Kanye West asked people working on Jesus is King not to have sex before marriage
Controversial artist took part in an interview where he also declared himself the ‘greatest human artist of all time’
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Your support makes all the difference.Kanye West has revealed that he asked those working on his new album Jesus is King not to have sex before marriage.
The rapper took part in a lengthy and controversial interview with Zane Lowe on his Apple Music Beats 1 show, in which he reflected on his career.
He said that he was exposed to pornography from a young age and became addicted to sex after the death of his mother in 2007.
“Some people drown themselves in drugs, and I drown myself in my addiction: sex,” he said.
West, who describes himself as a Christian and whose new album is heavily influenced by Gospel music, then explained that he told people working in his studio not to have pre-marital sex.
“There were times where I was asking people not to have premarital sex while they were working on the album,” he said.
“There were times where I went to people that were working on other projects and said, can you just work and focus on this? I thought if we could all focus and fast – families who pray together stay together.”
In the same interview, West said he refused to be shamed into keeping his opinions to himself, such as his support for US president Donald Trump.
“For the greatest artist in human existence to put a red hat on was God’s practical joke to all liberals. Like, ‘No! Not Kanye!’” he said.
In the same interview, West referred to himself as “unquestionably, undoubtedly the greatest human artist of all time”
Follow the latest on Kanye's album release in our liveblog, below
Regardless of where Jesus is at right now, one thing that isn't being resurrected is my opinion of Kanye.
It's poor form to treat your fans like this – particularly ones who are some of the loyalest out there. Imagine sticking by him through the pro-Trump support, the 'slavery was a choice' claim and, well, the Kardashians, to get to this point where he's delayed not one, but two studio albums.
This is the third time Jesus is King has been delayed, and even if it does drop later today, the fact that Kanye is still messing around with the production the day it's supposed to drop shows an astonishing disregard for the people who want to hear that music.
Oh wow, thanks for the feedback! Glad my misery is entertaining someone
We have an update! Courtesy of @iBradSando on Twitter (thanks Brad). So according to rapper and producer Consequence, the album will be with us in about... an hour? I'll believe it when I hear it.
10 people have already told me they think Consequence is just baiting me with false hope.
Track 8: "God Is"
I recognise that voice. A super soulful intro to this track, nice backing instrumentation which hasn't been the focus until now, but the arrangements seem far more thought-out here. It's another one, however, that feels a tad preachy – spilling out a number of worshipping statements about what "God is" to Ye. He is a fricking genius with the samples though, that at least will never change.
Track 9: "Hands On"
Featuring the renowned gospel singer Fred Hammond. This is the most determined Ye has sounded on the record so far, and there's 100% some Justin Vernon/Bon Iver vibes opening the track. There's a big old mention of the 13 Amendment, nodding to Ye's highly controversial comments about slavery being "a choice". With his newfound religious beliefs he's spoken at length about feeling "free" and seeing the light. His flow's harking back to Graduation (for me, at least, feel free to disagree), slow and considered.
Track 10: "Use This Gospel"
Wow, we're really racing through the record (but then it is reallyyyyyyy short). Was the wait worth it? I'm not convinced and with two tracks to go (including this one) I don't know that's going to change. Saying that, there's a definite reference to "POWER" (it's not just me, right?) here, with that build that's both menacing and empowering. And Kenny G is on it! And Clipse! Aka Pusha T and his brother No Malice.
As cool as the above is, I've realised what a major issue is with this record – it's coming across as a series of skits, rather than full album tracks. Each one is so different from the next that it's disrupting any kind of flow the album manages to achieve. But oh, that Kenny G sax. WOW.
Track 11: "Jesus is Lord"
Oh. It's 49 seconds. Not a track so much as an outro of Ye singing "Jesus is Lord" over and over again. "Every knee shall bow/ Every tongue confess/ Jesus is Lord..." someone pass me the sick bucket? I can't believe that's the last track on an album fans have been waiting years for. Really? REALLY, Kanye? I'm trying to get my head around this.
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