"On God" is a song by American rapper

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 ...

from his ninth studio album, ''

Jesus Is King ''Jesus Is King'' is the ninth studio album by American rapper Kanye West. It was released on October 25, 2019, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. The album follows a Christian theme, different from his usual work. Wes ...

'' (2019). The song's production was handled by West, BoogzDaBeast, and Michael "CameOne" Cerda, with co-production from Pi'erre Bourne and additional production from

Federico Vindver Federico Vindver (born 18 August 1982) is an Argentine record producer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer based in Los Angeles, California. Vindver has worked with several artists including, Kanye West, Coldplay, Justin Bieber, Ed ...

. The producers served as co-writers alongside

Cyhi the Prynce Cydel Charles Young (born September 15, 1984), known professionally as CyHi the Prynce, is an American rapper and singer. In 2009, Young signed his first major-label contract with Konvict Muzik, with the backing of Def Jam Recordings. In 2010, ...

and

Mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

. Cerda formed the song's melody in 2017, utilizing a Prophet Rev 2 and

Moog Sub 37 The Moog Sub 37 is a limited edition monophonic analog synthesizer An analog (or analogue) synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog signals to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 19 ...

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

and

Dua Lipa Dua Lipa ( , ; born ) is an English and Albanian singer and songwriter. Possessing a mezzo-soprano vocal range, she is known for her signature disco- pop sound. Lipa has received numerous accolades, including six Brit Awards, three Gramm ...

both indicated an appearance, though they ultimately did not make the final cut. An

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

track with

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

and

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...

elements, it relies on

synths A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

and features an

interpolation In the mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one often has a n ...

of "

Mercy Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, relig ...

" by West,

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

Pusha T Terrence LeVarr Thornton (born May 13, 1977), better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper, songwriter and record executive. He rose to prominence as one-half of the hip hop duo Clipse, which was mainly active from 1994 to 20 ...

, and

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, al ...

. Lyrically, the song features West delivering

the gospel The gospel or good news is a theological concept in several religions. In the historical Roman imperial cult and today in Christianity, the gospel is a message about salvation by a divine figure, a savior, who has brought peace or other benefits ...

about his life with the newfound context of

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. "On God" received moderately positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...

, who mostly commended the production. They often focused on the synths, though critical commentary towards West's rapping was somewhat negative. The song was one of the Award Winning Gospel Songs at the 2021 BMI Gospel Awards. It reached number 23 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and charted within the top 50 in eight other countries, including Canada and Latvia. The song has been certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

in the United States by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA).

Background

American record producer Michael "CameOne" Cerda developed a passion for music production in 2007, being inspired by his friend and mentor Alex Vazquez to create beats daily. The producer later connected with a representative from West's

record label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produ ...

GOOD Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...

in 2019 and subsequently received a text message about a sample package he made, "Hold this for Ye." Cerda experienced disbelief and shock after reading the text and in the summer of 2019, the representative confirmed that he would be a contributor to ''Jesus Is King''. He revealed that "On God" was originally composed by him in 2017 before he knew the song would be on the album, crafting the melody on a Prophet Rev 2 and

. Cerda also said he was inspired by his love for

synth A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

heavy melodies and for the sample's creation process, he began with the

arpeggiator A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

and mostly worked with The Legend plugin, using FL Studio 11. The song was produced by West, BoogzDaBeast, and Cerda, with co-production from record producer Pi'erre Bourne and additional production from Federico Vindver. The producers co-wrote it with

and

. In 2016, fellow rapper

contributed vocals to West's seventh studio album ''

The Life of Pablo ''The Life of Pablo'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in It ...

''. On September 18, 2018, shortly after West announced his then-upcoming album ''Yandhi'', the rapper tweeted in response that if not featured on it, he will never speak to him again and ended the tweet with "#OnGod". West's wife

Kim Kardashian Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the sex ...

later revealed a track list for ''Jesus Is King'' on September 27, 2019, including "On God". Speculation began that the track was to include a feature from Young Thug due to the title, after ''Yandhi'' had been scrapped. During a listening session for the album in New York City on September 29, 2019, vocals from the rapper were not included. However, Young Thug asked West over Twitter if his "verse about the devil" was still on ''Jesus Is King'' three days later, marking the first time he tweeted to him since September 2018. West did not reply that same day and the rapper ultimately failed to make the final cut. Prior to referencing the

Constitution of the United States The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

