Kanye West releases new song 'Wash Us in the Blood,' pleads ‘Holy Spirit come down’
Grammy award-winning artist Kanye West debuted a new music video and song, titled “Wash Us in the Blood,” on Tuesday filled with imagery of chaos and prayer as he pleads with the Holy Spirit to come down.
The montage of clips featured in the video were put together by Award-winning filmmaker Arthur Jafa, known for his work on a couple of Spike Lee films.
Throughout the video, West’s face is obscured by a CG black film-like mask. It opens with a white police officer whose face is blurred as he is pushing around a group of mostly peaceful protesters and then gets scolded by a female black police officer.
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West raps:
Rain down on the pain
Rain down on the slain
Rain down for my mom
Rain down on the farm
Shower us with your love
Wash us in the blood
Drop this for the thugs
Know I grew up in the mud
The top is not enough
Wash us in the blood
One of the most provocative scenes in the video shows desperately sick black Americans struggling to breathe presumably from the coronavirus. There is also footage of the fashion mogul from The Yeezus Tour in 2013-2014.
Rapper Travis Scott makes a small cameo as he’s featured on the song and is seen smoking.
The near-apocalyptic clips of the video are played as West pleads, “Holy Spirit come down.”
The known Donald Trump supporter makes mention of fake news, he says his interviews are always edited, and points out that the black community is inundated with drugs and violence which is a type of genocide against his people.
Clips of the late Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor are featured in the music video.
The emcee has not been outspoken about the recent deaths of unarmed black people but he had made donations to Arbery's family as well as George Floyd and Taylor, according to TMZ.
The “Wash Us in the Blood” video ends with his 7-year-old daughter North dancing to his Sunday Service choir as he openly prays to God.
“Wash us in the blood of Jesus. Holy Spirit come down. We need you,” West is heard saying.
The new single is West’s first collaboration with Grammy-winning producer Dr. Dre, who mixed the track.
“He's the definition of a true talent: Dre feels like God placed him here to make music, and no matter what forces are aligned against him, he always ends up on the mountaintop,” West said to Rolling Stone in 2010.
“Wash Us in the Blood” will appear on West’s upcoming 10th studio album, God's Country, which will be a collaboration between West and Dr. Dre.
