"Stop Trying to Be God" (stylized in all caps) is a song by American rapper Travis Scott from his third studio album '' Astroworld'' (2018). The song features additional vocals from

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...

, James Blake,

Philip Bailey Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, Wi ...

of the band Earth, Wind & Fire and

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

, who plays

harmonica The harmonica, also known as a French harp or mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used worldwide in many musical genres, notably in blues, American folk music, classical music, jazz, country, and rock. The many types of harmonica inclu ...

on the track as well. The song was written by Blake, Scott,

J Beatzz Joshua Adams, professionally known as J Beatzz, is an American hip hop record producer. He produced American rapper Travis Scott's album '' Astroworld'', which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2019 for Best Rap Album. Early life Joshua Ada ...

, Mike Dean, and

CuBeatz Cubeatz (sometimes stylized as CuBeatz) are a German hip hop production and songwriting duo from Sindelfingen, consisting of twin brothers Kevin and Tim Gomringer. Originally embarking on their careers within German hip hop in the 2010s, they ...

, being produced by all but the former.

Background

In an interview with ''

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 ...

'' discussing ''Astroworld'', Travis Scott's A&R Sickamore said, "The record we worked on the longest is "Stop Trying to Be God". I think that was the oldest record on the album." In an interview with ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'', Mike Dean spoke about working on the song:

It was crazy. It took like a year for it to all come together. Travis had to first part done and it just developed. I got a call one day that Stevie was coming to the studio and I was like "I'll be right there" aughs I recorded his harmonica. Like, I never record people very much anymore. I just get somebody else to do that. With Stevie, I'm not gonna switch to someone else.

Composition

"Stop Trying to Be God" is an " indie

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 ...

" song. It features deep-voiced humming from Kid Cudi, as well as "subtle organ" and a harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder. After the instrumental switches in the bridge, James Blake sings with "equally inspiring and haunting" vocals. Lyrically, the song is a warning against developing a

God complex A god complex is an unshakable belief characterized by consistently inflated feelings of personal ability, privilege, or infallibility. A person with a god complex may refuse to admit the possibility of their error or failure, even in the face o ...

from one's ego.

Music video

The music video was directed by Dave Meyers, and has Biblical references. It opens with a herd of sheep walking down the street. Travis Scott is the shepherd, and is "resurrected in hellfire".

Kylie Jenner Kylie Kristen Jenner (born August 10, 1997) is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman. She starred in the E! reality television series ''Keeping Up with the Kardashians'' from 2007 to 2021 and is the founder and owner of ...

appears in the video as a gold-glowing

Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

, who cradles Scott after he is scorched. Scott also appears as a figure resembling God as seen in ''

Monty Python and the Holy Grail ''Monty Python and the Holy Grail'' is a 1975 British comedy film satirizing the Arthurian legend, written and performed by the Monty Python comedy group (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin) an ...

''. In the next sequence, Scott delivers a sermon before baptizing a line of people in a lake at a water park. Scott eventually flies around on a dragon, commanding it to breathe fire upon a town and bringing about the Apocalypse. He is confronted by God, who shoots lasers from his eyes and punishes Scott. James Blake later appears singing in a graveyard. The video ends with a recreation of Jesus in a manger, with Kylie Jenner reappearing and holding a lamb that sings.

Live performances

Travis Scott performed the song with James Blake at the

2018 MTV Video Music Awards The 2018 MTV Video Music Awards was held on August 20, 2018 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The 35th annual award show aired live from the venue for the 12th time, the most of any previous venue in its history. Cardi B led the list of n ...

. They also performed the song with Philip Bailey at the

61st Annual Grammy Awards The 61st Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 10, 2019, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Singer-songwriter Alicia Keys hosted. During her opening monologue, Keys brought out Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and fo ...

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Stevie Wonder 2018 songs James Blake (musician) songs Kid Cudi songs Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director) Philip Bailey songs Song recordings produced by Cubeatz Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer) Song recordings produced by Travis Scott Songs written by James Blake (musician) Songs written by Cubeatz Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer) Songs written by Travis Scott Stevie Wonder songs Travis Scott songs