First Critics Say Kanye West's 'Jesus is King' Is Fire, Ego-Free & Not Just a Gospel Album
The wait for Kanye West's new album Jesus Is King has been a long one. After Kim Kardashian revealed that the project would be dropping this past Sunday, its release date has been pushed back once again. According to the first critic reviews, however, it looks like the wait will be worth it.
After joining West at album listening events in various American cities over the weekend, the initial wave of critic reviews has begun to trickle through. And it would seem that there's an overall consensus. While dissecting the track offerings, overall themes, beats, lyrics, genre-influence, and more, the reviews are united in applauding West for delivering a project that proves he's far more than a one-trick-pony.
Keep scrolling to discover our round-up of how the critics' reviews are responding to West's new album, Jesus Is King.
It's not (just) a gospel album
Rolling Stone, Samuel J. Robinson'Jesus Is King' is not a gospel album. While West is clearly deeply influenced by gospel arrangements — and, as some have noted, this may become the rappers’ first clean album — it’s still, first and foremost, a Kanye West album. There are elements of gospel, just as there are trap drums, ambient flourishes, prominent samples, and verses from the Clipse. “Both of ‘em” West told the crowd to thunderous applause, announcing the unexpected reunion of G.O.O.D. Music’s Pusha T with his brother, No Malice.
It stays away from controversy
Rolling Stone, Samuel J. RobinsonThough West has frequently been outspoken to the point of deliberate public inflammation, he largely stays away from his self-made controversies in the lyrics of 'Jesus Is King' — from a single listen, it’s about as politically-minded as ye. Anyone expecting West to further acknowledge his relationship with the embattled President will be disappointed, though that did not seem like something his fans — in the theater or outside of it — were clamoring for.
It marks a shift away from ego
Forbes, Travis BeanNow here we are with 'Jesus is King,' where West is no longer Yeezus but instead a disciple of God. He has abolished the ego that once controlled his movements and has instead chosen to look within ... It’s not that West is putting his past behind him—it’s just that he’s ready for the next step in his evolution.
