"God's Country" is a song by American rapper Travis Scott from his fourth studio album ''

Utopia A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia (book), Utopia'', describing a fictional ...

'' (2023). It was written and produced by him,

30 Roc Samuel Gloade, professionally known as 30 Roc, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is best known for production with notable artists, including Lil Yachty, Migos, Plies, Cardi B, Rich Homie Quan, Kanye West, and Kendrick Lamar, ...

and Dez Wright. As the song was among the tracks on ''Utopia'' that were originally recorded for

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

's album ''

Donda ''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West, released through GOOD Music on August 29, 2021, with distribution handled by Def Jam Recordings, his last release with the label. West recorded much of the material at multiple ...

'' (2021), he also received writing credits.

Composition

The song includes a looped vocal passage which is sampled from Polish composer

Krzysztof Komeda Krzysztof Trzciński (27 April 1931 – 23 April 1969), known professionally as Krzysztof Komeda, was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist. Perhaps best known for his work in film scores, Komeda wrote the scores for Roman Polanski’s f ...

's "Lullaby, Part 1". In the lyrics, Travis Scott highlights the notion of togetherness, emphasizing his family and moving away from public attention. Stylistically, he uses an "exclamatory" tone similar to that of Kanye West's.

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from critics, particularly for the use of its sample. ''Variety'''s Yousef Srour and Jem Aswad commented, "The biting screams on 'God's Country' call to mind Ye's shrieks on '

I Am a God "I Am a God" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his sixth studio album ''Yeezus'' (2013). The song credits God as a featured performer. It was produced by West, Hudson Mohawke, Daft Punk. and Mike Dean, and includes vocals from Justi ...

'". Paul Attard of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' described the song as a "psychedelic trip that's made even more surreal" by the sample. Andre Gee of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' said the song's vocal sample "evokes a horror movie about possessed children who lurk on the outskirts of sundown towns" and that Scott has a "solid" verse. Aron A. of ''

HotNewHipHop ''HotNewHipHop (HNHH)'' is an online publication that covers daily news about hip hop and pop culture, including streetwear, sports, and sneakers. In addition to its editorial content, HotNewHipHop also produces the video serieses; ''How to Roll ...

'' wrote the song "brings slinky child-like vocal samples through knocking bass. It's eerie yet playful and carries across the project." Ben Devlin of ''

MusicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

'' wrote it "features a positively haunting vocal sample over which Scott delivers some of his most characterful lyrics". ''Complex'''s Eric Skelton and Ecleen Luzmila Caraballo picked "God's Country" (along with "

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") as the "biggest skip" of ''Utopia''. Similarly, Vivian Medithi of ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

'' commented that the sample "screams immediate skip." Mackenzie Cummings-Grady of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' placed "God's Country" at number 16 in her ranking of the songs from ''Utopia''.

Music video

An official music video premiered alongside the song. At the start, Travis Scott takes a camera from people in a car and apparently uses it to film the daily lives and activities in a neighborhood. The visual features shots of fast bikes, basketball, dancing, and community members (mostly children) singing the song.

Charts

References

{{Travis Scott 2023 songs Travis Scott songs Song recordings produced by Travis Scott Songs written by Travis Scott Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by 30 Roc