' 13th Amendment that freed the slaves on "On God", West had controversially said in 2018 that slavery "was a choice". He met with 2017–2021 US

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

that same year and suggested to "abolish" the amendment while wearing a Trump hat, stating that it is similar to "a trap door", so should not be part of the constitution. West explained how the writers of the 13th Amendment "didn't look like the people they were amending" and it was illegal for any black Americans to read at the time, meaning that reading the amendment led to "get

ing Ing, ING or ing may refer to: Art and media * '' ...ing'', a 2003 Korean film * i.n.g, a Taiwanese girl group * The Ing, a race of dark creatures in the 2004 video game '' Metroid Prime 2: Echoes'' * "Ing", the first song on The Roches' 1992 ...

locked up and turned into a slave".

Composition and lyrics

President Donald Trump and Kanye West 2018-10-11 (Cropped 2)

Musically, "On God" is an

track, with elements of

and

house music House is a music genre characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 120 beats per minute. It was created by Disc jockey, DJs and music producers from Chicago metropolitan area, Chicago' ...

. It stands as a contrast from other tracks on ''Jesus Is King'', going against the primarily gospel and hip hop style. The song samples the line "Yo Pi'erre, you wanna come out here?" from the American sitcom ''

The Jamie Foxx Show ''The Jamie Foxx Show'' is an American sitcom that aired on The WB from August 28, 1996, to January 14, 2001. The series stars Jamie Foxx, Garcelle Beauvais, Christopher B. Duncan, Ellia English, and Garrett Morris. Although the show was not a m ...

'', using it as Pi'erre Bourne's producer tag. Its melody is reliant on lush synths from Cerda, which

crescendo In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer dependi ...

and were described as reminiscent of West's third studio album ''

Graduation Graduation is the awarding of a diploma to a student by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it. The date of the graduation ceremony is often called graduation day. The graduation ceremony is a ...

'' (2007). According to

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

writer Neil Z. Yeung, the song contains "digital swirling".

Trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

drops Drop, DROP, drops or DROPS may refer to: * Drop (liquid) or droplet, a small volume of liquid ** Eye drops, saline (sometimes mydriatic) drops used as medication for the eyes * Drop (unit), a unit of measure of volume * Falling (physics), allowin ...

and loud drums are also featured. West's rapping is accompanied at times by an

of his 2012 collaborative single "

" with

, and

, which in turn samples YB's "Lambo" from the same year. In the lyrics of "On God", West preaches

about his life within the context of

after converting to it. He focuses on how religion has served him, using lines such as "How you got so much favor on your side?/'Accept him as your lord and savior,' I replied". West also mentions the 13th Amendment, referencing his slavery comments and highlighting his stance on

prison reform Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, improve the effectiveness of a penal system, or implement alternatives to incarceration. It also focuses on ensuring the reinstatement of those whose lives are impacted by crimes. ...

by rapping he has "gotta end it". The rapper uses his taxes paid to the

Internal Revenue Service The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...

(IRS) to excuse pricing his merchandise and Yeezy sneakers highly, justifying the prices to feed his family and not have to appear on the TV series ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

''.

Release and reception

On October 25, 2019, "On God" was included as the fifth track on West's ninth studio album ''Jesus Is King''. The song was met with moderately positive reviews from

, with general praise for the production. Cyclone Whener from ''

The Music The Music are an English alternative rock band, formed in Kippax, Leeds in 1999. Comprising Robert Harvey (vocals, guitar), Adam Nutter (lead guitar), Stuart Coleman (bass) and Phil Jordan (drums), the band came to prominence with the releas ...

'' highlighted the song's combination of gospel and house music, noting that it sometimes recalls the era of

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

's ''

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

'' (2001) and going on to compliment West's progressive lyricism. At ''

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 ...

'', Ben Devlin declared that the song "dazzles with shiny synth textures". Echoing this sentiment, Jordan Bassett of ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' wrote it "shimmers with space-age synths". Writing for ''Spectrum Culture'', Daniel Bromfield cited the song as including "one of the great Pi'erre Bourne beats". In ''

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 ...

'', Brendan Klinkenberg lauded the beat's "effervescent triumph". Will Rosebury from '' Clash'' observed that the song is able "to thematically balance out" through West touching on "his life within the context of his new found faith", while '' NOW Magazine''s Matthew Progress praised his prison reform stance for offering a left-wing political position. In a lukewarm review for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', Roisin O'Connor picked it as a "rare standout" on the album for West's referencing of the 13th Amendment and "the

Grammys The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

' latency at recognising black artists", yet criticized him rapping against division when that "is all he seems to be doing" as a whole. Alphonse Pierre expressed mixed feelings in ''

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 ...

