"God" (stylized as "GOD.") is a song by American rapper

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...

, from his fourth studio album ''

Damn Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment and torment in an afterlife for actions that were committed, or in some cases, not committed on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, citizens would recite ...

'', released on April 14, 2017. The thirteenth and penultimate track on the album (second on the ''Collector's Edition'' of ''Damn''), the song was produced by Riera, Sounwave, DJ Dahi, Bëkon, Cardo, Tiffith, with additional production by Yung Exclusive, Mike Hector and

Teddy Walton Travis Darelle "Teddy" Walton (born July 30, 1992, in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American record producer, songwriter and DJ. He began music production by creating songs with his older brother, June, which gained traction on SoundCloud. Teddy has ...

. The song details Lamar's successes, how it feels, and why he works so hard to get to where he is today. The song also finds Lamar declaring his faux-divinity as a rap god.

Background

Before the release of ''Damn'', the album itself was rumored to be centered around

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

. It was soon confirmed by Lamar himself. Lamar has been a devout

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

since approximately his late teen years or adolescence.

Lyrics

According to Jake Woolf of '' GQ'' magazine, Lamar

trolls A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...

Canadian musician and rapper

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

by imitating his singing voice on the song's

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

Live performances

Lamar performed "God" live at the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival The Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (commonly called the Coachella Festival or simply Coachella) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colorado Desert. ...

on April 23, 2017. Lamar has performed "God" at every show as an encore on

the Damn tour The Damn Tour (stylized as The DAMN. Tour) was a concert tour by American rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar, in support of his fourth studio album, ''Damn'' (2017). The tour's North American leg began on July 12, 2017, in Glendale, Arizona an ...

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the official ''Damn'' digital booklet. *Kendrick Lamar – songwriter *Ricci Riera – songwriter, producer * Mark Spears – songwriter, producer * Dacoury Natche – songwriter, producer *Daniel Tannenbaum – songwriter *Bēkon – producer, additional vocals *

Ronald LaTour Ronald Nathan LaTour Jr. (born September 24, 1984), professionally known as Cardo Got Wings or simply Cardo, is an American record producer and rapper. Early life and career Cardo was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. He then moved to Fo ...

– songwriter, producer *Anthony Tiffith – songwriter, producer *Mike Hector – additional drums *Derek Ali – mixing *Tyler Page – mix assistant *Cyrus Taghipour – mix assistant

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2017 songs Kendrick Lamar songs Songs written by Kendrick Lamar Songs written by DJ Dahi Songs written by Sounwave Songs written by Cardo (record producer) Songs written by Teddy Walton Songs written by Daniel Tannenbaum