Jesus is King II: What Say Ye?

Throughout his musical career, Kanye West has never been afraid to infuse Christian thoughts into his music from songs like; “Jesus Walks,” “No Church in the Wild,” and “Father Stretch My Hands,” to albums like Yeezus, and of course, Jesus is King though the latter is his first full-on attempt at a gospel album. He has maintained some semblance of relevancy in recent months with his “Sunday Service” pop-up-shop style live performances, even recently performing in front of inmates at a jail in Houston, Texas.

In an ultra-random plot twist, Ye’ fans are used to “random,” Kanye West has announced via his Twitter account that a Jesus is King II album is coming. This announcement coming on the heels of its latest release “Jesus is King,” which was met with mixed reviews from fans and critics alike. The only thing more random than the actual announcement itself, however, was the news that West appears to have enlisted fellow production maestro, and “Gangsta Rap” pioneer, Dr. Dre as a running mate for this project.

Yes, “running mate” is appropriate here as West has maintained his plans to run for President of the United States, though pushing back his bid for election to the 2024 cycle, this too is a theme as pushing projects back has become a normalized behavior in the world Ye’.

Which leads some to wonder if JIK II will actually ever see the light…of day, as his “Vice Producer” Dr. Dre has effectively been releasing his long-awaited and much-anticipated album Detox for nearly two decades. Though both artists’ fan bases seem to have the patience of devout Christians awaiting the second coming of Christ, even they must wonder just how long they will stand at the altar of Release Dates Past for this album.

Theoretically, this is a match made in hip-hop heaven. Just imagining the potential euphoria listener’s ears will enjoy when two of the most sonically talented producers in the history of the genre join forces to create what could be the most well-produced project of all-time. It’s almost blasphemous to imagine an album is better produced than Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, but this could certainly rival it.

Both men have become somewhat hermit-like in recent years with Dr. Dre rarely offering so much as a glimpse of himself in public, and Kanye being slightly more accessible, but still keeping media and fans alike at arm’s length. The creative chemistry of the two is certainly going to be interesting to see play out, as well as their respective work ethics. Dr. Dre has become somewhat infamous within the hip hop community for his meticulous process of combing over tracks until they meet his own very lofty standards, while Kanye West is a bit of a perfectionist in his own right.

No matter the product that is produced, if there even is a product produced, the culture takes the win for this span of uncertainty as two titans appear to be in lock-step with a collaboration created by the hip hop Gods. So get your “Beats” ready and your favorite comfy, yet holey Yeezy Szn 1 sweater and enjoy.