Yah (song) explained

Yah
Artist:Kendrick Lamar
Album:Damn
Recorded:2017
Studio:Jungle City

"Yah" (stylized as "YAH.") is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his fourth studio album DAMN, released on April 14, 2017. The third track on the album (twelfth on the Collector's Edition of Damn),[1] the song was written by Lamar, Mark Spears, a.k.a. Sounwave, DJ Dahi, and Anthony Tiffith, and produced by, Sounwave, DJ Dahi, and Tiffith, with additional production by Bēkon.

The song's title refers to "Yahweh", a romanization of the name of the Abrahamic God in the Hebrew Bible (יהוה).[2] [3]

Lyrics

The song shows Lamar expressing his inner thoughts, a subject he rarely touches upon in interviews.[4]

In the lyrics, Lamar calls out Fox News' reporter Geraldo Rivera, who criticized Lamar's performance of "Alright" at the BET Awards 2015.[5]

The song makes multiple references to religion, a theme Lamar would reference multiple times throughout Damn.[6] Lamar specifically references the Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament.[7] Lamar mentions his cousin, Carl Duckworth, who teaches Lamar about the Book of Deuteronomy and how the book talks about penalties for breaking the rule of God.[8] [9] A voicemail snippet from Carl appears in the song "Fear", also from Damn,[10] during which he espouses the beliefs of the Hebrew Israelite group where he is a member.[11] [12] At one point, Lamar raps "I'm a Israelite, don't call me black no mo'," which is a clear reference to Black Israelism.[13]

According to Spin magazine, the song drew influence from American rapper Kanye West's song "Jesus Walks" from his first studio album The College Dropout, a song that also drew biblical allusions.

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the official Damn digital booklet.

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 29
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[15] 30

Notes and References

  1. Web site: India. Lindsey. Kendrick Lamar Surprises Fans With 'Damn.' Collector's Edition. XXL. December 9, 2017. December 8, 2017.
  2. Web site: The Hebrew Name for God - YHVH. www.hebrew4christians.com. April 24, 2017.
  3. News: Review: Kendrick Lamar's new album is out, and God DAMN, it is good. April 18, 2017. Firstpost. April 24, 2017.
  4. Web site: Tardio. Andres. 14 Times Kendrick Lamar Made Us Say 'DAMN.' on His Album. Rap-Up. April 20, 2017. April 24, 2017.
  5. Kendrick Lamar's 'Damn.': A Track-by-Track Guide. Rolling Stone. April 24, 2017.
  6. News: Kendrick Lamar's 'DAMN.': A track-by-track instant review. USA Today. April 24, 2017.
  7. News: 10 Songs That Influenced Kendrick Lamar's DAMN.. April 18, 2017. Spin. April 24, 2017.
  8. Kendrick Lamar: Making Sense of His World, One Bible Verse at a Time. Billboard. April 24, 2017.
  9. Web site: On DAMN., Kendrick Lamar Is Both Pious And Imperfect. The Fader. April 24, 2017.
  10. News: Is Rapper Kendrick Lamar A Hebrew Israelite — Like Amar'e Stoudemire?. The Forward. April 24, 2017.
  11. Web site: Inside The Hebrew Israelite Movement That's Inspiring Kendrick Lamar & Kodak Black. Genius. en. September 20, 2017.
  12. News: How Kendrick Lamar Was 'Blown Away' By Hebrew Israelite Beliefs. The Forward. September 20, 2017.
  13. News: Kendrick Lamar and Black Israelism. Shreve. Grant. 2018-05-07. JSTOR Daily. https://web.archive.org/web/20180511000409/https://daily.jstor.org/kendrick-lamar-and-black-israelism/. 2018-05-11. en-US.
  14. Web site: IRMA – Irish Charts. Irish Recorded Music Association. April 21, 2017.
  15. Web site: NZ Top 40 Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. May 1, 2017. April 28, 2017.