'', declaring that West's skills "as a studio curator and beatmaker haven't completely waned" and positively comparing the song's synths to ''Graduation'', though noted his "sloppy rapping" and called the lyrical content "self-sacrifice at its most self-absorbed". Similarly, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

''s Brian Josephs said that the "glitzy synths" are reminiscent of the album, yet complained of West preaching too heavily. Z. Yeung highlighted the "digital swirling" of the production, while disregarding West's "troubling alignment with prosperity gospel teachings" as embarrassing. Some reviews were negative. Wren Graves from ''

Consequence Consequence may refer to: * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * In operant conditioning, a result of some behavior * Consequentialism, a theory in philosophy in which the morality of an act is determi ...

'' derided the song as "twinkling cheese"; he branded it "a dollar-store ripoff" of West's 2010 single "

All of the Lights "All of the Lights" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the fourth single from his fifth studio album, ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' (2010). It was produced by West and features additional vocals from several other record ...

" and was disappointed in the lyrical content that "feels less than sincere", despite coming across as promising. The staff of ''No Ripcord'' assured that the rapper using "excuses to charge high prices to feed his family" makes him sound like "a petulant rich man who needs to justify his outrageous choices". On a similar note, ''RapReviews'' Ryan Feyre said West "prays about not letting his family starve" while not realizing "he's a part of the richest family in the entertainment industry", seeing his excuse for high prices as weak. In a review of ''Jesus Is King'' for ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', Andrew Barker named "On God" one of the worst tracks and criticized West's lyricism. Steven Edelstone provided a highly negative review at '' Paste'', picking the "party-happy" song as one of the album's low points and stating West "attempts to defend his expensive clothing" on what is supposed to be "a spiritual anthem". "On God" was nominated for Top Gospel Song at the 2020 ''Billboard'' Music Awards, ultimately losing the award to fellow album track "

Follow God "Follow God" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his ninth studio album, ''Jesus Is King'' (2019). The song was produced by West, BoogzDaBeast and Xcelence. The producers wrote it alongside Aaron Butts, though the song's sampling of wor ...

". At the 2021 BMI Gospel Awards, the former stood among the Award Winning Gospel Songs.

Commercial performance

Upon the release of ''Jesus Is King'', "On God" entered the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 23. The song lasted for two weeks on the Hot 100. It charted identically on the US

Christian Songs Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs ...

and

Gospel Songs Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

charts, debuting at number four on both. The song also entered the US

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart at number 12. On September 1, 2021, "On God" was certified

by the

(RIAA) for amassing 500,000 certified units in the US. "On God" charted similarly to its US performance in Canada and Australia, debuting at number 21 on both the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. The Canadian Hot 100 was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007, and is currently the standard record chart in Canada; a n ...

and the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

. The song was most successful in Latvia, reaching number 18 on the Latvian Singles Chart. In Iceland and Estonia, it charted at numbers 24 and 28 on the Icelandic Singles Chart and

Eesti Tipp-40 Eesti Tipp-40 (English: Estonian Top-40) was the official Estonian music chart launched in early 2018. It published every Monday in the ''Eesti Ekspress ''Eesti Ekspress'' (''Estonian Express'') is an Estonian weekly newspaper. Founded in 1 ...

, respectively. The song also peaked within the top 50 in Denmark, Lithuania, and Portugal.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from

Tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * Tidal (servic ...

and the

BMI Repertoire Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 milli ...

. *

production, songwriter * BoogzDaBeast production, songwriter * Michael Cerda production, songwriter * Jordan Timothy Jenks co-production, songwriter *

additional production, songwriter * Cydel Young songwriter * Dijon Isaiah McFarlane songwriter * Mike Dean mastering engineer *

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work. Life and career M ...

mixer * Chris Galland mix engineer * Jeremie Inhaber assistant mixer * Robin Florent assistant mixer * Scott Desmarais assistant mixer * Andrew Drucker recording engineer * Josh Bales recording engineer * Josh Berg recording engineer * Randy Urbanski recording engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes and references

Notes Citations {{Kanye West songs 2019 songs Electronic songs Kanye West songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Songs written by Cyhi the Prynce Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Mustard (record producer) Songs written by Pi'erre Bourne