Kanye’s ‘Donda’ is Christian music that Trump’s MAGA base might love

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Kanye Wests latest album Donda, dedicated to his mother, makes the strongest case that his real goal is to be a Christian artist for the MAGA generation. Its worship music for those who believe that despite all their mistakes and failures, God owes them forgiveness. The West himself clearly wants not only forgiveness, but also attention. The question is, does he deserve it too?

The West himself clearly wants not only forgiveness, but also attention. The question is, does he deserve it too?

The music wanted in recent years, along with the ecstatic gospel choirs and investigative confession is very different from the average brand of praise. Not the same as Christian or gospel music or part of the Hillsong worship movement, it is a new genre in itself, a self -evident reference that has been altered into song for maximum visibility and financial gain. It is music for people who believe in God but also think (or hope) that they may be demigods. And while critics have given the album a mixed review, I think the music sits on Wests personal evolution from the pioneering artist to the selfish self-help guru desperately trying to hold on to his fame.

The growth of the gospel is not a new phenomenon in the Christian church. Evangelists like Oral Roberts, Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker and Joel Osteen served their followers with the promise of health, wealth and God’s favor. And given the Wests career arc, it’s no surprise that this kind of evangelism will resonate. The basic capitalist is its basic knowledge, the abundance of the gospel encourages you to thumb your nose at the convention because whatever you do, God will bless. Oh, and don’t forget to drag your enemies, especially if they might become more popular.

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Similarly, the Wests gospel is ultimately the gospel of hubris and prosperity. At his concerts in New York, Atlanta and Chicago, the concessions were so expensive that complaints went viral. In Chicago, he invited two parishioners to stand on stage with him: Marilyn Manson, who has been accused of rape, and DaBaby, whose homophobic comments about HIV and AIDS this summer sparked a storm of criticism and a series of less than satisfactory apologies. . Both feature Manson and DaBaby on one of the songs on the album.

Beside these two, the vain extreme west may have fancied himself as Jesus on the cross, surrounded by two thieves. But the West does not have Jesus, except perhaps, in its own mind. She also featured her estranged husband Kim Kardashian, appearing at a Donda listening event in Chicago wearing a wedding dress. He even invited former President Donald Trump to watch.

Trump didn’t bother to show up, which is a lot to say. Both men love an adoring crowd.

And while the Wests album may still be called Christian worship music by some, I think it is more appropriately described as an expression of his personal theology. That theology is, unfortunately, a messy mess.

The most authentic songs on the album are those touching the mother of Wests and her untimely death. The show on the album and arena is named after him, and focused on him, and he’s clearly still processing his grief. But his true feelings, like these, were weakened by the sometimes small and inexplicable contradiction in the life of the Wests. Still in the middle of a divorce proceeding, he brought his wife to the show, and then admitted he cheated on her with his song Hurricane. She announced that the album is not finished yet, but is releasing it Aug. 29 to honor her mothers birthday. (Meanwhile, Wests continues to grow unsolicited beef with Drake. Drakes’ album dropped on Sept. 3, with an amazing marketing campaign.)

As a religious scholar, I was tempted to write only West at this point. Jesus Walks was groundbreaking at the time of its release, and his Sunday Service events (which included the sale of $ 50 socks announcing Jesus Walks) were initially intriguing. But while this early West was complicated, his music was sophisticated and even fun. Now his songs are full of angst, a confusing vision in the spirit. Honestly, exhausting. Who wants the confused hucksterism of prosperity in this ongoing pandemic? Stubborn fans, I think.

If nothing else, Wests ’latest album highlights the cultural power of evangelical ideas in America. Many of the most cynical proponents of the gospel and today of the West preach an intense focus on personal relationships with God at the expense of others; an arrogance that deserves you forgiveness without really seeking it; and a spirituality that refers to the self that is obsessed with narcissism rather than reality.

In this way, Donda is an album that suits our present moment. Every day, we hear more stories about legions of Americans who believe they know more than doctors, who dose themselves quack cures, and who hate direction. Kanye West may no longer be as groundbreaking as he thinks he is, but he is certainly a sign of our times.

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