The Late Late Show have taken “Carpool Karaoke” to new heights in their latest segment with Kanye West. In the clip, the rapper joins host James Corden on an actual airplane to discuss his new album Jesus Is King and perform several of songs.
In the segment, dubbed “Airpool Karaoke,” Corden’s flight home to LA (Flight #808) is canceled, so he calls up West and joins him onboard a plane. It turns out not to be a private jet, but actually a regular airline where West is sitting in coach. “Am I taking the middle seat?” Corden asks. “Yes, you are,” West responds, grinning. Corden settles in with his eye mask, inquiring, “Are you a talker or a sleeper? I can do both. We can chat the whole way there if you want.” West, who is clearly very entertained by Corden, agrees to talk.
West’s Sunday Service choir is also onboard, along with the choir’s leader Jason White, providing the musical selections rather than Corden’s usual car stereo. Throughout the clip the singers take on various West songs, including “Jesus Walks” and “Souls Anchored.” The pair also discuss West’s Sunday Service concerts. “It was something I had a feeling I needed to do that God put on my heart,” West tells Corden. “Now, he keeps on taking me to new levels and taking us to new levels that we didn’t imagine before.”
Corden asks whether West has always felt connected to religion. “God’s always had a plan for me and he wanted to use me, but I think he wanted me to suffer more and wanted people to see my suffering and see my pain and put stigmas on me and have me go through all the human experiences,” West replies. “So now, when I talk about how Jesus saved me, more people can relate to that experience. If it was just, ‘We grew up with this guy and he’s a superstar,’ it’s less compelling than this guy who had a mental breakdown and this guy was in debt.”
The pair also talk about West’s family and his four children (he hopes to eventually have seven children). “It’s heavenly,” West says of his marriage to Kim Kardashian. “It’s magnificent.” He adds that God is using him to show off, discussing his past debts and current income. “So you think your spiritual awakening is…?” Corden asks. “Part of my success,” West responds. “Absolutely. He’s showing off. He’s showing out… Kanye West works for God.”
West released his new album, Jesus Is King, last Friday. The album, a follow-up to last year’s Ye, features contributions from Clipse, Ty Dolla $ign, Fred Hammond, Ant Clemons and Kenny G, and production by Timbaland, Pi’erre Bourne and Mike Dean.