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"God Is"
Song by Kanye West
from the album Jesus Is King
ReleasedOctober 25, 2019 (2019-10-25)
GenreGospel
Length3:23
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Kanye West
  • Warryn Campbell
  • Labrinth
  • Angel Lopez
  • Federico Vindver
Audio
"God Is" on YouTube

"God Is" is a song by American vocalist and record producer Kanye West from his ninth studio album, Jesus Is King (2019). The song includes additional vocals from Labrinth, who produced it with West, Warryn Campbell, Angel Lopez, and Federico Vindver. The producers also served as songwriters with Victory Elyse Boyd and Robert Fryson. A gospel song, it includes a looped sample of James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir's song of the same name. Lyrically, West sings of his dedication to Christianity and representation of God.

"God Is" received lukewarm reviews from music critics, who were moderately positive towards West's vocals. Some praised its gospel theme, while numerous critics commended the production. The song debuted at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while peaking at numbers four and six on the Gospel Songs and Christian Songs charts, respectively. It reached numbers 39 and 40 on the ARIA Singles Chart and Canadian Hot 100, respectively. The song was certified gold in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America. An alternate version was recorded by West and Dr. Dre for their collaborative remix album, Jesus Is King Part II.

Background

[edit]
Labrinth performing at a Deezer Acoustic Session in at the H Club London November 2019.
Labrinth contributed production and additional vocals to the song.

In October 2019, British musician Labrinth was invited to a concert of West's gospel group the Sunday Service Choir by a friend. He went in not knowing what to expect then deeply enjoyed the show, noticing that "the vibe was really beautiful".[1] Labrinth told West afterwards that it seemed to lack any ego and instead brought a happy atmosphere for people, including his fellow attendees Sia and Diplo. At the time, the musician was completely unable to disclose any information on Jesus Is King.[1] During the seven years after his debut album Electronic Earth (2012), Labrinth collaborated with musical acts that he appreciated such as West and Beyoncé.[2] Labrinth was invited to work with West on Jesus Is King and admitted the rapper had gone through controversies, while praising the record for him finding "his own redemption and piece" similarly to his musical ideas.[2] In January 2020, Labrinth expressed pride in working with West on the album, seeing him as his most inspirational collaboration in a while. The musician elaborated that he was "taking something away" rather than his usual role of having "to bring something to the table", attributing this to West's ear for talent.[3] Labrinth performs additional vocals on "God Is".[4]

"God Is" was produced by West, Warryn Campbell, Labrinth, Angel Lopez, and Federico Vindver, who co-wrote the song with Victory Elyse Boyd and Robert Fryson.[4] It features a posthumous sample of the song of the same name by gospel singer James Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir from his 1979 album It's a New Day. Cleveland has been considered influential across his genre for the transition away from traditional black gospel and also incorporating different genres for choirs, and he was also sampled by West associate Chance the Rapper on his album The Big Day in 2019.[5][6] In September 2023, West's remix album Jesus Is King Part II with record producer and fellow rapper Dr. Dre leaked online, including a strengthened version of "God Is".[7]

Composition and lyrics

[edit]

Musically, "God Is" is a gospel song, standing among the more traditional work on Jesus Is King.[8][9] The song features a looped, sped-up soul sample of Cleveland and the Southern California Community Choir's "God Is",[9][10][11] which begins from the intro.[5][12] It also features cinematic sounds and a choral sweep.[13][14] West sings in an increasingly hoarse voice,[8] going through cracks and strains at points.[9][11][13][15]

In the lyrics of "God Is", West emphasizes his dedication to Christianity and what God represents to him.[9][15][16] West expresses his thankfulness to God, including freedom from addiction and being "the strength in the race that I run".[13][17] He sings of God's faithfulness, rhyming this with how "mir-ac-ulous" the figure is.[18] West delivers a prayer of being lifted up and also sings his praises of Jesus, announcing abandonment of his past idols.[9][19]

Release and reception

[edit]
An image of James Cleveland in black-and-white.
In a number of reviews complimenting the song's production, focus was placed on the sample of "God Is" by James Cleveland (pictured) and the Southern California Community Choir.

