For some artists, a blown deadline is a problem. For Kanye West, it is a marketing opportunity.

After West missed a self-imposed deadline a month ago to release his latest album, the gospel-influenced “Jesus Is King,” his fans went on high alert, tracking his every move and speculating about when, or whether, the album would ever come out. West further stoked the music and celebrity press by previewing the album at a series of public events, at which he portrayed the project as a major turning point.

“This album has been made to be an expression of the gospel and to share the gospel and the truth of what Jesus has done to me,” West told a Manhattan crowd late last month, after his first promised release date came and went. (To prevent leaks, fans’ phones were secured in locked pouches.) “When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that he does for me, my soul cries out.”