“Jesus is King” Falls Short for Kanye

It would be impossible to write a review for “Jesus is King,” Kanye West’s ninth studio album, without discussing West himself and his proceeding work. Throughout his career, Kanye has been an enigma. People have described him as eclectic, narcissistic, genius, and crazy. 

Kanye is the man who said George W. Bush “doesn’t care about black people” yet is a staunch ally of President Trump.

With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that “Jesus is King,” marks a dramatic departure from Kanye’s previous work. The artist who declared himself a god in “Yeezus,” now has a bonified gospel album to his name in “Jesus is King.”

Running a brief twenty-seven minutes, “Jesus is King” is largely a forgettable album. Listening to the album it is still clear that Kanye retains his talent for producing. At its highest points, “Jesus is King,” is musically pleasant. 

The incorporation of the Sunday Service Choir into the opening track “Every Hour” subverts our expectations on what a Kanye song and album should be. 

The Kenny G sax solo on “Use This Gospel” is nothing short of electric. It stands out as the only memorable part on an otherwise well produced if bland album. “Follow God” may make its way onto one of your parents workout playlist along with the other two Kanye songs they probably like, “All of the Lights” and “Power” but otherwise I doubt that any single track from “Jesus is King” will make any lasting musical impression.

The main problem with “Jesus is King” is that it says virtually nothing. Kanye West has put out a gospel album but has nothing to preach. 

Even accepting Kanye’s newfound acceptance of Jesus Christ as a central figure guiding his life it is hard to listen to this album and not come out disappointed. Like him or not it is hard to argue that Kanye West hasn’t been one of, if not the most influential artist across any medium in the past two decades. 

While some of that influence comes from his musical talent, what made Kanye great was that he had something to say.

Fifteen years ago, Kanye burst onto the scene with “The College Dropout.” That album was catapulted him into super-stardom because the album both was an auditory tour de force and it stood for something. 

In the song “Jesus Walks” Kanye makes the case that Jesus doesn’t look down on anyone, including the “hustlers, killers, murderers, drug dealers, even the strippers.” That is a message that has real weight. 

Regardless of religion, it forces the listener to confront whether they actually extend value to the lives of humans who are considered inferior by society. Now Kanye informs us when the new Chick-fil-A is open.

Fittingly, we can compare “Jesus is King,” to a cathedral. Like a cathedral, at it’s high points the album can be stunning to take in. 

However, the actual content of the work should define the value of the piece. God can’t exist in an empty cathedral and all of Kanye’s musical talent can’t hide the fact that he no longer has anything to say.

It’s a shame that Kanye West is no longer culturally relevant past his name, his marriage to Kim Kardashian or his vocal support of Donald Trump. 

At his peak, Kanye put out music that fundamentally reshaped the industry. The release of “Jesus is King,” should be a sign to any believers left that Kanye West can longer define the music industry. 

I expect this album to be remembered as a gimmick; a forgettable footnote in the controversial career of a rapper who is well past his artistic peak. 

Yeezus is dead. Don’t expect him to be resurrected anytime soon.

Rating: Jesus is King: 4/10