I see Kanye’s music as an excuse for the dumb shit he says and does. Every time he wiles out or puts his foot in his mouth, he drops an album that helps you understand why he said what he said. His vulnerability is what really made me a fan. I can say that it was “Through the Wire” or “Champion” or “Runaway” but it’s his raw emotion that gets me. Even when he says or does things I can’t agree with, I always feel that connection. I don’t condone or agree with a lot of his actions, in some cases I’m actually pretty pissed, however he does have a new album out so I’ll definitely give it a shot.
The sentence at the end of that paragraph could be used at any point in time of Kanye’s career. But today, it applies to Jesus Is King. So let’s get into it.
It ain’t bad yo.
I really do hate that Kanye’s been wearing MAGA hats and hanging with some of the worst people on the planet. It’s hard to enjoy music when your first reaction is “fuck that nigga”. I realized that the best thing to do is pretend Kanye mysteriously disappeared and feared dead. As long as I pretend he isn’t around, I can enjoy him. With that in mind, this album isn’t awful. When I found out Kanye had a porn addiction, I totally understood where he was coming from. You ever hear of the After Sex Glow? Well this album has the Post Masturbation “wow I really went through 7 pages to find the right video” Haze. You ever masturbate and then immediately start cleaning because you need some positivity? That’s what this album’s like. That’s a weird thing feeling to get from a gospel album.
I do miss when Ye thought he was Jesus though. It feels weird to listen to him worship someone else. How can the man who said “I am a God” bend the knee to another God? This feels like when LeBron joined The Heat. I think Ye saw himself going down a really dark path and he knew that he needed help to do right for his family. Younger Kanye would’ve flown to France and changed his name, but this new Kanye has kids to worry about; he can’t completely run from his problems.
Now, while I say this album ain’t bad, it also ain’t amazing. While this album is shorter than a Mass with a hungover Catholic Priest, the duration saves you from some really trash lyrics. In my opinion, Kanye albums are at their best when he gets to say some real sincere shit while having song stealing guest verses. Kanye does his best job when he’s the best out of other artists. However since this album is about Ye trying to fix Ye, there isn’t much space for others truly come “testify”. Plus every I hear a wack bar I see him in a MAGA hat. It’s a bad image.
Overall “Jesus Is King” is a Kanye album. If you truly hate everything he’s become, you aren’t going to enjoy this. If you believe he’s insincere and making a mockery of the fan base that followed him from backpacks and shutter shades to Luke Cage sweaters, you aren’t going to enjoy this. If you’re a Republican who solely enjoys the fact that Kanye pisses off the people you like, you’re going to hate hearing a Nigga with self esteem. However, if you’re like me and can deal with being somewhat of a bad person, you’ll enjoy it.
I give “Jesus Is King” 7.5 Prayers for Impeachment out of 10.