Kanye West has reportedly said he will only be recording gospel from now on – following a trail blazed with mixed results by Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens and Reverend Run
Religion has always been a popular option for celebrities in urgent need of a fresh start because God, unlike
Twitter, has a reputation for forgiveness.
Kanye West launched his weekly Sunday Service in January after a whirlwind few months during which he swooned over
Donald Trump, suggested that slavery was a choice and released the first forgettable album of his career. West has had an inconsistent relationship with his faith. His 2004 single Jesus Walks earned him multiple nominations for Stellar awards (the gospel Grammys) but I Am a God, from the album Yeezus, did not. On the verge of releasing his long-delayed ninth album, Jesus Is King, he seems to be going all in. At a recent listening party, he reportedly declared that he was done with secular
music and would be recording only gospel from now on.
In the 1960s, soul music was largely defined by charismatic young gospel stars such as Sam Cooke and
Aretha Franklin crossing over to secular music, but travelling in the opposite direction poses more of a challenge. While mainstream listeners are by no means allergic to overt expressions of faith — witness, for example, U2, Stormzy, Johnny Cash and vast swathes of reggae — the zeal of the convert is a tougher sell.