Kanye West‘s back catalogue will soon be available in church-appropriate form, after the rapper admitted he is editing his prior work to reflect his devotion to Jesus Christ himself.
Speaking to Zane Lowe for a positively enormous Beats 1 Radio interview, West unloaded on the creative thought process which led to his upcoming record Jesus Is King, the ongoing Sunday Service gigs, and his decision to strip naughty words from his future work.
Audiences are “about to get the George Lucas versions” of his discography, West said, referring to Star Wars creator Lucas’ decision to radically touch-up his classic films before their home theatre releases.
“The more I am in service to God, I just clear my head and just wake up more empty every day and let God do the driving and just use me as he may,” West said, adding “God is using me to show off.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCI5D5hHWt0&t=10s
That move comes after his Sunday Service choirs began singing secular songs – including Nirvana hits – with the lyrics altered to reflect West’s faith.
But it’s not only religion which has influenced that decision. West reportedly told Lowe he now owns the masters to his classic records, legally permitting him to edit, rearrange, remix, and generally fuck with them as he sees fit.
(For what it’s worth, it sounds like an inverse situation to Taylor Swift, who this year pledged to re-record her songs after relinquishing control of her masters to her former record label.)
Elsewhere in the roundabout chat, West discussed his mental health, political affiliations, his future desire to become president, and the fact that he can apparently read minds now.
There’s a lot going on, and the convo is sure to drum up hype for Jesus Is King, which is (apparently!) set to arrive on streaming services some time today.
You can check out the full interview on Apple Music here.
