Is Kanye West's 'The Life Of Pablo' Inspired by the Apostle Paul?
Kanye West's seventh studio album is more than just his self-proclaimed gospel music record, his album may have been inspired by the Bible's Apostle Paul.
The 38-year-old outspoken rap mogul whose latest album is called The Life of Pablo, took to Twitter to reveal that he was inspired by Paul, whose name translates to Pablo in Spanish.
"Paul ... The most powerful messenger of the first century…," West tweeted Saturday. "Now we stand here 20 centuries later... Because he was a traveler…"
Get Our Latest News for FREE
West went on to draw comparison between Paul's life and his own.
"He was a learned man not of the original sect so he was able to take the message to the rest of the world…He was saved from persecution due to his Roman citizenship…," he tweeted. "I have the right to speak my voice...Please forgive the profanity and give hugs and blessings to my brother Kirk for standing by me…"
The rapper called for people to dance in the streets and wrote, "I am consumed by my purpose to help the world."
West has talked about his new album being a profanity-laced gospel record, and he tapped Kirk Franklin, one of the biggest names in gospel music, for the song "Ultra Light Beams." He previously told Big Boy Radio about a conversation with Franklin about his record being gospel music.
"When I was sitting in the studio with Kirk, Kirk Franklin, and we're just going through it, I said this is a gospel album, with a whole lot of cursing on it, but it's still a gospel album," West said in the interview on Big Boy Radio. "The gospel according to Ye. It's not exactly what happened in the Bible, but it's this story idea of Mary Magdalene becoming Mary."
The rapper went on to reveal that he believed God, his late mother Donda West and his wife Kim Kardashian's late father Robert Kardashian Sr. were helping him finish his album.
"I'm only doing one percent, two percent of the work and God is doing the rest of the work. My mom… had Teddy Riley change his flight and come back to the studio," West said. "Robert Kardashian is making sure that all the deals is getting done. He's still doing deals for controversial black people from up in heaven."
Franklin, who can be heard praying on West's "Ultra Light Beams" has defended his decision to work with West after receiving some criticism.
"I will not turn my back on my brother. I will love him, prayerfully grow with him," Franklin wrote on Instagram. "However long he'll have me, and however long the race takes. To a lot of my Christian family, I'm sorry he's not good enough, Christian enough, or running at your pace...and as I read some of your comments, neither am I."