On August 29, 2019, West's then-wife Kim Kardashian shared a track list of the album that contained the song.[20] West's ninth studio album Jesus Is King was later released on October 25, including "God Is" as the eighth track.[14] The song was met with lukewarm reviews from music critics, with light praise for West's vocals. Sam C. Mac from Slant Magazine lauded the song as the highlight of the album and saw it as insightful into West's gospel work, noting his pure voice is at its most "cracked and vulnerable" yet over the looped sample of "gospel godhead" Cleveland.[9] Mac said West either sings or "tunefully sermonizes" about his heavy dedication to his faith and the new stage of his life, focusing on the impact of him gracefully delivering religious sentiments and a "plainspoken prayer".[9] He concluded that the song mostly concedes to "a mission, not a show" as agnostics and religious people alike may be moved by West's lyricism through his emotion, reaching his vocal limits and full acceptance of things outside of his control.[9] Writing for God Is in the TV, Aidy James Stevens felt moved by the song despite his position of atheism as West's voice cracks "under a powerful outpouring of gratitude" and desired that churches could echo his work rather than fire and brimstone, while also praising the cinematic elements.[13] The staff of No Ripcord quipped that it was the record's "only saving grace", observing that West's voice "genuinely cracks as he calls the Lord" over the soul sample.[11] HipHopDX's Aaron McKrell observed that West describes the Most High, linking this to "his passion for and love for God".[16] In The Herald-Standard, Clint Rhodes highlighted the song as a true embracement of the "mood of the set", offering full glory to God as it paints him as the light in the darkness and references "the ever-flowing fountain [filling] our cup" with goodness.[21]

For Pitchfork, Rawiya Kameir expressed that the gospel and soul blending sample echoes West's early production works for Roc-A-Fella Records.[10] Neil Z. Yeung from AllMusic commended West's sonics for the song's "rapturous choral sweep",[14] while the Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot picked "the stirring intro" as one of the musical high points of Jesus Is King.[12] Andrew Barker of Variety called it West's purest gospel effort on Jesus Is King, singing "plainspoken praises in a high, increasingly hoarse voice" that feels unexpectedly moving, despite the lack of replay value.[8] Rolling Stone's Brendan Klinkenberg admired the song despite it not contending for the album's best, mentioning that West "literally tries to enumerate what God is to him" as his voice strains.[15] Klinkenberg said that while the lyrical content "barely coheres", West's delivery shows the depth of his convictions and he also compared "its straightforward address" to listeners to West's 2014 single "Only One".[15] Will Rosebury from Clash was moderately positive towards the theme of evangelicalism peaking on the song and quipped that it was "immaculately conceived".[22] In a negative review for NME, Jordan Bassett found West rhyming faithfulness with a stretched-out version of miraculous to be "wince-inducing", admitting that this clumsy style was at least funny on his past tracks like "Bound 2" (2013).[18] At Paste, Steven Edelstone wrote off the song's cheesiness that makes around three minutes "feel like an eternity".[23]

Following the album's release, "God Is" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 36.[24] The song further debuted at numbers four and six on the US Gospel Songs and Christian Songs charts, respectively.[25] On July 20, 2023, it received a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of 500,000 units in the United States.[26] The song experienced similar performance in Canada, charting at number 40 on the Canadian Hot 100.[27] In Australia, it reached number 39 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[28] The song further peaked within the top 100 of charts in Lithuania, Portugal, and Slovakia.[29][30][31]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[4]

  • Kanye West – producer, songwriter
  • Labrinth – producer, songwriter, additional vocals
  • Warryn Campbell – producer, songwriter
  • Angel Lopez – producer, songwriter
  • Federico Vindver – producer, songwriter
  • Victory Elyse Boyd – songwriter
  • Robert Fryson – songwriter
  • Mike Dean – mastering engineer, mixer
  • Jess Jackson – mixer
  • Andrew Drucker – recording engineer
  • Jamie Peters – recording engineer
  • Josh Bales – recording engineer
  • Josh Berg – recording engineer
  • Randy Urbanski – recording engineer

