Kanye West's second gospel-themed hip-hop album soared to No. 1 Monday on multiple mainstream charts, including on Amazon and iTunes, where it was the best-selling album barely 24 hours after its release.
The album, named Donda after his late mom, was dropped Sunday and includes multiple tracks that spotlight his Christian faith, including "Praise God," "Heaven and Hell," "Lord I Need You" and "Jesus Lord."
Also on the album is the tune "No Child Left Behind," which was featured in an Olympics-themed television commercial in July with U.S. track star Sha'carri Richardson.
The album on Monday was No. 1 on Amazon and iTunes. Perhaps even more impressive, the album's songs also were dominating the chart, with 19 of the top 20 songs on Apple Music's Global Top 100 coming from Donda.
Additionally, music from the album was No. 1 on nation-specific charts in the U.S., Canada, Kenya, New Zealand, Romania and the United Arab Emirates, among others.
The faith-centric song "Jail," which includes Jay-Z, was No. 1 on most singles charts.
West's first gospel hip-hop album, 2019's "Jesus Is King," landed him a Grammy for best Christian contemporary music album.
West – who formerly made a career out of producing albums filled with explicit language – told Joel Osteen and Lakewood Church in 2019 that he wanted to make only Christian music.
West is 44.
"God's been calling me for a long time, and the devil has been distracting me for a long time," West said. "When I was in my lowest point, God was there with me and sending me visions and inspiring me."
West added, "Every time I stand up, I feel that I'm standing up and drawing a line in the sand and saying, 'I'm here in service to God, and no weapon formed against me shall prosper.'"
The "only superstar," he said, "is Jesus."
Related:
'The Only Superstar Is Jesus,' Kanye Says During Testimony at Joel Osteen's Church
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Brad Barket/Stringer
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
