JESUS IS KING: A religious experience
I have been a Kanye West fan for most of my life.
I can still remember the first time I heard “Through the Wire” on WRED in 2003. The pitched-up Chaka Khan sample and the honest lyrics made me an instant fan.
(Little did I know that I was already a Kanye West fan, I just didn’t know he produced “Izzo” at the time.)
Ever since that day, I’ve always been on the lookout for new music by Mr. West.
So on Friday, when Kanye dropped JESUS IS KING, I knew I had to give it a listen right away and share my thoughts with the internet.
Before we get started, I think it’s important to mention that this is a gospel rap album. Note that I didn’t say gospel-inspired, like The Life of Pablo. This is straight-up Christian rap.
And that’s OK.
Kanye has always made his faith in Jesus a core part of his music, and I accept it just like when I listen to DMX talk about God or Rakim rap about the teachings of the Five-Percent Nation.
So I’m going to take you through a track-by-track analysis of JESUS IS KING, as requested by a few people on Twitter. Luckily for me, the album is only 11 tracks long.
And I guess that might be my first complaint.
Call me washed, but I miss the days of 20-track, hour-long albums with months of promotional singles on the radio.
Now that we have these haphazard, online “playlists,” I feel like music has a lack of polish. Maybe I’m just being a shill for the record labels, who knows?
Anyway, let’s get started.
Every Hour
Analysis: This track is listed as “feat. Sunday Service Choir,” but it’s really just the choir. What you’re getting here is about two minutes of a choir singing, no Kanye (at least vocally). For what it is, it’s fine. The choir is upbeat, and their singing is objectively good, but there’s not much more than that.
Verdict: 3/5
Selah
Analysis: This is a very good track that just seems like it’s a satisfying conclusion away from being a classic. For nearly three minutes, Kanye continues to build tension on this song. It starts with the dramatic organs and Kanye’s passionate bars. Then the thundering drums come in about 50 seconds in, followed by the choir. It’s almost anxiety-inducing as the listener feels like their being hurtled towards a climax. Unfortunately, I feel like the track stops before we get there.
Verdict: 4/5
Follow God
Analysis: I really wish Kanye would slow down and take his time with this one. It features this beautiful sample of a 1974 Whole Truth song, and I think the song would have benefited from the sample being used as a hook. It’s not that Kanye’s verse is bad or anything, I’m just a big proponent of traditional song structure. I know it’s hard to do that in under two minutes, but maybe that means we shouldn’t be making two-minute songs.
Verdict: 3/5
Closed On Sunday
Analysis: This song was doomed from the concept. Saying “you’re my Chick-Fil-a” sounds more like a parody of a song than an actual track on an album. There are some musical elements that might make this age a little better in time, but as of right now, it’s a dud. The last “Chick-Fil-a!” was the clincher.
Verdict: 1/5
On God
Analysis: Listen, I feel like you’re going to hear me say this a lot, but this track is in desperate need of a hook. I like the Super Nintendo-esque instrumental, but this song would be infinitely better if you put someone like Keri Hilson in there to sing a chorus. The rapper/R&B singer collab is still the gold standard of music, and this just sounds like a missed opportunity.
Verdict: 3/5
Everything We Need
Analysis: Kanye’s bars are by far the worst part of this song. If he could’ve given me more Ty Dolla $ign and less “What if Eve made apple juice?” I would have been on board. As it stands though, I can only recommend three 20-second snippets here.
Verdict: 2/5
Water
Analysis: This is another song where we could have done without Kanye’s verse in the middle. The choir is great. Ant Clemons is great. The sample of Bruce Haak’s “Blow Job” is great. What’s lacking is Yeezy just phoning in a couple of rhymes about Jesus. Religious bars aren’t inherently bad, we know this from “Jesus Walks,” but this verse is straight-up filler in a sea of better musical elements.
Verdict: 3/5
God Is
Analysis: Once again, the production does the heavy lifting here. The sample this time is a 1979 track by Rev. James Cleveland and The Southern California Community Choir. And despite how much Kanye needs a throat lozenge, his crackling voice isn’t enough to hold this song back. This is a good start to the section of JESUS IS KING that has actual song-length songs.
Verdict: 4/5
Hands On
Analysis: This track is OK. The production is OK, the vocals are OK. It’s not great or offensive. Actually, now that a think about it, I should mention that I think Kanye’s rhymes are better that the production here. It’s only right, considering I brought it up on the other songs.
Verdict: 3/5
Use This Gospel
Analysis: This is unquestionably the best song on the album. It achieves what only the best religious works can, forcing me to have a spiritual moment while I experience it. There is so much to this track that makes it stand out. Kanye uses the human voice as an instrument better than any other producer in the game, including his own. Mr. West is not a great singer, but he is more than capable on this hook. Then we have the Clipse. Boy, do I love the Clipse! I’ve always praised Pusha T and (No) Malice for their ability to avid throwaway bars in their rhymes. Every Clipse verse features cohesive sentences, which is truly admirable when you consider how much filler goes into song writing. Pusha T is first, a GOOD Music staple who has been operating as Kanye’s soldier. Here, he avoids traditional coke bars to repent, although he does mention feds raiding his residence. Then we have No Malice, who left his brother earlier this decade when he found God. While the breakup of the Clipse was a blow to music, you can tell that Malice always wanted to make a positive change in his life. It’s great to have him back on this song, and he even threw in a rhyme about cocaine for good measure! But wait, there’s more! Kenny G shows up to serenade your ears with a solo. I’m not making this up. Throw in a dope beat, and you have a Kanye classic.
Verdict: 5/5
Jesus Is Lord
Analysis: This actually sounds like a great intro to a song, but it just kind of cuts off at the end of the album. It’s 50 seconds of potential, so I have a hard time placing it on a scale. It’s good for what it is, though.
Verdict: 3/5
Final Thoughts
Overall, this was an average album. It’s not going down as Kanye’s best, but it did give us Kenny G and the return of the Clipse. That’s got to be worth something.
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