Kenny G Gives Props to Kanye West on Their Unlikely Collaboration

Contemporary jazz musician Kenny G is congratulating Kanye West on the release of the latter's ninth studio album, Jesus Is King—a record that features the two of them performing together.

"So proud to be a part of this beautiful record brother @kanyewest!" he wrote on his Twitter page Saturday, giving props to the rapper.

The two teamed up with newly-reunited hip hop duo Clipse on "Use This Gospel," the 10^th track on West's latest album. Kenny G can be heard playing a solo on his signature instrument, the saxophone, approximately two and a half minutes into the song.

Kenny G—born Kenneth Bruce Gorelick—confirmed his involvement with the record last month. The unlikely collaboration came out of a dinner this past Valentine's Day, where he was invited to play at the California home of West and his wife Kim Kardashian.

"[West] reached out to me and wanted me to come and do that," the saxophonist spoke of the gig to Dallas Observer. "I didn't know him real well, but I was obviously flattered. He could not have been more welcoming."

It was during the gig that the idea of a collaboration between the two began to take shape.

"Well, when he walked in, I was playing my sax, so I figured I would just play to him," told Rolling Stone. "So I started playing some really sweet blues riffs and soulful riffs and a couple of jazz riffs, and I could see he thought it was really good. I said something like, 'This kind of sound would be really great with some of your music.' And he said, 'Yeah, maybe we can go to the studio and check it out.'"

The twice-delayed Jesus Is King dropped on Friday, so far generating mixed responses from fans. Earlier this year, West established his pivot to more faith-based music with album track "Water," which he played during his surprise "Sunday Church Service" set at the 2019 Coachella Music Festival.

"Now that I'm in service to Christ, my job is to spread the gospel, to let people know what Jesus has done for me," he told Zane Lowe in a Beats 1 interview earlier this week.

He continued: "I've spread a lot of things. There was a time I was letting you know what high fashion had done for me, I was letting you know what the Hennessey had done for me, but now I'm letting you know what Jesus has done for me, and in that I'm no longer a slave, I'm a son now, a son of God. I'm free. The most space that I had to think is when I went to the hospital."

Upon the album's release, TMZ reported that the rapper is talking to Lakewood megachurch pastor Joel Osteen about appearing before his 45,000-person congregation.

When asked when he planned on take his new collection of songs on tour, the 21-time Grammy Award winner responded: "Right away."