Music

Kanye announces ‘Nebuchadnezzar,’ an opera on the biblical king

Yeezus has moved on from being a god to being a king.

The unpredictable — and somewhat unreliable — superstar took to Twitter on Sunday afternoon to announce his first-ever opera, named for Nebuchadnezzar, the longest-reigning monarch of the ancient Mesopotamian kingdom of Babylon.

“Invite artwork by Nick Knight,” Kanye West, 42, captioned the tweet of a metallic engraved plaque portraying the ancient ruler. Knight, a longtime collaborator of West’s, also directed the rapper’s IMAX “Jesus Is King” film.

Titled “A Kanye West Opera,” the plaque also states that the show is directed by Italian performance artist Vanessa Beecroft, with music from Kanye’s Sunday Service, Peter Collins and Infinities Song.

Only one night has been announced for the event: Sunday at Los Angeles’ Hollywood Bowl. Tickets go on sale at noon Monday, according to the venue.

West alluded to the opera during an interview on Apple Music’s Beats 1 last month, while promoting his then-soon-to-be-released LP “Jesus Is King,” Pitchfork reports.

“[God] is saying, Let me take this Nebuchadnezzar-type character — Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon, and he looked at his entire kingdom and said, ‘I did this,’ ” West said during the chat. “I stood on the top of the mountain talking about Yeezus, saying, ‘I’m a God’ — I had a guy dressed as Jesus.”

Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon for more than 40 years, from roughly 605 BC to 562 BC, and is referenced in the Bible, in the first four chapters of the Book of Daniel.

News of the opera came the same day West declared he no longer cares for fame and money but is “in service to God” during an interview with celebrity pastor Joel Osteen at a Houston megachurch.