Posted on 10/22/2013 3:48:38 PM PDT by nickcarraway
'Yeezus' MC: "Anytime the word 'Jesus' can be used more in our lives, it's a good thing."
The opening night of Kanye West's Yeezus tour featured a highly unexpected cameo: Jesus Christ. Or, at least, a dude dressed as "White Jesus," as SPIN reviewer Douglas Wolk wrote. Like most things Yeezy does — I.E. rent an entire baseball stadium in order to propose to Kim Kardashian — the move quickly proved to be a conversation-starter. What's odd about this one is how ready and willing he was to personally join said conversation.
In back-to-back interviews with San Francisco Bay Area rap radio stations KMEL and Wild 94.9, West calmly and cooly explained the presence of (the likeness of) Jesus at his shows, and it basically amounts to this: Do you know what's awesome about Christianity? The clips shared from the two chats are chock-full of references to the G.O.O.D. Music creator's relationship with, um, G-O-D the Creator — basically, a full-court press to spread The Word.
"I think anytime the word 'Jesus' can be used more in our lives, I believe it's a good thing," he said to Wild. "So even if it's the title, Yeezus, what I say is like, with my heroes... People wanna be like Mike, I wanna be like Christ."
And then, to KMEL, again: "I'm Christian, and I'm hip-hop. So you mix those two things together, and you want to express yourself a certain type of way, and be bold [...] I wanna be like Christ. That's not to say [I have] a god complex. But it's like, if people pick a favorite Halloween character it's like, that's what I would pick! Don't people pick people that they look up to?"
No, Kanye, people pick fictional things that terrify them, mostly. (So ... maybe?). Of course, West's minting the word Yeezus, his calling himself a god on album (via "I Am a God"), and the bizarrely garish religious imagery that adorns his current tour have all raised eyebrows, so it's understandable that he feels the need to explain. It's just maybe not the explanation we were expecting. Here's this one via Wild:
"One of the things that I wanted to get across with that message was that you can have a relationship with Jesus. That you can talk to Jesus. This is my literal ... in the same way someone would [say] 'Jesus is my homeboy,' that is how I would express it in the way I create."
"I had a friend of mine that's a pastor there as we started discussing how we want to [present the show]," he explained further. "My girl even asked afterwards, 'Is that weird that Jesus comes on stage?' And I'm like, 'No, we do plays all the time where people play Jesus.' You know what's awesome about Christianity? We're allowed to portray God. We're allowed to draw an image of Him. We're allowed to make movies about Him. Other religions, you're not allowed to. So that's what's really awesome about Christianity."
He pauses and then smiles widely. "That's one of the awesome things."
Later on in the same talk, he demystifies his creative process via further mystification (mysti-tivity?): "There's only two things on my mind when I create: God, and Jesus." And then one of the 94.9 hosts breathlessly responds, "That's awesome."
Over at KMEL, West spoke about his fiancé hours before he popped the question, and also Jay-Z, characterizing each relationship as a gift from on high, plus ending with a weird nugget that puts his love for Kim Kardashian in a very odd light.
"I love the fact that God has put her in my life every single day," he said. "One of the reasons I did Watch the Throne with Jay wasn't to do a dope album, which we did. It was because Jay-Z had the best social skills of anyone I knew then [...] and I wanted to learn from him. Like he said, 'Teach you how to move in a room full of vultures.' He knows how to move in that room. I go in and be like, 'That's a vulture! That's a vulture! That's a vulture!' — a kind of robotic and intense personality. But [I] just [wanted] to knock the edge off and learn from Jay. And then God has now given me another master of the social skills and that's my girl. She's like, the number one socialite in the world."
Humblebrag much? We can't remember if that came before or after the part where West rapped his famous "Hampton blouse" verse about coming, but all of that happened and more (he also spoke about Drake, the Illuminati, and classicism) and there's video evidence below.
