Kanye West’s ninth album “Jesus is King” debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts this past week. This is not too surprising, considering how his records seem to captivate society upon release. When a new Kanye album comes out, it’s more of a cultural phenomenon than a typical album rollout. When “Yeezus” came out, there was a cultural firestorm about the name of the album and a song called “I am A God,” which Kayne claimed to feature God himself on the track. “The Life of Pablo” released exclusively on Tidal, Jay-Z’s streaming service, and was consequently pirated in mass numbers. It featured controversial lyrics about celebrities Taylor Swift and Ray-J that had the internet’s attention for weeks. “Jesus is King” has continued that trend of hype surrounding Kanye West’s albums.
When Kanye announced he was releasing a gospel album, his fan base was rightfully skeptical; after all, he did call “The Life of Pablo” a gospel album, as well. When “Jesus is King” finally released, a lot of fans were upset at the musical direction. I read people’s opinions on numerous online forums and social media platforms, and from what I could gather, the consensus was that it was hard to get into the album if you weren’t a Christian. I can totally see that point. The lyrical content on the album is dominated by religious themes and language that may only click with you if you are, in fact, a Christian.
On the flip side, I saw an overwhelming number of evangelicals post their praises of this album and Kanye’s transformation on social media. It seems as though the response to this album has flipped the usual response. The diehard Kanye fans aren’t sold on it, while people who had no interest in listening to a Kanye West album love it. I think I have a unique perspective because I am a Christian who has been listening to Kanye since I was ten years old. Being a Kanye fan means putting up with a good bit of controversy, including the Taylor Swift debacle at the VMAs, the “Yeezus”-era ego freak-outs, and, more recently, the bipolar episodes during the Saint Pablo tour.
Through all that, Kanye fans stayed true when society said he was absolutely insane. Despite all this, I would say the diehard Kanye West fans may feel alienated by this most recent album. They can handle all of the controversies because they love the music. When the music doesn’t deliver for them is when the situation has the potential to change. I wouldn’t say a lot of people are giving up on being Kanye West fan, but I do think it has made some fans question the future of his career.
The cultural impact of this album can be summed up into one sentence: No one but Kanye West could have made this record and experience the amount of success “Jesus is King” has brought. Kanye raps in “On God” that he is the most influential artist dead or alive (a claim he has made on every album since “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy”). But considering how much culture changes over time, you can’t make a definitive statement on who is the greatest artist of all time is. Still, I can say with confidence that Kanye West is the most influential artist of our lifetime.
If it weren’t for “808’s and Heartbreaks,” artists like Drake and everyone Kanye has influenced would sound a lot different today. “Yeezus” helped a more abrasive style of hip/hop that we hear from artists like Death Grips make it into the mainstream.
This paved the way for grime artists from the United Kingdom to see success in American music markets. On top of all that, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” is hailed as one of the greatest albums made in recent history.
Kanye’s reach doesn’t stop at music either. His Nike shoes are going for several thousand dollars online right now, and his releases with Adidas create trends within the streetwear world. I would go as far as to say Kanye West is responsible for most trends we see in streetwear today.
Only Kanye West could release “Jesus is King” and not see a significant drop off in numbers. Furthermore, Kanye West is the only artist alive who could make “Jesus is King” and see it go to #1 on the Billboard charts. Hundreds of millions of people are listening to and singing the praise of Jesus Christ. Kanye West is one of the only people who could pull this off with this level of success.