The last few years have been a tumultuous stretch for Kanye West. From beefs with former collaborators to struggles with his own mental health, the megastar has been the most captivating, if polarizing, entertainer in all of music, leaving the public curious about each each sighting and soundbite.

While backlash against Kanye for his questionable comments and political affiliations has been strong, fans have remained locked in for his new music. Coming off the release of Ye, which received mixed reviews from many longtime fans and critics, West quickly announced his plans to release another album titled Yandhi, creating another whirlwind of anticipation. However, after missing two tentative release dates in 2018, the album was shelved indefinitely, leaving its fate in question.

In January 2019, West, who famously released his hit single "Jesus Walks" in 2004, announced a renewed commitment to Christianity in tandem with the start of his own Sunday Service, a weekly gathering of musicians and singers that includes gospel-converted variations of his songs and others. These services culminated in the announcement that Yandhi had been scrapped and would be repurposed as Jesus Is King, Yeezy's ninth studio album.

After numerous delays and false starts, Jesus Is King has finally arrived. With guest appearances from Clipse (Pusha T and No Malice), Ty Dolla $ign, Kenny G, Fred Hammond, Ant Clemons and the Sunday Service Choir, and a production lineup that includes Mike Dean, Pi’erre Bourne, Ronny J, Timbaland and Warryn Campbell, the album is primed to be a listening experience unlike any we've heard from Mr. West thus far.

After giving his latest album a focused listen and sifting through each line, XXL compiles a list of 20 of the best lyrics from Jesus Is King that provide a glimpse into the offbeat mind of Kanye West.

  • "Selah"

    Kanye West

    "God is King, we the soldiers/Ultrabeam out the solar/When I get to Heaven's gates, I ain’t gotta peak over/Keepin' perfect composure/When I scream at the chauffeur/I ain't mean, I’m just focused/I ain't mean, I'm just focused" —Kanye West

  • "Selah"

    Kanye West

    "Pour the lean out slower/Got us clean out of soda/Before the flood, people judge/They did the same thing to Noah/Everybody wanted Yandhi/Then Jesus Christ did the laundry/They say the week start on Monday/But the strong start on Sunday" —Kanye West

  • "Selah"

    Kanye West

    "We got the product, we got the tools/We got the minds, we got the youth/We goin' wild, we on the loose/People is lying, we are the truth/Everything old shall now become new/The leaves’ll be green, bearing the fruit/Love God and our neighbor, as written in Luke/The army of God and we are the truth" —Kanye West

  • "Follow God"

    Kanye West

    "Lifelike, this is what your life like/Try to live your life right/People really know you, push your buttons like typewrite/This is like a movie, but it's really very lifelike/Every single night, right/Every single fight, right?/I was looking at the 'Gram and I don't even like likes" —Kanye West

  • "Follow God"

    Kanye West

    "Riding on a white bike, feeling like excite bike/Pressin' on the gas, supernova for a night light/Screamin' at my dad and he told me, 'It ain't Christ-like'/But nobody never tell you when you're being like Christ/Only ever seein' me only when they needin' me/Like if Tyler Perry made a movie for BET/Searchin' for a deity" —Kanye West

  • "Follow God"

    Kanye West

    "I'm just tryna find, l've been lookin' for a new way/I'm just really tryin' not to really do the fool way/I don't have a cool way, bein' on my best, though/Block 'em on the text though, nothin' else next though/Not another word, letter, picture, or a decimal/Wrestlin' with God, I don't really want to wrestle" —Kanye West

  • "Closed on Sunday"

    Kanye West

    "When you got daughters, always keep 'em safe/Watch out for vipers, don't let them indoctrinate/Closed on Sunday, you my Chick-fil-A/You're my number one, with the lemonade/Raise our sons, train them in the faith/Through temptations, make sure they're wide awake" —Kanye West

  • "Closed on Sunday"

    Kanye West

    "I pray to God that He'll strengthen my hand/They will think twice steppin' onto my land/I draw the line, it's written in the sand/Try me and you will see that I ain't playin'/Now, back up off my family, move your hands/I got my weapons in the spirit's land/I, Jezebel don't even stand a chance" —Kanye West

