Kanye West Has Released His New Gospel Album, Jesus Is King

Yandhi it ain’t, but Kanye West has released a new album, the gospel-suffused Jesus Is King. These days, a new Kanye album is far from a sure thing until it’s actually streaming—and even then, he still might make some changes—but his ninth solo studio album has officially materialized, just 12 or so hours after it was promised.

“JESUS IS KING”
Midnight pic.twitter.com/EMYldzBXCU

— ye (@kanyewest) October 24, 2019

To my fans

Thank you for being loyal & patient

We are specifically fixing mixes on “Everything We Need” “Follow God” & “Water”

We not going to sleep until this album is out!

— ye (@kanyewest) October 25, 2019

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Early reactions to the 11-track, 27-minute album—which features Clipse, Kenny G (!), Ty Dolla $ign, Ant Clemons, Fred Hammond and West’s Sunday Service Choir—are middling, with the general consensus being that it’s better than Ye, at least. It’s odd to see a West album released to such a relative shrug—even the artist behind some of Paste’s top albums of the decade can only do so much to mitigate the law of diminishing returns.

Jesus Is King arrives accompanied by an IMAX film of the same name—filmed over the summer and set in Roden Crater, visual artist James Turrell’s previously never-before-seen installation in Arizona’s Painted Desert, the film captures West’s Sunday Service, featuring 13 gospel songs arranged by West and performed by the Sunday Service Choir. You can find showtimes near you here, if you’re so inclined.

Stream Jesus Is King via your service of choice and watch West discuss his latest with Beats 1’s Zane Lowe below.