To say that Kanye West likes stirring up controversies would be an understatement. But it seems like the hip hop artist is singing a different tune this time by saying that his new album So Help Me God is intended to be "joyful noise unto the Lord."
"This new album's coming out of a fight to want to design. It's a joyful noise unto the Lord. It is still the struggle, but it's the beauty from the struggle — like the song 'Amazing Grace' — coming out of the worst pain possible and making the most beautiful song possible. I want to perform 'Only One' as many times as possible," he told Vulture.
The album is only 80 per cent finished so no release date has been set, although Kanye has already revealed several songs that would be included in the album such as "Wolves" and "All Day."
So Help Me God is the follow-up album to his 2013 release Yeezus, which included the controversial song "I Am God." While Kanye often incorporates religious themes into his songs, the singer seems to express his Christianity in eyebrow-raising ways.
"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?" he told KMEL.
But Christian groups were not pleased with his album Yeezus, and slammed Kanye for being "blasphemous" and "satanic."
Former Full House star Candace Cameron Bure said that Kanye lacked humility for "comparing himself to Jesus."
"That is way too close," said Bure." "It totally bugs me. I have issues with that. There's a million other names out there... And you could have chosen one that is not one letter off from Jesus. I mean, that's just a little too close. Come on. He's actually comparing himself to Jesus. Really? Should any of us be doing that?"
The iPost said that his album cover, which showed an inverted cross and three women with red eyes, reeked of "mockery and the rejection of Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior."
"He's driven by demons, and his in-your-face blasphemy of Christianity and Jesus Christ shows his hatred of it. West is a dark spirited, sinister evil individual, not just by his music lyrics alone, but through the symbolism of his music videos and album covers. They exude Satanism," the article read.
