"God Did"
Song by DJ Khaled featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy
from the album God Did
ReleasedAugust 25, 2022
Genre
Length8:21
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • DJ Khaled
  • Fridayy
  • StreetRunner
  • H. Amarr
  • Azzouz

"God Did" is a song by American producer DJ Khaled featuring fellow American musicians Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend, and Fridayy from the former's thirteenth studio album of the same name (2022). The song earned three nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards for Song of the Year, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance.[1]

Background

When DJ Khaled was promoting his album God Did, he publicly thanked Jay-Z for his feature, calling him his idol.[2] Philadelphia producer Fridayy also posted about making the record "in the trenches on a $1000 set up"[3] on Instagram.

Content

"God Did" begins with a spoken intro by DJ Khaled, who addresses the people who did not believe in him. In the first verse, Rick Ross dismisses his haters, hinting that some work for the IRS; then Lil Wayne praises God for making him so influential.[4]

Jay-Z then raps for the next four minutes, detailing his journey from a drug dealer to a successful rapper who has helped build up other Black billionaires,[5] and "dissecting with deceptive complexity the drug war and criminal justice system".[4][6]

Critical reception

The song was met with a generally positive reception from music critics, many of whom praised Jay-Z's verse in particular.

Writing for AllMusic, Andy Kellman commented, "'God Did" starts off with conventional, half-preening/half-motivational Khaled-speak and standard fare from Rick Ross and Lil Wayne." Regarding Jay-Z's feature, he wrote that he "astounds with an extended verse" and raps "not without showing off a bit, emphasizing his high standing by modifying the title to 'Hov did.'", before adding, "The acuity, wit, and virtuosity command rapt attention."[6]

Paul Attard of Slant Magazine wrote a more critical response toward the song, criticizing Khaled's "maximalist approach" to production: "But never has this rung truer than on 'God Did,' where a spry Jay-Z delivering a mellifluous four-minute verse apparently isn't enough for Khaled. He also tacks on Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and John Legend, which bloats the track beyond its breaking point, as you feel every last second of its laborious eight-minute-length drag by."[7]

"Hov Did"

Ari Melber did an in-depth breakdown of Jay-Z's verse on his MSNBC show,[8] drawing positive reactions from LeBron James,[9] who shared Melber's segment on Twitter. Jay-Z broke a Twitter hiatus to respond,[10] and then Jay-Z then released Melber's "acutely detailed dissection" of the verse as a new track, "Hov Did," on streaming music platforms.[11][12] Jay-Z said Melber did an "amazing job" explaining and reporting on the verse, and making people feel "seen."[13][14]

Ben Brutocao of HipHopDX wrote that the song "collects 75 percent of a Rick Ross verse, an excellent Lil Wayne verse, and five or six JAY-Z verses into a rain barrel made of three piano keys, an autotuned chorus made in Fridayy's bedroom and a stodgy drumline that gets so bored over the 8-minute runtime that it only deigns to be there for about 60 percent of it."[15]

Dani Blum of Pitchfork had a mostly favorable reaction toward the song, only directing criticism toward the length of the Jay-Z verse: "'God Did' is an eight-and-a-half-minute exercise in bombast: screeching tires, spiraling electric guitar, the back-to-back steamroll of Rick Ross handing off to Lil Wayne handing off to four straight minutes of Jay-Z. Jay's sprawling verse should be its own track—even the joy of hearing him brag about monogrammed pockets and "pushin' Fenty like fentanyl" wears out eventually—but "God Did" is ambitious, the first time since Khaled's early records that he's reached for actual grandness, instead of empty proclamations of it."[16]

Charts

Chart performance for "God Did"
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] 29
Global 200 (Billboard)[18] 24
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[19] 11
UK Singles (OCC)[20] 50
US Billboard Hot 100[21] 17
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[22] 6

Certifications

Certifications for "God Did"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Grammy Awards 2023: The Full List of Nominees". The New York Times. 2022-11-15. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  2. ^ Marie, Erika (August 26, 2022). "DJ Khaled Suits Up With Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, John Legend, & Fridayy On "God Did" Track". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  3. ^ Marie, Erika (August 29, 2022). "Singer Fridayy Details Recording "In The Trenches" For DJ Khaled's "God Did" Ft. Jay-Z, Lil Wayne & More". HotNewHipHop.
  4. ^ a b Partridge, Ken (August 26, 2022). "DJ Khaled Taps Rick Ross, Lil Wayne & JAY-Z For New Song "GOD DID"". Genius.
  5. ^ "JAY-Z Responds To MSNBC Segment Breaking Down His 4-Minute "God Did" Verse". Okayplayer. 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  6. ^ a b Kellman, Andy (August 26, 2022). "God Did - DJ Khaled". AllMusic.
  7. ^ Attard, Paul (30 August 2022). "DJ Khaled God Did Review: Pure Maximalism for Its Own Sake". Slant Magazine. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  8. ^ America's Failed Drug War Shredded In Epic Jay-Z Verse on "God Did" -- Broken Down by Ari Melber, retrieved 2022-10-06
  9. ^ "JAY-Z Responds To LeBron James' Praise Of 'God Did' Verse Following Ari Melber's Meticulous Breakdown". HipHopDX. 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  10. ^ "Jay-Z Returns to Twitter to Get LeBron James Props for 'God Did' Verse". TMZ. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  11. ^ "JAY-Z Releases Ari Melber's 'GOD DID' MSNBC Breakdown On TIDAL, Spotify & Apple Music". HipHopDX. 2022-09-04. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  12. ^ Conteh, Mankaprr (2022-09-01). "Jay-Z Bites Back at 'Eat the Rich' Rhetoric: 'We're Not Gonna Be Tricked Out of Our Position'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  13. ^ "Ari Melber on Instagram: "understand the intelligence that Jay Z has… audio from @robmarkman discussion on Twitter via @thebeatwithari"". Instagram. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  14. ^ Blake, Cole (2022-09-04). "Jay-Z Releases Ari Melber's Breakdown Of "GOD DID" On Streaming Services". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2022-10-06.
  15. ^ Brutocao, Ben (August 31, 2022). "DJ Khaled 'God Did' Has More to Offer Than Just the Fine Jay-Z Verse". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  16. ^ Blum, Dani (September 7, 2022). "DJ Khaled: God Did Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  17. ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  18. ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  19. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 5, 2022. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  20. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  21. ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  22. ^ "DJ Khaled Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  23. ^ "American single certifications – DJ Khaled – God Did". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
Categories