Kanye West is a moron. So, no, I didn’t read your article.
CC
I find Kanye obnoxious and insufferable. But if he leads one person to God, good for him. If he is mocking God, well God will take care of that.
I’m guessing the latter...
“There’s only two things on my mind when I create: God, and Jesus.”
Sure, Kanye. Lyrics to the songs on his new album:
http://rapgenius.com/albums/Kanye-west/Yeezus
I saw nothing safe to post on FR, so you’ll have to visit the site.
See post 6.
If he’s found Christ, then we kill the fatted calf and have a feast. Seriously.
Every found soul. Every one.
Because the issue with many lifelong Christians is that they confuse being saved with being perfect. The truth is, the bulk are a$$holes standing between God and the people He’s hoping come back to Him.
Jesus,I have never seen so many people so quick to judge a guy and his relationship to Christ. All he was doing was praising Him and everyone wants to tear him down.
He’s a gay fish.
See post 6.
“Kanye West is a moron.”
So is the Bimbo he got Pregnant.Two peas in a pod.
yup
Read some of the lyrics. Pure blasphemy.
Ok. Drinking my second cup of coffee and thought, “I’ll give this guy WEst a listen.” To be honest I haven’t bothered to since his name came up on the scene at the Grammy’s or wherever it was...a few years ago...when he upstaged someone truly deserving...
So I listened to this new album....and I listened some more, or better to say that I tried to listen some more.
I consider myself a lover of good music. Just like Louis Armstrong when asked what was his favorite music... he responded, “Only two kinds of music in the world, good music and bad music. like good music.”
On the other hand, I have this theory. If you’re a professional musician on the AMerican music scene...you have to be good and entertaining...I mean Bruce Springsteen, who has the absolute worst voice of anyone, is probably great in concert in a small bar in Philly. So, who am I to judge someone like Kenye West...?
Folks...This is bad music. This is music that won’t be remotely thought of five or ten years from now. This is music that has no melody. This is music you can’t whistle to. Irving BErlin, Cole Porter it is not. Not close. It is as gimmicky and fake as the guy’s new wife...
I’m rather glad, that I haven’t wasted more than a few minutes on this man’s music before today. THe idea that this guy is as popular as he is... and has money that he can squander...on renting a baseball stadium, and a 15 carrot ring speaks volumes about the culture in our society...and what it teaches our young. When I was young, it was the James Bond syndrome....meaning, James Bond can have anything....without effort.
So now, it’s the Kenye West Syndrome. I’m young, and I can have it without working for it. Like having a field day buying spree in Walmart when the food stamp cards crash...on Walmart’s dime.
This is the Kenye West syndrome. It’s there for free. No one pays...I’m scamming you...and you can scam the next person.
“Don’t have any money on me now....All these bi*ches around me now....All want something from me now....etc etc....”
Bad music plain and simple.
Oh...one more comment. What’s with the synthesizer? I thought that gimmick went out with Cher...I don’t recall any of the great singers using that. Michael? Sinatra? Tony... Ella? THey wouldn’t dare think of recording stuff using that...unless it was a party in someone’s garage...for a laugh...
This guy is not Barry White...Teddy Pendergast or Al B Sure. This guy is not a Vic Damone or Julio Inglesias...or a young Al Green...on the other hand... maybe he is....
Maybe he needs to cut an album unplugged...without the BS...Just himself and a piano or a lone guitar....with a good producer.
Let’s see what you can do. Maybe it’s in your old stuff....IF someone knows of something good by this guy, I’ll give a listen...A few years ago I picked up Bob Dylan’s latest album. Couldn’t get into it. Got in an argument with someone here about it...and in the end he was right. There were a few gems in the bunch that surfaced thru the years of drugs...and booze...and who knows what that goes thru the mind of a true genius songwriter like him.
Hey, Kenye....is that you? Prove it to me, and I’ll shout your praises, but for now, IMHO you’re a phony.
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