclosure: I’m only putting this piece up at the DopeHouse for y’all. Say what you want, it just is what it is.
Be honest: Kanye West has been known more for his musical fumbles (nevermind all of the other stuff he’s done that, at this point, I don’t need to delve into) than for the actual music over the past few moons.
In 2018 he tried to quasi-relaunch his G.O.O.D. Fridays campaign with a series of weekly album drops, but they were a far cry from his pre-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy run back in 2010. Pusha T‘s DAYTONA was absolutely amazing; there’s no denying that. Teyana Taylor‘s K.T.S.E. was a refreshing listen as well. Some people even liked Kids See Ghosts quite a bit. However, West’s ye and Nas‘ NASIR were audio nightmares, clearly among the two artists’ worst albums respectively. Then, on top of that, some of the projects were plagued by delays and/or bizarre listening sessions, and Teyana even revealed that her album was released in an incomplete form.
Then, of course, there’s that other stuff Kanye was doing.
So, since the top of 2019 West has gone to church… literally, throwing these random jam session-esque Sunday Service events throughout the country (while selling screen-printed crewnecks for $170, natch).
And now, West has released his Jesus Is King album (which was also plagued by delays, because why not?).
An 11-track effort, the album is a continuations from those secular music-ditching Sunday Services, meant to reflect West’s move to Christianity, and it wouldn’t be a Kanye project without Kanye antics: he did an interview with Zane Lowe that had a few head-scratching moments, and he will drop an accompanying short film for it as well.
At least there’s a long-awaited (for me, at least) Clipse reunion on the album, on “Use The Gospel.”
Stream the album if you want, below. To be honest, I don’t know when or if I’ll do the same.
