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Matt Draugelis

Professor Rebecca Morean

English 1201

16 February 2020

Kanye West – Jesus Walks

Kanye West has been in and out of the news many times, people of all ages know his

name and who he is. He is one of the first rappers to make it into mainstream media. Kanye has a

song by the title “Jesus Walks” where he has made multiple music videos, which are both

extremely powerful. Kanye’s first video shows how church can be an escape for people, where

the second video is more focused on injustices that can happen in people’s life and Jesus is still

there with them. The first music video was removed from YouTube, Kanye thought it wasn’t a

powerful enough video, so he remade it and only the second one is up. In Kanye’s two separate

music videos for Jesus Walks, there is no real difference in audiences. He is addressing anyone

who comes across the music video that Jesus will be walking by your side no matter what is

going on in your life or how you are living. Kanye may have released one video previously for

Jesus walks, he thought it wasn’t strong enough to get his message across, he released a second

with more graphic and moving storyline images showing the importance of Jesus walking along

your side.

In the first video Kanye is portraying himself as a Pastor. There are four main characters

throughout the video, an alcoholic, street worker, and a man caught up in drugs, as well Kanye.
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You see an angel figure help them out in some way possible. While the angels are helping the

people caught up in a bad point in their life, the civilians are being yelled at while helping them.

They then find their way to the church where Kanye is shown singing with his choir. It shows the

angels then turn into doves and fly off, as well at the very end shows Kanye turn into a dove and

fly off. Kanye’s main message is that Jesus is there for everyone, and literally everyone. It

doesn’t matter if you’re living a life of sin, or have never sinned in your life, he will be here with

everyone. There’s not necessarily a certain audience, anyone could get a lesson from the video.

He took a safer approach with this video, and that may have been why he removed it and decided

to make the second one. Pathos is what was used throughout this video. There is a good story

telling aspect, as well as moving images.

In the second video, there are again four main storyline characters. There is Kanye again,

instead of a pastor figure in this video, he is more of a godly figure. He is in a hallway with a

light right over his head, like his own version of a Halo. There is a chain gang line of prisoners, a

group of people in a high-speed car chase with drugs in the car, and at the end a KKK group.

Adding the KKK group is very controversial and could set a lot of people off and make them

upset. Chris Milk, the director of the music video says “The message of the song, which becomes

the subtext of the video, is that Jesus walks with everyone. Sinner, saint, murderer, drug dealer, it

doesn’t matter.” (Milk) This video again uses Pathos, except this video has a few more powerful

visuals. The audience is again anyone and everyone.

The two videos are similar in a lot of ways. They both use the Pathos approach; the

second video is more graphic and controversial then the first. Including the KKK is very daring,

that can offend a lot of people very easily. But it’s smart at the same time, because it really

pushes the message, Jesus loves everyone. As it goes for audience, it’s really anyone who listens
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to the song, it’s not necessarily a certain group of people. It does appeal much more to younger

people as it is Hip Hop. Having Jesus in the title could also appeal to Catholics. In the first it

shows people seeking for forgiveness and they find Jesus in the lives, and the second is showing

Jesus is with them during the rough times.

It’s important for music like to this to be made and people to see it and truly listen to the

lyrics. Life can get tough and people lose their faith and don’t know what to do with themselves

anymore. They think no one is there for them, but Jesus is there for them, and Walking by their

side, hence the title of the song Jesus Walks.

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Works Cited

Milk, Chris, and Music Video WIre. “Director Chris Milk, Kanye West ‘Jesus Walks’ Music

Video.” Music Video Wire MVWirecom, 15 Sept. 2004,

www.mvwire.com/2004/09/15/director-chris-milk-kanye-west-jesus-walks-music-video/.

West, Kanye. “Kanye West - Jesus Walks.” YouTube, YouTube, 24 Dec. 2009,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYF7H_fpc-g.

West, Kanye. “Kanye West - Jesus Walks.” YouTube, YouTube, www.youtube.com/watch?

v=Q9QEVs20jrg.

West, Kanye. “Kanye West – Jesus Walks.” Genius, 10 Feb. 2004, genius.com/Kanye-west-

jesus-walks-lyrics.