I have never been a very religious person. I don’t attend church, and I’ve never read any religious texts. Kanye West’s latest album, however, instilled a love for God in me that I had no idea existed.
"The Life of Pablo" was released in February of this year and it’s all I’ve listened to ever since. After about the twentieth time hearing the album, it was like I caught the Holy Ghost, and it’s only become more prominent in my life. The heavy religious overtones throughout the album as Kanye plays on the theme of his love for God are nothing short of inspiring.
The album opener, "Ultralight Beam," is preluded with a sample of a four-year-old girl giving a church sermon in the car with her family. From there, the song launches into myriad different features. Vocalists Kelly Price and The-Dream lend their voices to the track with lyrics such as, “I’m try'n'a keep my faith/but I’m looking for more/somewhere I can feel safe/and end my holy war,” and “’Cause I know you’ll make everything all right/and I know that you’ll take good care of your child.” Both verses detail the struggle that comes with accepting all things thrown your way because God ultimately has a plan for you. The song ends with a prayer spoken by Kirk Franklin layered over vocals from an accompanying gospel choir.
Not that I doubt Kanye’s musical ability, but the composition of "Ultralight Beam" caught me off guard the first time I heard it. The complexity of it, with its various samples and features, is what sparked my love for this song, and what has made it the most-played song in my iTunes library. Somewhere along the way, though, I noticed myself start to thank God for more and more things every day: the sun is shining? Glory be to God. I got an A on my exam? God is good all the time. My hair looks good today? All the time God is good. I have no doubt that there’s a correlation between Kanye's work and my newfound appreciation for the Lord. "The Life of Pablo" is enthusiastically, unabashedly dedicated to God and it’s no surprise that I’ve been inspired to find a place for God in my heart because of it.
I probably won’t start going to church. I probably won’t start praying, or reading any religious texts, and I’ll probably forget to thank God for things regularly. I still don’t consider myself a religious person, but I don’t think you need to be attached to a certain religion to celebrate God. God can be found anywhere, even in Kanye West songs.
