This article was intended to be a review article but that’s not what it turned out to be. Many people are angry but most of these people are not surprised. Kanye West’s supposive album Jesus is King has been delayed again. This has happened numerous times over the past year, which is why most people aren’t surprised. The initial release date was September 29, 2018 and now it is October of 2019. The album has changed titles over the year of untimely delay. The original title “Yandhi” was going to be West’s 9th studio album.

Fits in with West’s persona

From constantly making controversial statements every interview to giving his opinion frequently on sensitive subjects such as mental health and racism, West seems to be everywhere. He even openly acknowledges himself as being controversial. He says, “I’m not always going to say things the perfect way, the right way. But I’m going to say how I feel.” To prove his true arrogance, he once said, “I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh.”

The point is, all of the controversial things he says and does fit right in with him continuously delaying his album release. It really doesn’t matter what he does regarding his music because his great discography and presence in the rap and production industry make up for all of his drama and delays.  

What to expect

The album postponements definitely does not mean that West is going to stop making music whatsoever. Everyone should expect West to continue to produce music and at a very enjoyable level. As far as what to expect musically and artistically from Kanye, when he actually does release the album, it’s safe to assume the production and aesthetics are going to be top tier. On the other hand, the structure and theme of the album are a little less clear. His last two albums Ye and Kids See Ghosts (collab album with Kid Cudi) tackled more heavy and sensitive subjects in a mild-mannered tone from Kanye. But in Kanye’s earlier days he was more provocative and focused on stereotypical rap/ hip-hop topics. So what I’m expecting is another sensitive and uncomfortable topic: religion. The album title is obviously the main giveaway, but Kanye has also said it’s going to be a gospel-styled album. 

Religious before

Kanye had a song on his 2004 album The College Dropout titled “Jesus Walks” which was Kanye asking God for guidance. Although Kanye has been openly religious for a while, he also said, “Keep your nose out the sky, keep your heart to God, and keep your face to the raising sun” which shows the spiritual and religious aspect of his life. This album is still probably going to be a surprise to a lot of people because of the topic and is still going to wind up causing some type of controversy. 

The bottomline 

Kanye isn’t going to change the way he acts. He will continue being arrogant and audacious because it works and it’s his brand. If his antics and ego were taken away from his persona he wouldn’t be nearly as famous as he is now. That’s the bottomline. Even if people think his music is really exceptional and innovative, he simply wouldn’t be as popular without being himself. Many listeners think his music is really great and does deserve credit for why he is one of the most famous people in the world. The man has been nominated for 69 Grammys, which is in the top ten of all time. Just being a publicity stunt can’t give somebody that many nominations, so he has to have some talent to be that successful. 

How successful 

Just how successful and famous is Kanye? He has won an astonishing 21 Grammys with 69 nominations. Here are the most impressive awards won:

• Grammys Best Rap Album 3 times
• Grammys Best Rap Song 6 times
• Grammys nominated for Song of the Year 3 times won 1 time
•  Billboard’s Best Rap Artist and Producer award 
• Billboard’s Top Rap Album and Track 

Overall, Kanye’s fans would be pretty happy looking back at all of his music and awards and things he’s done in the rap industry. In regards to his new album, the hopes of it coming out soon aren’t looking good.