Kanye West FINALLY releases Jesus is King after string of delays (and demanding collaborators abstain from pre-marital sex while working on album)
After a string of delays, Kanye West’s new Christian album Jesus Is King was finally released Friday morning.
The 42-year-old rapper made a dramatic surprise appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Thursday and announced the record was ‘out now’ – only to then reveal on Twitter that it had been postponed yet again.
Although the album was meant to be released at midnight, Kanye tweeted after 10pm PST: ‘To my fans Thank you for being loyal & patient’.
At long last: After a string of delays, Kanye West’s new Christian album Jesus Is King was finally released Friday morning; he is seen here on Thursday night with wife Kim Kardashian
He added: ‘We are specifically fixing mixes on “Everything We Need” “Follow God” & “Water” We not going to sleep until this album is out!’
The album was originally meant to drop on September 27, then was pushed back to September 29, a deadline that also sailed by unmet.
An October 25 date was eventually set, corresponding with the release of Kanye’s accompanying Jesus Is King IMAX concert movie.
Jesus Is King the album includes a boffo list of celebrity guests stars including Ty Dolla $ign, Kenny G, Ant Clemons, Fred Hammond and Clipse.
Out now: The album was originally meant to drop on September 27, then was pushed back to September 29, a deadline that also sailed by unmet
The record also includes contributions by the choir of Kanye’s famous Sunday Services, which he began holding this January in Los Angeles.
‘There were times where I was asking people not to have premarital sex while they were working on the album,’ Kanye revealed to Zane Lowe on Beats 1 this week.
‘I know that’s one where The Shade Room gonna be like: “What you mean, don’t have premarital sex? You better turn that Meg Thee Stallion on right now.” But seriously there’s times where I went to people that were working on other projects and said: “Could you just work and focus on this?”‘
In the bombshell interview, he also recalled an addiction to pornography that he says began when he came upon a copy of Playboy as a child.
Devoted: The record also includes contributions by the choir of Kanye’s famous Sunday Services, which he began holding this January in Los Angeles; a service in Jamaica is pictured
‘Playboy was my gateway into full-on pornography addiction. My dad had a Playboy left out at age five, and it’s affected almost every choice I made for the rest of my life from age five to now, having to kick the habit,’ he revealed.
His new album represents an artistic progression for him in that ‘There was a time I was letting you know what high fashion had done for me, I was letting you know what the Hennessy had done for me, but now I’m letting you know what Jesus has done for me, and in that I’m no longer a slave, I’m a son now, a son of God. I’m free.’
The Atlanta-born impresario also announced that he will be releasing a ‘Sunday Service album’ on Christmas called Jesus Is Born.
Kanye played some new music to a crowd at George Washington University this month, and in footage obtained by TMZ said he is a ‘recent convert’ to his faith.
Rapture: After the album released, Kanye’s fans flooded Twitter with reactions including praise and jokes about the delays and his public statements
One of the Sunday Services will reported be depicted in the IMAX movie, which is subtitled A Kanye West Experience.
Kanye’s new movie is directed by Nick Knight, who helmed the musical artist’s Blkkk Skkkn Head and Bound 2 music videos and has worked with Lady Gaga and Bjork.
Jesus Is King was initially meant to be called Yandhi, but two months ago Kanye’s wife Kim Kardashian announced the new name.
False alarm: The 42-year-old rapper made a dramatic surprise appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Thursday and announced the record was ‘out now’
What an ask: ‘There were times where I was asking people not to have premarital sex while they were working on the album,’ Kanye revealed to Zane Lowe (right) on Beats 1 this week
It contains tracks with such names as Selah – a mysterious word that appears 74 times in the Hebrew Bible and has been interpreted several ways in the past.
Other religious song titles on the 11-track album include Closed On Sunday, Jesus Is Lord, God Is, On God and Use This Gospel.
Kim had her children by Kanye baptized this month during a family trip to Armenia, where she has roots on her father’s side.
Their big day: The couple affectionately known as ‘Kimye’ were glimpsed Friday emerging from the Mercer Hotel in New York City
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