Who is the “new” Kanye?

With his new album, Jesus is King, Kanye West wants you to think that he is a new person. He references his newfound sanity and devotion to Christ countless times. The previous year for Kanye has been filled with public controversy and questions about his mental health.

Jesus is King is undoubtedly a Christian album. Every song is inspired in some way by his faith. There are clear ties to the gospel genre throughout the record. However, Kanye’s sincerity has to be questioned. Do his recent public antics, such as his endorsement of President Trump, negate his message? 

I think Kanye is trying to convince himself that he has changed just as much as he is trying to convince us. 

On “Hands On” Kanye raps “Told the devil I’m going on a strike, I’ve been working for you my whole life.” This is the same artist who created “Jesus Walks” in 2004, arguably one of the beloved Christian songs of all time, but he has apparently been working for the devil this whole time. These types of inconsistencies are recurrent throughout the album. 

Kanye’s “rebirth” seems like more of a manic episode than a true awakening. It almost seems like he is playing into the hands of his new fans: conservative, Christian, Trump supporters. Ever since Kanye met with Trump last October, many members of this demographic have latched on to Kanye. 

Even since the release of the album, the rapper has continued to make statements that align himself with Trump supporters. Last Friday, in an interview with radio host Big Boy, Kanye claimed that Democrats have historically brainwashed black Americans while also coming out against Plan B and abortion in the same sentence. It is these comments that have created a dilemma for many fans of Kanye West’s music. 

Early in his career, Kanye was an outspoken activist for black rights. He had a huge voice in America and used it to empower members of his community. In a 2005 Hurricane Katrina PSA he claimed “George Bush doesn’t care about black people,” The comments Kanye has made recently couldn’t be farther from that, and there is no doubt Donald Trump has been scrutinized more for his alleged racism than George Bush ever was. 

Many have asked the question of whether it is possible to separate the artist from the music. Many of Kanye’s old fans are still able to relate to his music, but have a hard time doing so knowing what he says to the media. I think it becomes very hard to separate the artist from the music when he is contradicting what he is saying in the music with what he is saying to the press. The “new” Kanye claims to be a righteous person, but his recent remarks make that hard to believe.