For three years, Kanye West was my only musical companion. It all began in 2017 with a self-imposed challenge – a “New Ye’s Resolution” to listen exclusively to Kanye’s music. This decision aimed to shake up my creative process and had a profound impact on my mindset, goals, and productivity, as documented in a previous post, “Yeezy Taught Me.”
However, I wasn’t vocal about the fact that I continued this challenge far beyond 2017. What began as a year-long experiment extended into 2018 and then 2019.
The turning point came with Kanye’s release of “Jesus Is King.” Despite my best efforts to embrace this new album, it simply didn’t resonate with me. Coupled with the exhaustion of three years of constant Kanye, I realised it was time to break free from my self-imposed musical restriction.
Looking back, this experience has been overwhelmingly positive. The past three years have been my most productive yet, and I can confidently say that Kanye West’s music played a significant role in shaping my motivation and creative approach.
Title is very much strong, no? But I think you talk about the ritual of music. Before, music was special, you wait, you buy the record, you see the concert. Now, everything is fast and cheap. Jesus did not kill music, he just made it too available, too much background noise. It is a very good thought.
Respectfully, the title is provocative but wrong. Consumption habits changed, yes, but music has never been more alive or diverse. Saying ‘Jesus killed music’ is like saying the printing press killed storytelling. It just changed the medium and the delivery model. The creativity is arguably higher because the barriers to entry are non-existent.