Believe What I Say

"Believe What I Say" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his tenth studio album, Donda (2021). The song features additional vocals from Buju Banton, Dem Jointz and Stalone; and samples "Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill. It was serviced to US rhythmic contemporary radio as the album's third single on November 30, 2021 (second promoted to radio formats).

"Believe What I Say"
Single by Kanye West
from the album Donda
ReleasedNovember 30, 2021 (2021-11-30)[1]
RecordedSeptember 2020 – August 2021
Genre
Length4:02
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Life of the Party"
(2021)		 "Believe What I Say"
(2021)		 "Off the Grid"
(2021)

The song peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, and also reached the top 40 in Australia and Canada.

Background

On September 15, 2020, West posted a series of tweets about his relationship with Universal Music Group.[5] In the tweets, the rapper expressed desire to buy back his master recordings. He went on to leak his full recording contract documents between himself and Universal. He also stated that he is "not putting no more music out until I'm done with my contract with Sony and Universal.".[6] The next day, on September 16, West flew out to Jamaica and recorded music with Buju Banton and Saint Jhn, the former of which features on the track.[7] On September 26, West shared a snippet of "Believe What I Say" on his Twitter account.[5][8] The track samples Lauryn Hill's 1998 song "Doo Wop (That Thing)".

The track was officially previewed on August 26, 2021 at the Donda listening event at Soldier Field. On September 9, composer Antman Wonder, who was initially left off the credits, posted the original version of the track; claiming that West had not properly credited his, as well as several other artists' contributions to Donda.[9][10] The credits were later updated to include his contribution.

Credits
  • Kanye West – production, vocals, songwriting
  • Dem Jointz – production, additional vocals, record engineering, songwriting
  • Buju Banton – additional vocals, songwriting
  • BoogzDaBeast – co-production, songwriting
  • FnZ – co-production, songwriting
  • Ojivolta – co-production, songwriting
  • Antman Wonder – additional production
  • Stalone – additional vocals, songwriting
  • Irko – mix engineering, master engineering
  • Devon Wilson – record engineering
  • Mikalai Skrobat – record engineering
  • Josh Berg – record engineering
  • Preston Reid – record engineering
  • Louis Bell – vocal editing
  • Patrick Hundley – vocal editing

Charts

Certifications
Certifications for Believe What I Say
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Top 40/Rhythmic-Crossover Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  2. Jenkins, Craig (September 2, 2019). "Kanye West 'Donda' Album Review". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  3. Dwyer, Michael (August 30, 2021). "Kanye West redefines idea of 'the album' – but was Donda worth the wait?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  4. Hobbs, Thomas (August 30, 2021). "Kanye West: Donda Review - Misfiring lyricism from a diminished figure". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  5. Yoo, Noah (26 September 2020). "Kanye West Previews New Song "Believe What I Say": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  6. Sodomsky, Sam (16 September 2020). "Kanye Tweets Out Alleged Record Contracts Amid Dispute With Label". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  7. Skelton, Eric (17 November 2020). "The World Is Finally Ready For SAINt JHN". Complex. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  8. Peters, Mitchell (26 September 2020). "Kanye West Teases New Song 'Believe What I Say': Listen". Billboard. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  9. Eustice, Kyle (9 September 2021). "Grammy Award-Winning Composer Claims Kanye West Snubbed Several 'Donda' Credits – Including His". HipHopDX. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  10. Robinson, Joshua (10 September 2021). "Grammy-Winning Composer Blasts Kanye West For Not Crediting Him On "Donda"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  11. "Kanye West – Believe What I Say". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  12. "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  13. "Kanye West – Believe What I Say" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  14. "Kanye West Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  15. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  16. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  17. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Gospel Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  18. "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  19. "Kanye West Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  20. "Hot Christian Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  21. "Hot Gospel Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  22. "American single certifications – Kanye West – Believe What I Say". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
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