"Use This Gospel" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his ninth studio album, Jesus Is King (2019). The song features guest appearances from hip-hop duo Clipse and jazz saxophonist Kenny G. It was produced by West, Angel Lopez, DrtWrk, Federico Vindver, and Timbaland, with co-production from BoogzDaBeast and Pi'erre Bourne. The song was recorded as a new version of the leaked track "Law of Attraction", which West came up with in a freestyle session. Clipse's feature on the song marked their reunion, after West requested for a collaboration. A gospel number with a maximalist style, it samples Two Door Cinema Club's "Costume Party" and includes a saxophone solo from Kenny G.
Lyrically, the song features Clipse offering self-reflection from each member's different stages and West delivering traditional Christian prayer language. "Use This Gospel" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly appreciated Clipse's presence. They often focused on the duo's reunion, while some critics commended Kenny G's performance. The song debuted at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100, making Kenny G the fifth artist to achieve a top 40 hit every decade since the 1980s. It reached number 23 on the Latvian Singles Chart and attained top 50 positions in five other countries, including Canada and Iceland. In the United States, the song has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
West, Clipse, Kenny G, and the Sunday Service Choir performed the song live in a meadow at The Forum in October 2019. In the album's accompanying film of the same name, Kanye briefly hums it as a lullaby to Psalm West. A remix of "Use This Gospel", featuring Eminem, was released on DJ Khaled's thirteenth studio album, God Did (2022). Dr. Dre produced the remix with the ICU. Replacing Clipse on the original track, Eminem raps about using faith to battle his personal demons. The remix garnered mostly positive reviews from critics, a number of whom praised Eminem's verse. It reached number 49 on the Hot 100, while topping both the US Christian Songs and Gospel Songs charts.
Background
On Valentine's Day 2019, West invited Kenny G to perform music for his wife Kim Kardashian in their living room. Following the performance, West allowed Kenny G to join him in the studio to hear material on Jesus Is King. After hearing various tracks, Kenny G suggested that his saxophone "would sound really good" on "Use This Gospel". West considered this idea "cool" and pulled out a microphone to record Kenny G's part, who kept the track for later reverb and EQ tweaks. Kenny G declared he was highly proud "somebody of Kanye's caliber" that could call a lot of different people believed he "would be a person that he would want in this intimate vibe, serenading his wife". He expressed overall positive feelings, saying he was proud to create "a beautiful sound", was "very touched", and appreciated the happiness he brought to others. Discussing his appearance on the album prior to release, Kenny G summarized how he had "heard little snippets" that were posted online, but not the final song and was "sure it's cool" from what he listened to. He also addressed a misconception his audience is "primarily white yuppies", asking that if this is true, "Why is [West] asking me to play on his record?" Kenny G developed a friendship with West after they worked together, recalling fond memories of trading texts with the rapper, and describing him as "very nice [and] sweet". In April 2022, he enthusiastically offered to provide an encore performance to reunite West and Kardashian.
Clipse's appearance on the track marked a return of the duo, five years after member No Malice promised that they would not have a reunion. West requested a feature from Clipse, though member Pusha T was unsure if No Malice would accept or not. Pusha T expressed his feelings towards the duo collaborating again in a phone call with Vulture, stating: "I'm the younger brother, man. I mean, I'm happier than — I can't even express it!" The rapper admitted that he had a lack of hope for a reunion due to No Malice turning down profitable gigs, though attributed this to his collaborator possibly feeling he should have been more present in his works. He said the entire theme of the album "totally speaks to where my brother is", and elaborated, assuring that No Malice and West "bonded, probably way more than me and Ye [did]" for the song's creation. In an October 2019 interview with New Zealand DJ Zane Lowe, West remembered not wanting to rap until No Malice persuaded him to do it for "Use This Gospel", explaining he "didn't know how to rap for God" and concluding, "This is such a win for the kingdom." Prior to sampling Northern Irish band Two Door Cinema Club on the song, West had shared the music video for their single "I Can Talk" (2009) on his blog in 2010.
Composition and lyrics
Musically, "Use This Gospel" is a gospel number, with a maximalist style. It includes a sample of the 2010 track "Costume Party" by Two Door Cinema Club. The song is constructed around dinky keys that were described as sounding like an open door car alert, contributed by Argentine record producer Federico Vindver. These are accompanied by layered, digitized harmonic vocoder tones that distort and imitate West's wordless melody. At the beginning, the song features the drone of a single key's pulse, with the harmonies appearing later on. Towards the climax, a vibrant saxophone solo from Kenny G transitions into the outro. The solo is based on the wordless melody and appears abruptly, lasting around 40 seconds. West sings the song's hook, while both members of Clipse contribute a brief verse.
