Jonah (Kanye West song) explained

Jonah
Type:song
Artist:Kanye West featuring Lil Durk and Vory
Album:Donda
Recorded:2020–2021
Length:03:15
Label:
Producer:

"Jonah" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his tenth studio album Donda (2021). The song features fellow American rappers Vory and Lil Durk (marking their first collaborations with West) along with additional background vocals from frequent collaborator Ty Dolla $ign. It peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and made the top ten on the Billboard Christian Songs and Gospel Songs charts.

Background

West announced a release date of July 24, 2020 and posted a track listing for the album.[1] "Jonah" began as a solo Vory track dedicated to Jonah Ware, a rapper from Louisville who was fatally shot and killed on August 8, 2020.[2] [3] Vory posted a snippet of the song on his Instagram on August 17, 2020. The song was first played at the Donda Mercedes-Benz Stadium listening party on July 23, 2021 with no vocals from West.[4] The subsequent second listening party on August 5, 2021 at the same stadium premiered West's verse on the track.

Summary

"Jonah", the seventh track off of Donda, the album that saw the reunification of Jay-Z and Kanye, begins with Lil Durk celebrating that moment, but then lamenting "I lost my brother when we was millionaires / I wasn't scared to die, but him, that was my biggest fear."[5] Kanye West is seen as connecting his issues to God's mysterious behavior throughout the album.[6] [7] "Jonah" sees Kanye rapping about his relationship with God,[8] alongside fellow rappers Vory and Lil Durk opening up about their pain of losing friends and family members, respectively.[9] Durk's verse is dedicated to his brother, DThang, who was murdered in 2021.[10] The Guardian said in a review of the song that Lil Durk powerfully references a nephew and a niece now without a father, and goes on to say that "West clearly inspires frank admissions from all of the featured artists on Donda, who treat him like a priest they’ve visited for a group therapy session."

The song paints a portrait of isolation, abandonment, and being in need with lyrics such as "Who's there when I need a shoulder to lean on?" and "I hope you're here when I need the demons to be gone."[11] [12]

Reception

Donda was one of the most discussed albums of 2021, and likewise many there have been many reviews of "Jonah". The theme of the song, loneliness and isolation, has been noted as being particularly well portrayed, making the song easily relatable.[13] Charlie Recchia of The Maneater called the song "an emotionally devastating track that discusses fighting inner demons and how lonely that process can be, even if you are a star" and said that "the ghostly hook on this song always gives me chills."[14] A Gigwise reviewer called the track "perfectly serviceable Ye cuts that follow the cookie cutter pattern of interesting features and Yeezy rapping about his relationship with God."[15]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Spotify.[16]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Denmark (Tracklisten)[17] 28
Iceland (Plötutíðindi)[18] 19
Lithuania (AGATA)[19] 46
South Africa (TOSAC)[20] 10
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[21] 62
US Gospel Songs (Billboard)[22] 9

Year-end charts

Chart (2021)!scope="col"
Position
US Christian Songs (Billboard)[23] 41
US Gospel Songs (Billboard)[24] 12

Notes and References

  1. Blistein . Jon . July 21, 2020 . Kanye West Shares Release Date, Track List for New Album 'Donda' . Rolling Stone . live . limited . October 13, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210115160620/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/kanye-west-donda-new-album-release-date-track-list-1031734/ . January 15, 2021.
  2. Web site: Gazaway . Charles . Local recording artist identified as victim shot, killed in Chickasaw neighborhood . Wave3 . 27 September 2021 . 8 August 2020.
  3. Web site: Jonah by Kanye West . Songfacts . 27 September 2021.
  4. Web site: Lewczyk . Maria . On the scene at Kanye West's 'DONDA' playback in Atlanta: "It feels cathartic" . NME . 23 July 2021 . 27 September 2021.
  5. Web site: The Best Features on Kanye West's 'Donda,' Ranked. 2021-09-25. Complex. en.
  6. Web site: Dwyer . Michael . August 30, 2021 . Kanye West redefines idea of 'the album' – but was Donda worth the wait? . live . 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 . August 30, 2021 . August 31, 2021 . The Sydney Morning Herald.
  7. Web site: 2021-08-29 . Who is Jonah? Kanye West's DONDA explores Bible's story of forgiveness . 2022-03-12 . The Focus . en-GB.
  8. News: Brock . Charlie . August 29, 2021 . Album Review: Kanye West - Donda . en . . live . August 31, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210831150831/https://www.gigwise.com/reviews/3408199/album-review--kanye-west---donda . August 31, 2021.
  9. Web site: Wood . Mikael . August 31, 2021 . Review: Kanye West reeks of desperation on dispiriting, exhausting 'Donda' . subscription . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20210905120907/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-08-31/kanye-west-donda-album-review . September 5, 2021 . September 4, 2021 . Los Angeles Times.
  10. Web site: 2021-08-30. Kanye West: Donda review – misfiring lyricism from a diminished figure. 2021-09-25. the Guardian. en.
  11. Web site: 2021-08-29. Kanye West's 'Donds' : the NME review. 2021-09-25. NME.
  12. Web site: 2021-08-29 . Kanye West – Jonah Lyrics . 2022-03-12 . The West News . en-US.
  13. Web site: Velasquez. Angelina. No track left behind! "Donda" by Kanye West has finally dropped. 2021-11-02. The Scarlet. 17 September 2021 .
  14. Web site: Kanye West's long awaited 10th album feels like a beautiful raging fire that West started, but cannot fully control The Maneater. 2021-11-02. themaneater.com.
  15. Web site: Album Review: Kanye West - DONDA Gigwise . 2022-03-12 . www.gigwise.com.
  16. Web site: Credits / Donda / Kanye West . Spotify . 23 September 2021.
  17. Web site: Track Top-40 Uge 35, 2021. Hitlisten. September 29, 2021.
  18. Web site: Tónlistinn – Lög – Vika 35 – 2021. Plötutíðindi. September 29, 2021. Icelandic. https://archive.today/20210906055335/http://plotutidindi.is/tonlistinn/. September 6, 2021.
  19. Web site: 2021 35-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). Lithuanian. AGATA. September 3, 2021. September 29, 2021.
  20. 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.
  21. Web site: Veckolista Singlar, vecka 35. Sverigetopplistan. September 29, 2021.
  22. Kanye West Chart History (Hot Gospel Songs). Billboard. September 23, 2021.
  23. Hot Christian Songs – Year-End 2021. Billboard. December 20, 2021.
  24. Hot Gospel Songs – Year-End 2021. Billboard. December 20, 2021.

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