Kanye West releases 'Jesus Is Born' album, follow-up to 'Jesus Is King'
Rap artist Kanye West released his new album Jesus Is Born on Christmas Day, continuing his foray into the world of gospel music.
West, whose public conversion to Christ this year generated considerable excitement and discussion among many Christians, made waves with his first-ever gospel album titled Jesus is King in October. The album earned him his ninth-consecutive spot at the top of the Billboard 200 charts, CBS News reported Wednesday.
His coming to faith was one of The Christian Post's top 10 stories of 2019.
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The new album has 19 songs on it which include a cover version of West's own "Ultralight Beam" and "Balm In Gilead," a traditional gospel song, CNN noted Thursday. The primary artist listed on the album, a follow-up of sorts to "Jesus Is King," is his Sunday Service Choir, which has been traveling with him to perform at worship services around the country.
The 42-year-old artist has been vocal about making changes in his lifestyle as it relates to what he now proclaims.
“Now that I’m in service to Christ, my job is to spread the Gospel, to let people know what Jesus has done for me,” West said previously about how his life had been transformed as a result of accepting Jesus.
“I’ve spread a lot of things. There was a time I was letting you know what high fashion had done for me, I was letting you know what the Hennessey 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.”
As reported by Billboard in October during the creation of Jesus Is King, West established lifestyle guidelines that everyone participating in the making of the album had to adhere to, such as fasting and not partaking in premarital sex.
Due to increased interest in the Christian faith as a result of West's conversion, the American Bible Society gave away thousands of Bibles after online searches related to what Christians believe rose significantly.
The ABS said it had received approximately 6,000 requests for Bibles.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled at this unexpected demand,” John Farquhar Plake, director of ministry intelligence at the American Bible Society, said in a statement shared with CP in November.
“When we saw Google searches for Kanye, Jesus, and Bible spike, we saw an opportunity — but we never could have dreamed that we’d get such an overwhelming response.”
“Our hope is that these Bibles will allow Kanye fans to get to know the extraordinary person of Jesus, who inspires not just musicians, but millions of believers around the world,” he added.