  • "On God"

    Kanye West

    "Before the ranch, I had horses in the garage/When the Forbes cover was just a mirage/They had me chasin' statues, that's on pride/Oh my God, Bust said, 'That's on tribe'/When I thought the Book of Job was a job/The devil had my soul, I can't lie/Life gon' have some lows and some highs/Before the Grammy's ever gave a nod" —Kanye West

  • "On God"

    Kanye West

    "In '03, they told me not to drive/I bleached my hair for every time I could've died/But I survived, that's on God/I've been tellin' y'all since '05/The greatest artist restin' or alive/That's on L.A. Reid, that's on Clive/That's no Jive, that's on God" —Kanye West

  • "Everything We Need"

    Kanye West Featuring Ant Clemons and Ty Dolla $ign

    "Switch my, switch my attitude/I'm so, I'm so radical/All these people mad at dude/This for who it matter to/What if Eve made apple juice?/You gon' do what Adam do?/Or say, 'Baby, let's put this back on the tree'" —Kanye West

  • "Water"

    Kanye West Featuring Ant Clemons

    "Jesus, flow through us/Jesus, heal the bruises/Jesus, clean the music/Jesus, please use us/Jesus, please help/Jesus, please heal/Jesus, please forgive/Jesus, please reveal" —Kanye West

  • "God Is"

    Kanye West

    "King of Kings, Lord of Lords, all the things He has in store/From the rich to the poor, all are welcome through the door/You won't ever be the same when you call on Jesus' name/Listen to the words I'm sayin', Jesus saved me, now I'm sane/And I know, I know God is the force that picked me up, I know Christ is the fountain that filled my cup" —Kanye West

     

  • "God Is"

    Kanye West

    "This ain't 'bout a damn religion/Jesus brought a revolution/All the captives are forgiven/Time to break down all the prisons/Every man, every woman/There is freedom from addiction/Jesus, You have my soul/Sunday Service on a roll" —Kanye West

  • "Hands On"

    Kanye West Featuring Fred Hammond

    "Cut out all the lights, He the light/Got pulled over, see the brights/What you doin' on the street at night?/Wonder if they're gonna read your rights/13th Amendment, three strikes/Made a left when I should've made a right" —Kanye West

  • "Hands On"

    Kanye West Featuring Fred Hammond

    "Nothing worse than a hypocrite/Change, he ain't really different/He ain't even try to get permission/Ask for advice and they dissed him/Said I'm finna do a gospel album/What have you been hearin' from the Christians?/They'll be the first one to judge me/Make it feel like nobody love me" —Kanye West

  • "Hands On"

    Kanye West Featuring Fred Hammond

    "Make you feel alone in the dark and you'll never see the light/Man, you're never seein' home and you never see the domes/I can feel it when I write, point of livin' in the right/If they only see the wrongs, never listen to the songs/Just to listen is a fight, but you booked me for the fight/It's so hard to get along if they only see the slight from the love of religion/What have you been hearin' from the Christians?" —Kanye West

  • "Hands On"

    Kanye West Featuring Fred Hammond

    "I'm not tryna lead you to visas/But if I try to lead you to Jesus/We get called halfway believers/Only halfway read Ephesians/Only if they knew what I knew, uh/I was never new 'til I knew of/True and living God, Yeshua" —Kanye West

  • "Use This Gospel"

    Kanye West Featuring Kenny G and Clipse

    "My presence is happy belated/Fashionably late, I'm just glad that you made it/The best is yet to come, I'm just glad that you waited/They all say they real 'til it's time to appraise it/I seen them come and go, you only the latest/But who am I to judge? I'm crooked as Vegas" —Pusha-T

  • "Use This Gospel"

    Kanye West Featuring Kenny G and Clipse

    "A lot of damaged souls/I done damaged those/And in my arrogance, took a camera pose/Caught with a trunk of Barry Manilows/They sing a different tune when the slammer close/From the concrete grew a rose/They give you Wraith talk/I give you faith talk/Blindfolded on this road, watch me faith walk/Just hold on to your brother when his faith lost" —No Malice

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