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications and sales for "God Is"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[26] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Renshaw, David (October 4, 2019). "Labrinth on scoring Euphoria, working with Beyoncé, and attending Kanye West's Sunday Service". The Fader. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2024.
  2. ^ a b Power, Ed (October 4, 2019). "Don't call it a comeback: Labrinth on his new album Imagination and The Misfit Kid". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  3. ^ Ransden, Brenna (January 22, 2020). "'I really enjoyed working with Kanye' – Labrinth talks about his favourite collaborations and his new solo album". Hot Press. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Jesus Is King / Kanye West". Tidal. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Kelley, Caitlin (October 29, 2019). "Kanye West Sampled A 1979 Gospel Song On 'God Is'". Genius. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Hore-Thorburn, Isabelle (October 28, 2019). "Here's Every Sample on Kanye West's 'Jesus Is King'". Highsnobiety. Archived from the original on May 29, 2024. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Mendez, Marisa (September 28, 2023). "Kanye West Branded 'Psychotic B-tch' By Aftermath Producer". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Barker, Andrew (October 26, 2019). "Album Review: Kanye West's 'Jesus Is King'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 19, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h Mac, Sam C. (October 30, 2019). "Review: Kanye West's Jesus Is King Is a Compelling But Veiled Act of Self-Worship". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Kameir, Rawiya (October 28, 2019). "Kanye West: Jesus Is King". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 29, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c "Quick Takes (October 2019)". No Ripcord. November 8, 2019. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Kot, Greg (October 25, 2019). "Kanye West review: 'Jesus Is King' puts gospel message ahead of musicality". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d Stevens, Aidy James (November 1, 2019). "Opinion: Kanye West, Jesus is King and my relationship with the Lord". God Is in the TV. Archived from the original on November 2, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Yeung, Neil Z. (October 31, 2019). "Jesus Is King – Kanye West". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 2, 2020. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  15. ^ a b c d Klinkenberg, Brendan (September 28, 2023). "Review: Kanye West, 'Jesus Is King'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  16. ^ a b McKrell, Aaron (October 28, 2019). "Kanye West Jesus Is King Album Review". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  17. ^ Bromfield, Daniel (October 27, 2019). "Kanye West: Jesus is King". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on October 28, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  18. ^ a b Bassett, Jordan (October 25, 2019). "Kanye West – 'Jesus Is King' review: an iconoclast sounds peaceful and fulfilled on this jubilant gospel collection". NME. Archived from the original on October 25, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  19. ^ Levenson, Luke (October 30, 2019). "'Jesus is King' — Kanye West's Evangelical Burnout". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  20. ^ Reilly, Kaitlin (August 29, 2019). "Kim Kardashian Seems To Confirm A New Kanye West Album & Its Themed Tracklist". Refinery29. Archived from the original on September 21, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  21. ^ Rhodes, Clint (November 14, 2019). "Music review: Kanye West – 'Jesus Is King'". The Herald-Standard. Archived from the original on November 14, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  22. ^ Rosebury, Will (October 29, 2019). "Kanye West – Jesus Is King | Reviews". Clash. Archived from the original on December 12, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  23. ^ Edelstone, Steven (October 28, 2019). "Kanye West's Jesus Is King Is a Divine Failure". Paste. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  24. ^ Zellner, Xander (November 4, 2019). "Kanye West's 'Jesus Is King': All 11 Songs Debut on Hot 100". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 3, 2022. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  25. ^ Asker, Jim (November 7, 2019). "'Jesus Is King' Makes History On Hot Christian Songs, Hot Gospel Songs Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 16, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  26. ^ a b "American single certifications – Kanye West – God Is". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  27. ^ "Canadian Music: Top 100 Songs – November 9, 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
  28. ^ a b "Kanye West – God Is". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  29. ^ a b "2019 44-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. November 4, 2019. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  30. ^ a b "Kanye West – God Is". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  31. ^ a b "ČNS IFPI – Singles Digital Top 100, 44th week of 2019" (in Slovak). IFPI Czech Republic. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  32. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  33. ^ "Kanye West – God Is" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  34. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  35. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  36. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  37. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Gospel Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. November 4, 2019. Archived from the original on November 4, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  39. ^ "Hot Christian Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 5, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  40. ^ "Hot Gospel Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  41. ^ "Hot Christian Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
  42. ^ "Hot Gospel Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
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