God Breathed

"God Breathed" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released on his tenth studio album Donda on August 29, 2021. The song features vocals from American rapper Vory.

"God Breathed"
Song by Kanye West
from the album Donda
ReleasedAugust 29, 2021 (2021-08-29)
RecordedAugust 8, 2019 - 2021
Genre
Length5:33
Label

Background and recording

The background vocals on the track are solely performed by baritone singer Justin Austin. West had invited the singer to recording sessions for Donda in Mexico, but was unable to make it due to singing Le roi Arthus (King Arthur) at Bard SummerScape,[1] an eight-week opera festival held during the months June to August. Instead of going to Mexico, they figured out a way to record remotely. For the song, West requested "primitive music" and "Gothic chords" from the singer, which he recalled that he was "shredding my voice, trying to get the right sound".[1] Austin recorded for "a bunch of different songs", with only "God Breathed" being used for the album.[1] Recording engineer Josh Berg recalled that the song originally came out of "thin air", with the song originally just being "hand on the table or his chair and just singing the song", recalling many iterations until the song found its home with the choir.[1] The track title was first revealed on an early track listing posted by West to Twitter on July 21, 2020, as "I Know God Breathed on This".[2]

American rapper Vory, who features on the track, talked about working with West in an interview with XXL. Vory mentioned the faith the rapper has put in him musically, explaining that they are understanding of one another while saying their "vibe is crazy". Vory detailed that even West's childhood friends recognize the vibe, saying of them collaborating, "You would think y'all have known each other for years.".[3] He also stated that West advised him to gain a proper fanbase by putting careful thought into creating a discography, rather than gathering popularity via gimmicks or internet skills, recalling that West said "Bro, it's more powerful that way. You're gaining a real fan base that way".[3] In another interview with GQ, Vory called the relationship mutually beneficial, stating "Ye can understand where I can fix certain things. I can understand where he should take other things".[4] Vory was originally set to feature for five songs on Donda, but when the track listing for the album was being finalized they picked the strongest three as Vory recalled West saying "Wait, man. This is crazy. We got a mini-EP on my album already!".[4] On the album, alongside "God Breathed", Vory features on "No Child Left Behind" and "Jonah".[4]

Composition

The track has been compared to West's 2013 album Yeezus with "chopped up screams", "eardrum-rattling bass", industrial noise, and melancholic gospel vocals throughout the track.[5][6]

It samples the track "Liquid Liquid" by Bell Head.[7]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[8]

  • Aaron "Arrow" Sunday - production, songwriter
  • E*vax - production, songwriter
  • Kanye West - production, songwriter
  • Raul Cubina - production, songwriter[lower-alpha 1]
  • Mark Williams - production, songwriter[lower-alpha 1]
  • Allday - co-production, songwriter
  • Federico Vindver - co-production, songwriter
  • Tavoris Javon Hollins - featured vocals, songwriter
  • Justin Austin - additional vocals
  • Malik Yusef - songwriter
  • Dennis Young - songwriter [lower-alpha 2]
  • Salvator Principato - songwriter [lower-alpha 2]
  • Richard McGuire - songwriter [lower-alpha 2]
  • Scott Hartley - songwriter [lower-alpha 2]
  • Irko - mixing, mastering
  • Mike Dean - mixing
  • Stef Moro - mix assistance
  • Alejandro Rodriguez-Dawsøn - recording
  • Chris Connors - recording
  • Enzo Rarri - recording
  • Jeff Ryon - recording
  • Josh Berg - recording
  • Mikalai Skrobat - recording
  • Randy Urbanski - recording
  • Roark Bailey - recording
  • Shane Fitzgibbon - recording
  • Chris Connors - vocal editing
  • Louis Bell - vocal editing
  • Todd Bergman - vocal editing
  • Will Heaky - vocal editing

Charts
Chart performance for "God Breathed"
Chart (2021) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 20
Italy (FIMI)[10] 87

Notes
  1. As part of Ojivolta
  2. Songwriter credits for the sample "Bell Head" by Liquid Liquid used on the song

References
  1. Artist Propulsion Lab (July 21, 2022). "Justin Austin in Conversation with Josh Berg". WQXR. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  2. Renshaw, David (July 21, 2020). "Kanye West tweets new album DONDA is out on Friday". The Fader. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  3. Rindner, Grant (November 9, 2021). "Vory Interview – Working on Kanye West's Donda, New Album & More". XXL. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  4. Hyman, Dan (June 10, 2022). "Vory Is Hip-Hop's Secret Weapon". GQ. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  5. Daly, Rhian (29 August 2021). "Kanye West – 'DONDA' review: some gems among lots – and lots – of filler". NME. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  6. Kornhaber, Spencer (31 August 2021). "God May Forgive Kanye West, but You Don't Have To". The Atlantic. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  7. Ruggeieri, Melissa (October 30, 2021). "Where have I heard that before? How Drake, Doja Cat, more sample hits to find chart success". USA Today. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  8. "Kanye West - DONDA - Credits". Tidal. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  9. "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
  10. "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 35" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved September 3, 2021.
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