Kanye West, who in 2021 won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album after releasing “Jesus Is King,” has released a new album in which he refers to himself as “the new Jesus.”
Disclaimer: This article contains language that some readers may find offensive.
West’s latest album, titled “Vultures 1,” is a collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign and was released on Feb. 10.
West’s previous two albums, “Jesus Is King” and “Donda,” were released as part of his foray into Christian music after his high profile conversion in 2019. In addition to creating music with explicitly Christian themes, West also launched his “Sunday Services,” which featured appearances from influential Christian leaders and mainstream celebrities alike.
In more recent times, however, West has come under criticism for repeated antisemitic comments, resulting in a wave of business partners cutting ties with him. His erratic and oftentimes perplexing behavior has also led many to voice concern for his mental health.
One of West’s new songs, titled “Carnival,” is a marked departure from the faith-based lyrics of “Jesus Is King.” The song is littered with profanity and even allusions to sexual violence.
“They served us the porn since the day we was born / Anybody pissed off, gotta make ’em drink the urine,” West raps at one point in the song. “Now I’m Ye-Kelly, b***h, now I’m Bill Cosby, b***h / Now, I’m Puff Daddy rich, that’s Me Too me rich.”
R&B singer R. Kelly and comedian and actor Bill Cosby have both been convicted of sexual assault. Cosby’s criminal conviction was later overturned, but the decision of a civil jury to find him liable for sexual assault still stands.
Puff Daddy (Sean “Diddy” Combs) has also been accused of sexual assault.
“Why she say she sucked my d**k? Then she say she ain’t sucked my d**k?” the song continues. “She gon’ take it up the a** like a ventriloquist / I mean since Taylor Swift, since I had the Rollie on the wrist / I’m the new Jesus, b***h, I turn water to Cris’.”
In addition to his new album, West garnered attention over the weekend with a low-budget Super Bowl commercial promoting his Yeezy fashion line.
In the commercial, which West appeared to record on his phone in the back of a moving vehicle, West said, “This is Ye, and this is my commercial. And since we spent all the money on the commercial spot, we actually didn’t spend any money on the actual commercial.”
