Kanye West Says Christ ‘Altered’ His Ego
Kanye West has never had a problem making headlines. His entire professional life has been marked by high-profile controversies.
Even before he married Kim Kardashian, one of the most high-profile celebrities in the world, West was at the center of major publicity crises that may have toppled any other artist. West, however, seemed immune to the negativity.
Whether it was his political association with Donald Trump, his shocking upstaging of Taylor Swift, or his very public mental health breakdowns, West has always managed to come back with a new project and regain his momentum.
Now, in an interview with GQ, West is revealing even more about his next step. While some fans have been baffled by his pivot to Christian music, West seems firm in his conviction that he’s following his beliefs to a better future. He even believes that his newfound relationship with Christ has transformed his famous “ego.”
Kanye West has a history of selfishness and ego
West’s ego is a thing of fame. It’s been at the center of many of his autobiographical song lyrics and his most shocking public claims.
Many have pointed to the way that West’s ego is matched with a nearly unprecedented worth ethic that has had him focused and driven since childhood. Even in his very earliest days of rising to fame, though, West made it clear that he would put himself above all others.
In 2004, when West was up for the new artist category at the American Music Awards, he was bested by Gretchen Wilson. Instead of congratulating his competition (or, you know, just saying nothing), West took to the press to insult Wilson and her music.
This has been a theme throughout his professional career. He puts down anyone who gets more acclaim than him, and he’s unafraid to tell others that he is the best.
Religion has been a tough topic for Kanye West
It wasn’t that long ago that West was publicly declaring his disdain for organized religion. Even as his Sunday Service performances brought him to new audiences, West insisted that he was not religious: “I feel like religion is more about separation and judgment than bringing people together and understanding,” West continued. “That’s all I’m about. I’m about accepting people for who they are.”
Before that, though, the rapper had done more than dance around the topic of organized religion. His 2013 album Yeezus (essentially a self-titled and egocentric exploration of his own identity) contained a track titled “I AM A GOD.”
Part of the lyrics even alludes to a conversation with Jesus where West ends determining they are on equal footing: “I just talked to Jesus/He said, ‘What up Yeezus?’/I said, ‘S**t I’m chilling/Trying to stack these millions’/I know he the most high/But I am a close high/Mi casa es su casa/That’s our costra nostra/I am a God.”
Kanye West says his ego has been transformed
Obviously, some fans are balking at the idea that ego-driven West is moving to Christian music with sincerity. Many believe this new focus is simply a money grab. After all, West is selling expensive merchandise at his Christian-focused events, and many see it as hypocrisy to be preaching from a religious perspective while personally profiting.
For his cover story in GQ, West had to answer some pointed questions from interviewer Will Welch about this very concern.
At one point, West addressed the fact that many fans see him as having made past transgressions: “I understand that people feel that I’ve made some cultural sins. But the only real sins are the sins against God, and you don’t want to continue to sin against God.” He went on to tell the interviewer “I’m definitely born again.”
He doesn’t see any conflict between his brash personality and his claims to Christianity. He explained, “Oh, now, because I’m Christian, I don’t even have an opinion any more? I’m Christian and I still have an opinion. But my opinion is based on the Word.”
He also made a reference to his own struggles with mental health, attributing his newfound relationship with Christ as a salve for his past troubles: “I’m expressing my personal relationship with Christ. When I was not owning up to the maximum of who I could be as a dad and the maximum of who I could be as a husband, that kind of behavior, that kind of mentality, landed me in a place where I needed to be medicated.”
Ultimately, West sees his new persona as an improved extension of who he used to be. “I definitely think there’s an alter ego,” West told the interviewer. “And definitely Christ altered my ego.”
