Kanye West Once Again Misses Date for New Album Release: 'Thank You for Being Loyal & Patient'

"Thank you for being loyal & patient," the rapper tweeted to fans

Published on October 25, 2019 09:10 AM

What deadline? Kanye West seems to be quite the perfectionist, as he is thanking fans for their understanding as he tweaks a few tracks on his album — the one that was supposed to be available at midnight.

Early Friday morning, West tweeted an explanation for ghosting those of his followers who were eagerly waiting up to download Jesus Is King.

“To my fans, thank you for being loyal & patient,” he wrote. “We are specifically fixing mixes on ‘Everything We Need’ ‘Follow God’ & ‘Water.’ ”

West, 42, went on to assure that his team is hard at work finalizing the record: “We not going to sleep until this album is out!”

By now, Yeezy fans are probably accustomed to the rapper’s tardiness when it comes to dropping new releases.

This project, a Christian-themed collection of songs titled Jesus Is King and an accompanying IMAX film, was originally announced for a September release date but experienced an eleventh-hour postponement by the artist.

West even made a surprise appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday, hours before Jesus Is King‘s intended launch, hyping viewers for the debut. During the show, which is being recorded on the East Coast this week, West even excited fans by telling Kimmel, “Oh, it’s out now,” eliciting cheers from audiences in the studio.

“I have now given my life to Jesus Christ and I work for God,” West said on Kimmel, before announcing that he’d return Friday night to perform songs off Jesus Is King on the show.

In September 2018, West shifted the release date of another project, his oft-promised Yandhi album, first delaying it then allowing it to disappear. At the time, the rapper told TMZ he “didn’t finish it,” while also teasing its contents.

“It’s just a full Ye album,” he told TMZ about the never-released album. “Those five albums that I dropped earlier were like superhero rehabilitation. Now the alien Ye is fully back in mode, off of medication, working out, breaking as much fresh air as possible, thinking, doing, being himself.”

According to a track list tweeted by West on Thursday, Jesus Is King includes 11 songs, with some named “Use The Gospel,” “Jesus Is Lord,” “Selah” and “Closed On Sunday” — a song about Chick-fil-A.

“Closed on Sunday / You my Chick-fil-A / Hold the selfies / Put the ‘gram away / Get your family / Now hold hands and pray,” West raps in the song.

A source told PEOPLE that the rapper’s wife, Kim Kardashian West, 39, is his biggest fan, and that the new album is more “mature” than his past releases.

“This one is so much more mature and spiritual,” the source explained. “Like music that their kids can actually listen to. It doesn’t have any foul language. She loves how Kanye is evolving.”