Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir drops surprise Christmas EP Emmanuel
Kanye West has once again delivered a Christmas gift to his fans.
The rapper’s Sunday Service Choir released a surprise new EP titled Emmanuel on Christmas Day, following the group’s previous holiday release Jesus Is Born, which dropped on Christmas Day 2019. The 12-minute, five-track EP consists entirely of seemingly a capella choral arrangements, mostly in Latin. West is credited as the sole writer and producer on all of the songs.
It’s yet another change of pace for the troubled hip-hop star, who pivoted into full-on Christian music with his latest album Jesus Is King after forming the Sunday Service group in 2019. Jesus Is Born followed in that vein with an ebullient gospel sound, contrasting with Emmanuel’s more hymnal approach. Earlier this year, West released the singles “Wash Us in the Blood” and “Nah Nah Nah,” returning to more of a hip-hop style.
West cemented his recommitment to Christianity with the launch of his Sunday Service gatherings, which delivered its first public performance during the second weekend of Coachella in 2019 (on Easter, April 21). Six months later, West dropped Jesus Is King, which summited the Top Gospel Albums and Top Christian Albums chart