No Church in the Wild Analysis
Ryan Jones
Professor Brian Burkhart
College Composition I
13 November 2012
“No Church in the Wild”: From a Theologic Standpoint With the release of their newest CD, Watch the Throne, many of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s most exclusive tracks have come under scrutiny. One particular song containing debatable yet obvious theological symbolism is “No Church in the Wild.” Citing and exclaiming their religious and social beliefs, as well as their activities in today’s society in this new song, Kanye West and Shawn Carter (Jay-Z) show deep symbolism of today’s culture, the influence of Plato and Socrates on them, as well as their controversial lifestyles. Also, containing a featured chorus by Frank Ocean and a bridge by The-Dream, these parts touch on the symbolism and influence of religion and love in many lives today. The Watch the Throne duo revealed their theological beliefs in this song in many ways typical of their style. The song starts off with Frank Ocean’s hook: “Human beings in a mob, What’s a mob to a king? What’s a king to a God? What’s a God to a non-believer who don’t believe in anything?” Each of these couplets have significance to one another and are all tied together. He starts off by saying that there are human beings in a mob. But what is one human being to a mob? It is insignificant by number, but numbers make up the masses. He then goes on to ask “What’s a mob to a king?” creating the question that asks: can a mob of people overcome a king or is a king too powerful? But what is a “king to a God?” Does a mortal king have as much power as an almighty spiritual God? The song begins to unfold when Frank Ocean sings, “What’s a God to a non-believer who don’t believe in anything?” Frank Ocean brings up an interesting question: if a God is almighty and powerful and has influence over it’s followers, what does this God mean to a non-believer? A non-believer does not care about a God’s existence, so to this person, this God does not even exist or matter.
Professor Brian Burkhart
College Composition I
13 November 2012
“No Church in the Wild”: From a Theologic Standpoint With the release of their newest CD, Watch the Throne, many of Jay-Z and Kanye West’s most exclusive tracks have come under scrutiny. One particular song containing debatable yet obvious theological symbolism is “No Church in the Wild.” Citing and exclaiming their religious and social beliefs, as well as their activities in today’s society in this new song, Kanye West and Shawn Carter (Jay-Z) show deep symbolism of today’s culture, the influence of Plato and Socrates on them, as well as their controversial lifestyles. Also, containing a featured chorus by Frank Ocean and a bridge by The-Dream, these parts touch on the symbolism and influence of religion and love in many lives today. The Watch the Throne duo revealed their theological beliefs in this song in many ways typical of their style. The song starts off with Frank Ocean’s hook: “Human beings in a mob, What’s a mob to a king? What’s a king to a God? What’s a God to a non-believer who don’t believe in anything?” Each of these couplets have significance to one another and are all tied together. He starts off by saying that there are human beings in a mob. But what is one human being to a mob? It is insignificant by number, but numbers make up the masses. He then goes on to ask “What’s a mob to a king?” creating the question that asks: can a mob of people overcome a king or is a king too powerful? But what is a “king to a God?” Does a mortal king have as much power as an almighty spiritual God? The song begins to unfold when Frank Ocean sings, “What’s a God to a non-believer who don’t believe in anything?” Frank Ocean brings up an interesting question: if a God is almighty and powerful and has influence over it’s followers, what does this God mean to a non-believer? A non-believer does not care about a God’s existence, so to this person, this God does not even exist or matter.