"Yah"
Song by Kendrick Lamar
from the album Damn
Recorded2017
StudioJungle City
Genre
Length2:40
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"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),[2] 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).[3][4][5]

Lyrics

The song shows Lamar expressing his inner thoughts, a subject he rarely touches upon in interviews.[6]

In the lyrics, Lamar calls out Fox News' reporter Geraldo Rivera, who criticized Lamar's performance of "Alright" at the BET Awards 2015.[4][6][7]

The song makes multiple references to religion, a theme Lamar would reference multiple times throughout Damn.[4][8] Lamar specifically references the Book of Deuteronomy, the fifth book from the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament.[4][9] 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.[6][10][11] A voicemail snippet from Carl appears in the song "Fear", also from Damn,[12] during which he espouses the beliefs of the Hebrew Israelite group where he is a member.[13][14] At one point, Lamar raps "I'm a Israelite, don't call me black no mo'," which is a clear reference to Black Israelism.[15]

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.[9]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the official Damn digital booklet.[1]

Charts

Chart (2017) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[16] 67
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] 27
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[18] 79
France (SNEP)[19] 96
Germany (Official German Charts)[20] 100
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 29
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[22] 100
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[23] 30
Portugal (AFP)[24] 24
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[25] 39
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[26] 69
UK Singles (OCC)[27] 45
US Billboard Hot 100[28] 32
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[29] 18

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[30] Gold 35,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[31] Platinum 80,000‡
United States (RIAA)[32] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b "Digital Booklet - DAMN. copy.pdf". DocDroid. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  2. ^ India, Lindsey (December 8, 2017). "Kendrick Lamar Surprises Fans With 'Damn.' Collector's Edition". XXL. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  3. ^ "The Hebrew Name for God - YHVH". www.hebrew4christians.com. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d Kendrick Lamar – YAH., retrieved April 24, 2017
  5. ^ "Review: Kendrick Lamar's new album is out, and God DAMN, it is good". Firstpost. April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  6. ^ a b c Tardio, Andres (April 20, 2017). "14 Times Kendrick Lamar Made Us Say 'DAMN.' on His Album". Rap-Up. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  7. ^ "Kendrick Lamar's 'Damn.': A Track-by-Track Guide". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  8. ^ "Kendrick Lamar's 'DAMN.': A track-by-track instant review". USA Today. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  9. ^ a b "10 Songs That Influenced Kendrick Lamar's DAMN". Spin. April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  10. ^ "Kendrick Lamar: Making Sense of His World, One Bible Verse at a Time". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  11. ^ "On DAMN., Kendrick Lamar Is Both Pious And Imperfect". The Fader. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  12. ^ "Is Rapper Kendrick Lamar A Hebrew Israelite — Like Amar'e Stoudemire?". The Forward. Retrieved April 24, 2017.
  13. ^ "Inside The Hebrew Israelite Movement That's Inspiring Kendrick Lamar & Kodak Black". Genius. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  14. ^ "How Kendrick Lamar Was 'Blown Away' By Hebrew Israelite Beliefs". The Forward. Retrieved September 20, 2017.
  15. ^ Shreve, Grant (2018-05-07). "Kendrick Lamar and Black Israelism". JSTOR Daily. Archived from the original on 2018-05-11.
  16. ^ "Kendrick Lamar – Yah." (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  17. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  18. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201716 into search. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  19. ^ "Kendrick Lamar – Yah." (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  20. ^ "Kendrick Lamar – Yah." (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 1, 2017.
  21. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
  22. ^ "Kendrick Lamar – Yah." (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  23. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 1, 2017. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  24. ^ "Kendrick Lamar – Yah.". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  25. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201716 into search. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  26. ^ "Kendrick Lamar – Yah.". Singles Top 100. Retrieved October 24, 2017.
  27. ^ "Kendrick Lamar: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  28. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  29. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  30. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  31. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Kendrick Lamar – Yah". Music Canada. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  32. ^ "American single certifications – Kendrick Lamar – Yah". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
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