(CP) Rapper Kanye West, who now goes by the name Ye, said in a recent interview that he has "issues with Jesus" and would rather take things into his "own hands" instead of giving Jesus full control.
West and fellow rapper Ty Dolla $ign, a collaborating artist on his new album Vultures 1, appeared for an interview with radio personality Big Boy posted to his Big Boy TV YouTube channel on Sunday.
"I have my issues with Jesus," West began during the interview, which lasted for over an hour. "There's a lot of stuff I went through, and I prayed, and I ain't see Jesus show up.
"I had to put my experience in this world, my experience with my children, my experience with other people, my experience with my account, my experience with my brand and my experience with the level of music that I was dealing with, in my own hands."
West criticized American Christians in society today as not being proactive enough when given opportunities to help others.
"I just feel like in our society and America, people, Christians will depend on Jesus so much that we don't put the word in ourself. And the main thing that I don't rock with is like, 'I'm going to pray for you.' It's just like, you can actually physically do something yourself, too, more than just praying."
"And we're so in this mentality that that's all that needs to happen. But we aren't praying our way out of prison. We aren't praying our way out of the abortion clinics. We aren't praying our way to get our land back that was always ours after gentrification after the Harlem Renaissance and Black Wall Street was burned to the ground. Them prayers are not working."
The rapper argued that physical action taken by humans is key to making things happen.
"We are going to have to apply actual physical building partnerships, and it don't start unless we could really be real with each other," the 46-year-old said.
"You know how many threats we've been dealt with. And I haven't prayed my way through them threats either. I had to get up and do it myself. I had so much to do, I haven't have time to pray."
Later in the interview, West claimed that he is God of himself.
'Cause I'm God," he said, when asked about his success in the music industry and how he hasn't "disappeared." "And anyone who wants to disagree, I'm the God of me. You can't tell me who I am. I can't tell y'all. I could tell y'all. It's your job to listen. I'm the God of me. I don't know if I'm in heaven already."
In previous years, West garnered attention and headlines for his seemingly open acceptance of Christianity and his public conversion to the Christian faith. He released his Jesus is King album in 2019. He also spent over $50 million performing "Sunday Service" events across the country, which he once said was an effort to spread the Gospel.
His comments in the interview drew reactions from Christians online.
"Kanye is mixed up about Jesus. The role of Jesus isn't to be our cleanup crew or a genie that grants us wishes," social commentator and film producer Robby Starbuck wrote on X. "We all have to be responsible for our choices and the consequences they have. It also comes off really bad to place blame on Jesus for not having as much $$$ as you think you should when you're incredibly rich still. @kanyewest has been given more blessings than your average person."
"Ye should understand that historically the people who take risks to stand up for God often risk a life of horrors or death not because God refuses to intervene but because they choose to sacrifice for the good of others or to live a life that they can be proud of on their deathbed," he added. "If God intervened against evil every time it reared its head, then that would mean humans don't really have free will."
West received backlash last month after he called himself "the new Jesus" in his Vultures 1 album, released on Feb. 10. The album includes a song called "Carnival," which is filled with obscene language and sexual violence. The new album was a collaboration with Ty Dolla $ign.
"They served us the porn since the day we was born / Anybody pissed off, gotta make 'em drink the urine," the 46-year-old rapper recited during his song.
"Now I'm Ye-Kelly, b—, now I'm Bill Cosby, b— / Now, I'm Puff Daddy rich, that's Me Too me rich."
After more verses filled with crude sexual references and a reference to pop star Taylor Swift, West states: "I'm the new Jesus, b—, I turn water to Cris.'"
The rapper mentions R&B singer R. Kelly and actor Bill Cosby, who have both suffered degrading reputations after sexual assault allegations were brought up against them.
West calling himself the "new Jesus" prompted scrutiny from Christian commentators on social media and responses from others seeking to defend the rapper.
"Kanye fans getting mad at Christians for calling him out only comes from emotions," Christian rapper Bryson Gray tweeted. "We are holding him to standards that he has publicly set for himself. You don't care how inconsistent he is ... cool That doesn't change the facts though."
