The True Meaning Behind 'Keep My Spirit Alive' By Kanye West
God has always been present in Kanye West's music. In his 2004 single "Jesus Walks," West raps, "If I talk about God my record won't get played / Huh? / Well if this take away from my spins / Then I hope this take away from my sins." Years later, in 2018, Kanye West made several headlines for supporting Donald Trump, the highly controversial president of the United States at the time. Though West did eventually denounce Trump in 2020, according to Forbes, the rapper once said he supported Trump because of his religious stance. "Trump is the closest president we've had in years to allowing God to still be part of the conversation," West said.
In 2019, West shifted gears from being overtly political to spiritual. It's also the year that, per Billboard, West launched his Sunday Service. A mashup between a concert and a church service, the event brought out a variety of celebrities to join the festivities. Sunday Service also coincided with the release of West's album, "Jesus is King," which consisted of gospel music.
With his latest album "Donda" dropping in 2021, a major theme in West's work continues to be his love for God, which can especially be seen in the song "Keep My Spirit Alive."
Kanye West opens up about his spirituality
Kanye West's song "Keep My Spirit Alive" features artists Conway The Machine, Westside Gunn, and KayCyy. Via Genius, each rapper talks about their commitment to God, despite the ups and downs they've faced in their lives. In the opening of the track, KayCyy sings, "You can take it all, but the Lord on my side / The spirit won't die, die / Oh, oh, my life, yeah / Is in His hands. So I don't stress. I pray and strategize."
Talking to Complex, Westside Gunn discussed working on the track with West and the meaning behind his lyrics. Specifically referring to a line where he says, "thank God," Westside Gunn said he included that phrase because of, "... how thankful I am for the things that happened that could have — sh** could have went bad. It could have been the end of me. True story raps."
West himself doesn't make an appearance until the very end of the song. At first, he raps about the challenges he's faced. "Well, between a mix of bad schools with the fast food / Bad had tools and a bad mood." By the end of the verse, however, the rapper declares his trust in God. "Give it all to God and let Jesus reimburse you," West says. He then raps, "Quiet all the cordialness / We walk in God's spiritual ordinance."
Conway The Machine gets real on his "Keep My Spirit Alive" verse
In the second verse on "Keep My Spirit Alive," Conway The Machine raps about putting his faith in God during an uncertain time in his life. "So I'ma leave it in God's hands / Everything I'm doin' now is God's plan / Doctor said I wouldn't walk no more, now I stand / Then I ran, here I am, Machine," he says. (In 2012, Conway suffered a gunshot wound to his neck and shoulders, which resulted in the rapper developing Bell's Palsy on the right side of his face, via Hot New HipHop.)
In a December 2020 interview with The Athletic, the rapper spoke out about some of the challenges he faced during his recovery."The mental part of it was harder than the physical. I had to re-calibrate. I had to strengthen my mind before I could strengthen my body. I lost it for a minute. Mentally I just wasn't in a good space," he said.
Luckily, the rapper recovered both physically and mentally. And considering his verse on "Keep My Spirit Alive," it sounds like his faith was a big part of his healing process.