Kanye West’s “Jesus is King” simply wasn't worth the wait
In what feels like a stunning turn of events, one of the most polarizing figures of the 21st century has finally dropped his latest offering, “Jesus is King.” The project serves as Kanye West’s ninth studio album and finally hit streaming services after one of the greatest album delays we’ve seen.
With his reputation seemingly tarnished by his support of Trump and comments about slavery, many people believed Kanye had been canceled, with no way of return. But after a tour with his gospel choir, and a little time alone with Jesus, it seems like Kanye West has come to the light. After a plethora of leaks, posted tracklists and listening parties, the actual sound of the album seemed to be in flux until the last second in true Kanye fashion.
Now, after many postponed release dates Kanye fans around the globe can enjoy the superstar’s latest project standing at 11 tracks and 27 minutes. The length of the album could serve to make Kanye fans a little upset after a long wait for such a short album. Many remember the 2018 summer which saw five Kanye produced albums being released in five weeks. In those five weeks, Ye’s seventh and eighth studio albums, “Ye” and “Kids See Ghosts” (in collaboration with Kid Cudi) were released. It’s important to point out that the longest album of those five came in the form of Nas’s “Nasir” which only ran for about 27 minutes. While “Jesus Is King” features Kanye’s Sunday Service Choir, frequent collaborator Ty Dolla $ign, Ant Clemons, Fred Hammond, and Kenny G, the most important and surprising feature comes from the presence of both members of the Virginia rap duo Clipse, Pusha T and Malice.
Categories
The songs on this album divided into three lanes that are prevalent throughout the project and scored on a 1.5 scale. (0 = trash, .5 = not for me, 1 = good, 1.5 = a standout)
Gospel
As Kanye has said before, this is a gospel album, and that is clear in more than just the title, but the content of the album as well. Kanye makes sure to drop off both classic Gospel vibes as well as Gospel vibes with the signature Kanye touch.
“Every Hour” ft. Sunday Service Choir (1.5)
“Selah” (1)
“Water” ft. Ant Clemons (1.5)
“God Is” (.5)
Jesus is Lord” (1)
Classic Hip-Hop
Kanye brings some amazing samples per usual on this project. Using his classic flow to talk about his struggles and his new relationship with Jesus
“Follow God” (1.5)
“Everything We Need” ft. Ty Dolla $ign & Ant Clemons (1)
Electronic
Ever since Graduation dropped, Kanye’s ability to fuse Hip Hop and soul within an electronic landscape has been nothing but incredible. On “Jesus is King,” Kanye brings those same skills to the table and puts them on display.
“Closed On Sunday” (1.5)
“On God” (.5)
“Hands On” ft. Fred Hammond (1.5)
“Use This Gospel” ft. Clipse & Kenny G (1)
Must Listen Songs
“Follow God”
This song is the closest thing to a classic Kanye Hip Hop hit you’ll ever see. A banging bass, and expertly laid sample. Kanye asks his listener about their life, talking about his own as well, and the struggles people go through. Even detailing a fight with his father.
“Water” ft. Ant Clemons
An unofficial single to “Jesus Is King” “Water” has been heard many times by the masses through the Sunday Service Choir tour. This song is featuring both the choir and singer Ant Clemons. In this song, Kanye asks Jesus to help humanity, as well as telling Jesus that he isn’t hiding anything from Jesus inviting him to come save the lost Kanye.
“Hands On”
This song is a great example of what many people go through when engaging with the church. Many people who want to try to get into religion feel that they won’t be accepted. But Kanye West hopes that people understand he’s gone through things, and to accept him for who he is, flaws and all.
Final Review
All in all “Jesus is King” is by far Kanye West’s weakest album, mostly because it doesn’t come off as classic Kanye, but instead, a new Kanye that is only here to serve Jesus. Sonically it is familiar, but on this album, Kanye’s spirit feels focused, certain and purposeful in serving only Jesus.
After a few listens to the album one can begin to truly remove themselves from any expectations they may have had, and actually dive into the album. The songs don’t have many distinct new sounds, they each have different balances of Kanye’s signature sounds including gospel vibes, electronic sounds, and unforgettable samples. Ye’s 9th studio album is the culmination of several events, episodes, and controversy approached with the same divine shield from Ye’s newfound devotion to Jesus Christ.
With the Sunday Service Choir album ‘Jesus is Born’ to release on Jesus’ birthday, the 25th of December. “Jesus is King” feels like a precursor to the next stage in Kanye West’s music career. The versatile artist has even hinted in an interview with Big Boy in LA that he may never perform his old songs ever again. Looking forward, Kanye fans are looking like they have less to be excited for. It seems like the days of the long drawn out albums like his widely acclaimed Magnum Opus “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” are gone. That being said Kanye fans will always take what they can get, and this time around we got is a short project that really shows how much Kanye has changed over the past 2 years. But that doesn’t mean every song was Kanye’s best performance. But we will wait to see what happens.
Scoring
Raw Score: The number of good songs on a project versus the overall amount. Songs must have a 1 or above to be counted.
Quality Score: The total amount of points accumulated over the total amount of songs.
Playback value: The resonance an album is perceived to have if played again in full. Scale out of 5.
Raw Score: 9/11
Quality Score: 12.5/11
Playback Value: 3/5
Go out and listen to Kanye West’s “Jesus Is King” wherever you listen to your music. Also, don’t forget to check out OldMilk’s Instagram page and Twitter (@Oldmilk_co) for more Hip-Hop Album Reviews, The DJ 500K Playlist, The OldMilk Radar and more! Don’t Know it? OldMilk Does!
