Jesus is (suc)King (the album by Kanye West)

The album Jesus Is King by Kanye West changed an opinion I previously had. I used to think that Kanye West didn't have any albums that I'd describe as bad but now I think he has a bad album. While it's not the worst album on earth, it's far from the quality of any of his other albums. One of the few things it has going for it is that it's pretty short, being just 27 minutes. It sounds like a gospel album that was written by someone who went to church once 20 years ago and was like "this is what I think Christianity is about." He says absolutely nothing interesting on the album. There's a part of the song "Selah" where a choir sings the word "hallelujah" about 50 times and that's pretty much the only insight Kanye has on the album. It's just half an hour of Kanye saying how great God and Jesus are without explaining how or why.
Closed on Sunday is one of the worst songs on the album. There's a line on it which he repeats like three times that goes, "Closed on Sunday, you're my Chick-fil-A." This line confuses me. Who is closed on Sunday? What does being closed on Sunday mean? Is he saying that someone is emotionally closed off from him on one specific day of the week? Is he saying that this person is physically closed off from him on Sunday? I get that God made the world in 6 days and on the 7th he rested so Chick-fil-A doesn't make their employees work on Sunday but how does Kanye telling someone that they're closed on Sunday relate to this?
There's another line on the song "Follow God" that confuses me. Kanye says, "Only ever seein' me only when they needin' me / Like if Tyler Perry made a movie for BET." This line feels like it's a riddle. Is he saying that BET doesn't want anything to do with Tyler Perry unless he makes a movie for them? Why? What does this mean? How are Tyler Perry and BET related to following God? I don't know the answer to any of these questions and I don't think Kanye does either.
For the most part, the production on the album is pretty good, but it's not good enough to make me not think about all the dumb things that are being said. Water, God Is, and Selah are all really well produced and I feel like I'd really like them if Kanye just didn't talk at all on them. In conclusion, Jesus is King is a bad album.

Comments

  1. AngelynnDecember 15, 2019 at 6:13 PM

    This blog post makes me really sad because I actually love Jesus Is King. Before I listened to this album, I actually wasn't the greatest fan of Kanye. This album sort of changed that for me. It wasn't his greatest lyricism, but I think that the music itself, and the sounds all coming together made for a really emotionally powerful album. Listening to the songs on the album reminded me of how I feel at church, the emotional and suspenseful Selah combined with the somber sounds of Closed on Sunday perfectly capture the feelings one might be feeling during an emotional sermon at church.

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  2. FaizahDecember 16, 2019 at 8:08 AM

    I don't really listen to Kanye that much but I'm sure you make valid points here. I admire you for being able to publicly declare your hatred for something and provide reasoning for it. I feel like agreeing with you even though I haven't listened to the full album. As someone who listens to "All I Want for Christmas is You" on repeat for 45 minutes at a time, your music taste seems to pass the vibe check.

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  3. Sophia SchmitzDecember 16, 2019 at 8:19 AM

    Not gonna lie the only part of Jesus is King that I have heard is what was sung on the James Corden Carpool Karaoke. In the video they sing a view songs from the album while flying on a plane. Personally I didn't love the music but gospel music is not what I typically listen to. Maybe I'm wrong and what I heard on Carpool Karaoke isn't on Jesus is King.

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  4. SJDecember 17, 2019 at 11:23 AM

    Album reviews are always subjective thing more or less, however you bring up a few good points. That comparison to the guy who went to church 20 years ago got me, but I do think the album did some things good too. I really enjoyed the production on songs like Everything We Need, and as a whole felt the gospel vibe alot because its a genre of music ive been listening to since a child.

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  5. GrantDecember 17, 2019 at 12:19 PM

    As often happens as hype builds so do the expectations of fans. This album is no different. Its a huge departure from his other work, which is not always bad, and even though it was delayed and no one was sure if it would drop or not it still sounds half baked. I feel like this album doesn't really break ground or do anything crazy, it certainly feels like a gospel album first and a Kanye album second. That being said Kanye seems happier and more stable now which I'm all for, even if there is a drop in music quality.

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