It’s a public secret that Kanye West flew into the Pearl of Africa in October last year to record his ninth studio album. West talked about recording in Chicago and how he “felt the roots” but wanted to go to further his energy by touching African soil and recording in nature.
“The most beautiful thoughts are always besides the darkest,” Kanye West said last year on Ye‘s opening track “I Thought About Killing You.” And it’s refreshing to know that he chose the Murchison Falls National Park as his safe haven at a time he was going through rough episodes of mental health issues.
The rap mogul whose sudden change from secular to gospel music has received quite a share of criticism from mainstream Christians. Black Christians have frequently accused West of hypocrisy and commodification.
“They’ll be the first ones to judge me / Make it feel like nobody love me,” he says of Christians in “Hands On.” In another track, “Selah,” he compares himself to a Biblical patriarch: “Before the flood, people judge / They did the same thing to Noah.”
Jesus Is King focuses on the Christian concept of salvation with the entire album being clean of explicit lyrics, including verses from guest features.
“This album has been made to be an expression of the gospel and to share the gospel and the truth of what Jesus has done to me. When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he does for me, my soul cries out.” The rap king who fell in love with Uganda is quoted as saying.
The gospel-inspired album is West’s ninth in a row to open at the top of the Billboard 200, putting him in a tie with Eminem for the most consecutive No. 1’s and features 11 songs which include Every Hour, Selah, Follow God, Everything we need, God is, Hands on, Closed on Sunday, etc.
Maybe had Kanye granted Bebe Cool’s publicly declared request and outcry for a collabo, who knows? Maybe we would have a Ugandan scaling the billboard chat heights.
While in the country, Kanye visited State House and an Orphanage. He donated his Yeezy Brand sneakers to the President and the children in the Orphanage.
