Here we go again: Kanye West tweeted early Monday that his delayed new album, “Jesus Is King,” is coming out on Friday.
The album was originally slated for a Sept. 27 release, and West previewed it with three listening events in three cities that weekend — along with two different performances of his “Sunday Service” concert — but he apparently decided it wasn’t ready and postponed the release. The album’s non-arrival, with news passed along via rumors and social-media posts from West’s wife Kim Kardashian, was a news event in itself for some.
A companion IMAX film, also called “Jesus Is King,” is scheduled for release on Oct. 25 as well, according to an announcement from the company last month. “Filmed in the summer of 2019, ‘Jesus Is King’ brings Kanye West’s famed Sunday Service to life in the Roden Crater, visionary artist James Turrell’s never-before-seen installation in Arizona’s Painted Desert,” the IMAX release said of the film. A minute-long trailer for the film has been released, which features a choir sings a passage loosely adapted from the book of Mark: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand/ Repent and believe in the gospel.”
West showed excerpts from the film during “Jesus Is King” listening parties in Detroit, Chicago and New York; he has since held one in Washington, DC. In Chicago, he made a surprise appearance at Chance the Rapper’s United Center concert, where he performed “All We Got” with the rapper. During most of the events, he spoke of his recent deep embrace of Christianity.
Following in the wake of West’s “Yandhi” album — which was scheduled to be released last fall but still has not officially materialized — the “Jesus Is King” drama began in August when Kardashian, who has essentially acted as his spokesperson for this album, tweeted what appeared to be an album tracklist filled with Christian-themed titles, which was then reposted by West on his website.
It seems likely that more West-related drama will unfold before Friday — and, just maybe, “Jesus Is King” — arrive.