Where is Kanye West's "Jesus Is King?"

While “new” Kanye fans may be surprised that the heavily teased “Jesus Is King” has yet to hit streaming platforms, anyone familiar with Kanye knows there was always a possibility that plans could be completely shifted at the last second. And with no new date for release in sight, Kanye fans and pundits alike are left in musical limbo as they wait for the release of what seems like the musical manifestation of a “come to Jesus moment” from one of the most controversial artists of all time. Over the last weekend of September, marking a full year since the canceling of his previous teased album “Yandhi,” Kanye fans were again given false hope after Yeezy performed listening parties in Detroit, Chicago, and New York City. Meanwhile, his wife Kim Kardashian West tried to calm the nerves of her husband’s fanbase with posts of a finalized tracklist, and information regarding the listening parties along with the supposed drop on Sunday. However, all her attempts fell flat after Monday morning arrived with the absence of a new Kanye album. Reports say that although the album is “completed,” known perfectionist, Kanye West keeps making changes with every listen.

As a big Kanye fan, it is hard to have a second album in two years delayed for what seems to be no reason. Although Kanye does not have the greatest track record when it comes to releasing albums on time, the more recent delays are taking a greater toll on Kanye West fans like me. The more emotional fans may see this newest delaying as a heartbreak (see what I did there), but some of us understand that with artists as meticulous as Kanye, these things are somewhat bound to happen. The biggest question may be whether the quality of the album itself will be able to make up for such a big delay.

Although I like the last few Kanye West projects, it would be naive to claim that the responses to them have been all positive. Starting with the rollout of “The Life of Pablo,” Kanye fans were introduced to twitter rants and flamboyant listening parties from the artist. Kanye debuted the album in the famous Madison Square Garden along with his “Yeezy Season 3” collection, featuring famous models and rappers, all dressed in the latest Yeezy clothing. Meanwhile, Yeezy’s closest friends and collaborators stood around him, listening to the artist’s latest album. But after the debut, the album’s release was in flux, and a raw version of “The Life of Pablo” was put up on streaming services. The album was updated a few weeks later with several additions and changes. This could be the best-case scenario for “Jesus is King,” a similar situation as “The Life Of Pablo”, where we get an unfinished version of an album, with a wave of edits to follow. But still, with no new release date, the whole album’s existence is now in jeopardy.

We don’t know when the album will come out, but I’m more worried about if it will come at all. The issue with this “Jesus is King” rollout is that it isn’t just Kanye West being late with another project. If “Jesus is King” doesn’t drop it will be the third Kanye album in recent years to never hit the streaming shelves joining “Turbografx 16” and “Yandhi” in creating a worrisome pattern going forward in Kanye’s music career. Especially with the recent announcement that Kanye will no longer make “secular” music, Kanye fans may have to begin to come to terms with the end of Kanye West’s career as a Hip-Hop artist altogether.