Written By Jannah Bolds
Editor-In-Chief, The Bold Opinion

A breakdown of the words that mean the most.

Kanye’s latest album came, surprisingly, earlier  than the anticipated “Yandhi” album. With fans still itching to get an earful of “Yandhi”, the artist made an entire energy switch by dedicating a whole project to his recent spiritual endeavors. We all know ‘Ye by now, so the spontaneity is, honestly, expected. This is a full-fledged gospel project dedicated to his love for the Holy Spirit and the artist’s personal journey, which caught some off guard.

The album is short, but meaningful with quite a few key quotes that help bridge the communication gap between he and his audience. He said in an interview that The Lord told him to “use himself”, and quite frankly, what better way for ‘Ye to use his own words.

Here are a few quotes from tracks on the album that I found powerfully communicative.
*Listed in no order*

— Track 2: Selah —
“Before the flood, people judge. The did the same thing to Noah.”
We all know Kanye is probably the most judged / critiqued celeb right now, especially since he’s been fully embracing self expression and freedom of thought. People are judging THE HELL out of ‘Ye (pun intended). I understand its full spectrum though; the “judged and the “judges”. It’s proven that human nature is to be afraid of what’s not understood. With that understanding, why not reverse it and apply to a progressive existence?

Also, the “Hallelujah” crescendo mid-track gave me flashbacks of filming on stage with him and the choir. It was so powerful, it gave me chills! I tried to sing along and still hold the camera steady lol.
(See Twitter or Listen below)

— Track 6: Everything We Need —
“What if Eve made apple juice?”
The religious epitome of optimism! This highlights the availability of “choice” because Eve definitely had a choice. What if she “made apple juice” or even put the apple back on the tree? How different would life be?

— Track 7: Water —
“Take the chlorine out our conversation.”
I hear this track as a prayer, a prayer for forgiveness and cleansing. This is the belief that Jesus can guide us all through obstacles and lead our souls to a state of purity, free of contamination.

— Track 4: Closed on Sunday —
“No more living for the culture. We nobody’s slave.”
Remember the “slavery” thing form the TMZ interview that people are STILL bothered about.

(If you’re unaware, Kanye, in a nutshell stated that “slavery” was/is a choice. This flipped the entire internet into a frenzy! People took this statement in the harshest literal sense, rightfully so, in my opinion. However, no one has ever challenged the idea and that African Americans were conditioned to believe in victimization. The idea that slaves did, in fact, have a choice; be enslaved or be free. An extremely tough choice to make, but a choice nonetheless. Period. Today, he applies that way of thinking to the modern mentality of politicism, consumerism etc.)

Any who, I admire the general idea of being “closed on Sunday”. Sure it’s an extra day to earn a living, but realistically, we all need time off for ourselves, our families, and our spirits.

 

— Track 5: On God —
“I bleached my hair for every time I could’ve died.”
This is definitely an epiphany moment for me. I remember vividly seeing photos of ‘Ye with these crazy hair colors and styles. People thought he was crazy only because they didn’t know the true meaning behind it.

Secondly, and another connection to this, was when Kanye mentioned in his recent Beats1 and Zane Lowe interview that he felt a “repelling” sensation the last time he tried to dye his hair. As a black woman, I could have easily said that he left that bleach lifter in too long and his scalp started burning lol. Jokes aside, I found this to symbolize the times his life was in danger, whether that was from physical altercations, car accidents, health declines, or worse, contemplating suicide. So, when he tried to dye his hair the last time, he connected it with a spiritual belief that he no longer needs to do that for those reasons. A message from God that he shouldn’t worry about “almost dying” again. Hm!

By the way, see the Kanye x Zane Lowe interview here where they discuss his 1,400 acre land purchase in Wyoming and the future of the Yeezy movement. Click HERE

So this concludes my findings for now because I’ve only listened through the album once. As time passes, I’m sure more lyrics will become clear. I can’t help but wonder, though, what will come of the “Yandhi” recordings.

Have you given the album a listen? If so, what lyrics do you find meaningful? Feel free to share!

Image Credits: JustJared.com, xxlmag.com, up trending.com