Believe What I Say Explained

Believe What I Say
Type:single
Artist:Kanye West
Album:Donda
Cover:Almost black square 020305.png
Released:[1]
Recorded:September 2020 – August 2021
Genre:
Length:4:02
Label:
Producer:
Prev Title:Life of the Party
Prev Year:2021
Next Title:Off the Grid
Next Year:2021

"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).

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; while Saint Jhn did record for the track, his contributions did not make the final cut.[7] Other artists who recorded for the track but did not make it onto the final version include singer Steve Lacy and West's Sunday Service Choir. 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

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2021–2022)! scope="col"
Peak
position
South Africa (TOSAC)[11] 17
US Gospel Songs (Billboard)[12] 7

Year-end charts

Chart (2021)!scope="col"
Position
US Christian Songs (Billboard)[13] 38
US Gospel Songs (Billboard)[14] 10

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Top 40/Rhythmic-Crossover Future Releases. https://web.archive.org/web/20211123173136/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-rhythmic/future-releases. November 23, 2021. November 23, 2021. All Access.
  2. Web site: Jenkins. Craig. Kanye West 'Donda' Album Review. Vulture. limited. September 2, 2019. September 4, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20210904145619/https://www.vulture.com/article/kanye-west-donda-album-review.html. September 4, 2021. live.
  3. Web site: Dwyer. Michael. Kanye West redefines idea of 'the album' – but was Donda worth the wait?. The Sydney Morning Herald. August 30, 2021. August 31, 2021. August 30, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210830172209/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/music/kanye-west-redefines-idea-of-the-album-but-was-donda-worth-the-wait-20210830-p58n5k.html. live.
  4. News: Hobbs. Thomas. Kanye West: Donda Review - Misfiring lyricism from a diminished figure. en-GB. The Guardian. August 30, 2021. August 30, 2021. August 30, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210830135107/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/aug/30/kanye-west-donda-review-misfiring-lyricism-from-a-diminished-figure. live.
  5. Web site: Yoo . Noah . Kanye West Previews New Song "Believe What I Say": Listen . Pitchfork . 4 October 2021 . 26 September 2020.
  6. Web site: Sodomsky . Sam . Kanye Tweets Out Alleged Record Contracts Amid Dispute With Label . Pitchfork . 4 October 2021 . 16 September 2020.
  7. Web site: Skelton . Eric . The World Is Finally Ready For SAINt JHN . Complex . 4 October 2021 . 17 November 2020.
  8. Web site: Peters . Mitchell . Kanye West Teases New Song 'Believe What I Say': Listen . Billboard . 4 October 2021 . 26 September 2020.
  9. Web site: Eustice . Kyle . Grammy Award-Winning Composer Claims Kanye West Snubbed Several ‘Donda’ Credits – Including His . HipHopDX . 4 October 2021 . 9 September 2021.
  10. Web site: Robinson . Joshua . Grammy-Winning Composer Blasts Kanye West For Not Crediting Him On "Donda" . HotNewHipHop . 4 October 2021 . 10 September 2021.
  11. Web site: Local & International Streaming Chart Top 100: 27/08/2021 to 02/09/2021. The Official South African Charts. June 1, 2024. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20210909213625/https://theofficialsacharts.co.za/charts/streaming-chart-20-08-2021-to-26-08-2021/. September 9, 2021.
  12. Web site: Kanye West Chart History (Hot Gospel Songs). Billboard. October 26, 2021.
  13. Web site: Hot Christian Songs – Year-End 2021. Billboard. December 20, 2021.
  14. Web site: Hot Gospel Songs – Year-End 2021. Billboard. December 20, 2021.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Believe What I Say".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.