"Don't Let Me Die" is a song by American rapper

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

and American singer

R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwid ...

. It is the second single from their collaboration album '' Unfinished Business'' (2004). The song was produced by Tone of the

Trackmasters The Trackmasters are an American hip hop production duo composed of music producers Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier) and Tone (Samuel Barnes), best known for their commercial hit records in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. Frank "Nitty" Pimentel joi ...

and Kelly, with co-production from Alexander "Spanador" Mosley.

Critical reception

Tom Breihan of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' wrote that the song's gospel choir, which he described as "bazonkers", was one of the better aspects of the Trackmasters' "clean" sound throughout ''Unfinished Business''.

Nathan Rabin Nathan Rabin (; born April 24, 1976) is an American film and music critic. Rabin was the first head writer for ''The A.V. Club'', a position he held until he left the ''Onion'' organization in 2013.

of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

'' wrote the song "amplifies the disc's abundant cheese to operatic levels, complete with a choir and an unhinged Kelly vocal".

In popular culture

In the 2013 film '' G.I. Joe: Retaliation'',

Roadblock A roadblock is a temporary installation set up to control or block traffic along a road. The reasons for one could be: *Roadworks *Temporary road closure during special events * Police chase *Robbery *Sobriety checkpoint In peaceful circumstances ...

invokes Jay-Z's lyrics from the song: "Whatever deity guides my life / Dear Lord, don't let me die tonight".

Charts

Release history

References

{{R. Kelly singles 2004 singles 2004 songs Jay-Z songs R. Kelly songs Songs written by Jay-Z Songs written by R. Kelly Songs written by Samuel Barnes (songwriter) Songs written by Jean-Claude Olivier Roc-A-Fella Records singles Def Jam Recordings singles