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

Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...

, from his fourth studio album ''

Damn Damnation (from Latin '' damnatio'') is the concept of divine punishment after death for sins that were committed, or in some cases, good actions not done, on Earth. In Ancient Egyptian religious tradition, it was believed that citizens would ...

'', 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

Ricci Riera Ricci Riera, is an American record producer, DJ and songwriter from Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his production with notable hip hop artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Travis Scott, Schoolboy Q, Overdoz, and ASAP Rocky, among ...

Sounwave Mark Anthony Spears (born February 28, 1986), known professionally as Sounwave, is an American record producer and songwriter. He is a frequent collaborator of rapper Kendrick Lamar, having worked on all of his projects since his 2009 self-title ...

DJ Dahi Dacoury Dahi Natche (born March 10, 1983), known professionally as DJ Dahi or simply Dahi, is an American record producer, songwriter, disc jockey and singer from Inglewood, California. Working primarily in hip hop and R&B music, he has been ...

, Bēkon,

Cardo A ''cardo'' (: ''cardines'') was a north–south street in Ancient Rome, ancient Roman cities and military castra, camps as an integral component of Urban planning, city planning. The ''cardo maximus'', or most often the ''cardo'', was the main ...

, 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. Walton 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 belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

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

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

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 and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

by imitating his singing voice on the song's

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

Live performances

Lamar performed "God" live at the

Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valley in the Colora ...

on April 23, 2017. Lamar 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 a ...

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 F ...

– 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 Trap music songs