After the latest rounds of “Will he or won’t he?” in the Kanye waiting game, Mr. West is supposedly about to deliver.
And, with as much certainty as you can ever have in Kanye world, we’re about to get a triple dose of Yeezy.
His “Jesus Is King” documentary will have Thursday night screenings in select IMAX theaters (including the AMC Empire 25 in Times Square, the AMC 34th Street 14 and the AMC Lincoln Square 13) before officially opening Friday.
Then his “Jesus Is King” gospel album — first teased to be dropped last month, dangled like an apple in the Garden of Eden — is due to be released Friday to coincide with the film. And while “due” is a pretty loose term in regard to West’s projects, his record label sent out an official press release earlier this week announcing the LP’s drop date, which is the surest sign you can get from the Kanye camp.
Apparently, there is more on the way: On Thursday, it was announced that West will be releasing a “Jesus Is Born: Sunday Service” album on Christmas — though details are sparse.
But at this point, does anyone really care?
Let’s be real: West has exhausted a lot of his fans’ patience. First there was the messy release of his “The Life of Pablo” album in 2016. The frustration mounted with the unconventional rollout of 2018’s “Ye,” which had loyal fans waiting up all night. Then there was the “Yandhi” LP that never materialized.
That’s not even getting into all the bizarre MAGA hat-wearing, slavery-ranting stuff.
Now comes “Jesus Is King” — inspired by the Sunday Service performances that West has been holding everywhere from Coachella to the Greater Allen A.M.E. Cathedral of New York in Queens last month. And it feels like a lifetime ago since he bestowed on us the revelatory “The College Dropout” in 2004.
The truth is, West hasn’t released a truly great album — the kind we know he’s capable of — since 2013’s blasphemously titled “Yeezus.”
At this point, it’s going to take a miracle on the order of his 2010 masterpiece, “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy,” for Kanye to find real salvation.