In the lyrics of "Use This Gospel", both members of Clipse deliver self-reflection from different stages, connecting the universality of gospel. On the hook, West provides traditional Christian prayer language, including the lyrics "We call on your blessings / In the Father, we put our faith" and "Use this gospel for protection, it's a hard road to heaven". No Malice insists that his music conveys a positive message and repents for his past mistakes, declaring his verse to be "faith talk". Pusha T references his morality using self-deprecation in his verse, such as admitting "Who [a]m I to judge? I'm crooked as Vegas".
Recording In December 2018, West collaborator Timbaland and Vindver took part in recording sessions with numerous rappers in Miami, including Saweetie and Lil Mosey. West had arrived at the sessions in under 24 hours, with Vindver recalling that West "bl[ew them] away" when he started "playing tracks for the Yandhi project." Vindver detailed the collaborative process between West and Timbaland, saying: "Timbaland would freestyle with him in the studio — Tim on the drum machine, Kanye singing in real time. He wanted to make more healing music at that time. But he was still finding what it was." West and Timbaland were reported to be recording together in Miami again during January 2019 for completion of the album, alongside rappers such as Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, and YNW Melly. In addition to the song, Timbaland contributed production to Jesus Is King tracks "Closed on Sunday", "Water", "Hands On", and "Jesus Is Lord". "Use This Gospel" was produced by West, Mexican-American music producer Angel Lopez, DrtWrk, Vindver, and Timbaland, while co-produced by BoogzDaBeast and Pi'erre Bourne.
Lopez recalled that the track "Law of Attraction" stemmed from a freestyle session with Timbaland, during which West hummed its main melody. After the session, Lopez told Vindver to add vocoder to the vocal. Lopez stated that West "went insane" after hearing the track and grabbed his microphone to freestyle the chorus. Lopez recalled that out of the 70 songs that were done in the freestyle session, only "Law of Attraction" was kept, which according to him, was "a crucial piece of music that we worked on, which kept us in the conversation a week later". Singer-songwriter Ant Clemons wrote the track for Yandhi, which leaked online in July 2019, along with other West songs. It appeared online incorrectly titled "Chakras" and in response to the leaks, Lopez issued a statement that leaked music jeopardizes "the essence of our collaborations, our crafts, and our livelihood". He further declared, "The leaking of music isn't for the fans or for the love of music; it's an invasion of privacy." At the time, it was reported by several outlets that Lopez was involved in the track's production. Reference tracks from British singer Dua Lipa for "Law of Attraction" were included among the leaks, although she and Ant Clemons remained off of Use This Gospel. Full versions of Dua Lipa performing on "Law of Attraction" were later leaked in October 2020. "Law of Attraction" was ultimately scrapped, being re-recorded as "Use This Gospel" for Jesus Is King.
Release and promotion "Use This Gospel" was released on October 25, 2019, as the tenth and penultimate track on West's ninth studio album Jesus Is King. However, it was originally slated to appear as the album's final track. During various promotional events for the album in late September 2019, West previewed the song. It was played as the final track of a listening event at the United Palace theater in the New York City neighborhood Washington Heights on September 29, for West's mini-tour Jesus Is King: A Kanye West Experience. The preview was interrupted after 10 p.m. by the New York City Police Department (NYPD), who used their authority to declare the show finished. West responded by pushing the NYPD out of his way, and finishing the song as he sang and hummed with the crowd.
On October 27, 2019, West performed the song with Clipse, Kenny G, and his gospel group the Sunday Service Choir for the group's concert at The Forum in Inglewood, California. West appeared on a raised platform during the concert and was backed by the Sunday Service Choir, who were dressed in white robes and led by Jason White. The stage was surrounded by a meadow setting on the arena floor, featuring plants and trees. Kenny G played his saxophone to open the performance as West watched him, drawing applause from both the Sunday Service Choir and the audience. Clipse embraced each other after No Malice delivered the final line of his verse, "Just hold on to your brother when his faith lost." Kenny G explained that the performance was not properly rehearsed, saying it "was so impromptu in some ways". He recalled that a "slight rehearsal" was done, but West is "very creative and on the spot just comes up with some super good ideas".
West accompanied the release of Jesus Is King with his concert film of the same name, which includes him humming a portion of the song in a cappella during the final scene. Kanye performs it as a lullaby to his son Psalm West as he cradles him to his chest, shown in a close-up shot. The rapper appears shirtless and his face is not visible, with only his hands and torso shown in the shot. On September 18, 2020, Kanye revealed via Twitter that "Use This Gospel" is his daughter North West's favorite song by him.
Critical reception