| "I'm God" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Single cover art on streaming services, taken fromPerdues dans New York (1989) | ||||
| Instrumental byClams Casino andImogen Heap | ||||
| B-side | "I'm the Devil" (vinyl) | |||
| Released | 2011 (unofficial) April 24, 2020 (2020-04-24) (official) | |||
| Recorded | c. April 2009 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:37 | |||
| Label | Clams Casino Productions | |||
| Songwriters | Michael Volpe, Imogen Heap | |||
| Producer | Clams Casino | |||
| Clams Casino chronology | ||||
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| Imogen Heap chronology | ||||
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| Official audio | ||||
| "I'm God" onYouTube | ||||
"I'm God" is aninstrumental song by the American producer Michael Volpe, known professionally asClams Casino, and the British singerImogen Heap. Volpe created "I'm God" in 2009 by sampling Heap's song "Just for Now" (2005), after learning of her through a friend. Volpe sent the track to American rapperLil B; the instrumental is featured on a song of the same name on Lil B's second mixtape,6 Kiss (2009), containing his vocals. Volpe self-released "I'm God" in 2011 and, in 2012, it appeared on hisInstrumentals 2 mixtape. Following years of unsuccessful attempts to clear the sample usage, it was officially released on streaming on April 24, 2020, appearing on Volpe'sInstrumental Relics compilation.
Acloud rap song, "I'm God" is noted for its ethereal and dream-like aspects. It received acult following on the Internet, being unofficially reuploaded by fans to social media, including in the form of a music video that incorporates clips from the French filmPerdues dans New York (1989). "I'm God" went on to be influential to the cloud rap genre. It was certified gold in the United States by theRecording Industry Association of America. An official mashup withASAP Rocky's song "Demons", titled "I Smoked Away My Brain", was released in 2023; it entered numerous charts and received multiple certifications.
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Michael Volpe, known professionally asClams Casino, is an American music producer. He started publishing music seriously in late 2007; at the time, Volpe was using the social networkMySpace to contact artists and rappers, sending freeinstrumentals to them. As he was a big fan ofthe Pack, he decided to contact one of its rappers,Lil B.[1] They first met in September 2008 via MySpace, and Volpe later obtained Lil B's e-mail address.[2]
"I'm God" was produced around April 2009.[3][4] The tracksamples "Just for Now" (2005), a song by British singerImogen Heap. Volpe was introduced to Heap's music by a friend, who also suggested a song for Volpe to sample. He went through other tracks of Heap's and discovered "Just for Now".[4][5] Volpe liked Heap's voice on the track and created different beats with it, including "I'm God".[5] Another beat he created was "I'm the Devil", which samples "Just for Now" but in reverse.[6]
Volpe was indifferent to "I'm God" at first and did not see it as unusual or important.[1][4] He sent the instrumental to different artists, including Lil B, who, according to Volpe, "freaked out".[3][4][5] Lil B then recorded vocals over it,[3] and the final result appeared on his second mixtape,6 Kiss, which was released on December 22, 2009.[7] Lil B later showed the "I'm God" instrumental toSoulja Boy, who also rapped over it in his song "2 Milli" (2010).[8]
In 2011, the "I'm God" instrumental was unofficially released by Volpe onZippyshare andTwitter;[1][3][4] the next year, it appeared on hisInstrumentals 2 mixtape.[9] Originally, Volpe did not consider the need to get official permission to use the "Just for Now" sample; he was not focused on earning money from his work, but simply on sharing free tracks on social media for enjoyment.[1][4] In the following years, Volpe tried to have the sample cleared for an official release, but encountered issues as "Just for Now" had been released through a major label.[1] Although Volpe's and Heap's teams were having trouble with the sample clearage, Volpe said that Heap was interested as long as she was credited, and she enjoyed "I'm God".[4] In 2019, Heap's team indicated they were open to an official release.[4] On April 24, 2020, the song was officially released on streaming as part of Volpe'sInstrumental Relics mixtape following his acquisition of the rights to sample "Just for Now", with Heap receiving credit alongside him.[3][10] The song was released on streaming through Clams Casino Productions,[11] and a 7-inchvinyl with "I'm the Devil" as theB-side was released through Second City Prints.[12]
"I'm God" is an instrumental song in thecloud rap genre.[3] Volpe's production was described as dream-like and delicate byThe Guardian's writers,[13] while aMusicRadar writer said that it was "sultry" and relaxed.[14]Rolling Stone's Mosi Reeves called it "amniotic".[17] In the context of Lil B's version, Randall Roberts ofLos Angeles Times felt that Volpe made "I'm God" "sound as freaky as the rapper is chaotic".[18]Pitchfork writer Nadine Smith said that the song "decays and disintegrates inside your eardrum", being innovative and ethereal.[10]Vice's Dhruva Balram described the instrumental as "psychedelic",[3] while Smith thought that the drum programming resembledboom bap more thantrap.[10] Paul Simpson ofAllMusic described the drums as "sludgy".[16]
"I'm God" extensively samples a stretched-out version of Imogen Heap's "Just for Now".[3] Her vocals were edited to be of a "floating, angelic quality", according to Steve Shaw ofFact,[9] whileComplex's Craig Jenkins characterized the vocals as spectral, accompanied by soft bass and muted drums.[7]Jon Caramanica ofThe New York Times wrote that the song makes Heap sound more desolate than in her solo work.[15] Simpson said that the vocals brought a deep, cavernous feel, and noted that they were rearranged with a meticulousness akin toPhilip Glass.[16] Smith described the sample as "unforgettable",[10] while Reeves called it creative.[17]
Multiple writers have described the "I'm God" instrumental as highly influential to the cloud rap genre.[b] Katie Cunningham ofRed Bull described it as the genre's "seminal track",[1] whileVice's Balram said that the track was generally regarded as cloud rap's birth.[3] Schube ofComplex described it as "a brilliant and stunning landmark" of the genre,[4] while Kyle Garb, writing for the same magazine, considered it a key track from thewitch house era.[19]Spin named "I'm God" the seventh best track of 2011.[20] In 2012,NME wrote that it was "conceivably the most gorgeous backing track of the decade".[21] In 2013,Complex's Craig Jenkins called it one of the "25 best rap beats of the last 5 years" and said that it stands out as the opening track of Volpe's discography, which was by then full of "majestic, oceanic production work".[7] ReviewingInstrumental Relics (2020), Smith ofPitchfork described "I'm God" as "the definitive Clams Casino recording".[10] Like the instrumental, Lil B's version is also considered an important and influential cloud rap song,[1][14][22] withRolling Stone ranking it as the 37th bestWest Coast hip-hop song of all time.[17]
"I'm God" was one of the first known productions by Volpe,[7][23] and received acult following on the Internet.[1][3][4] By 2011, the song had inspired people to create tracks sampling "Just for Now" and to recreate the "I'm God" instrumental when it still was not available.[5] Smith said that when the instrumental was released unofficially that year, it was "instantly iconic, immediately imitated, and impossible to recreate".[10] "I'm God" was shared on file-sharing services and unofficially uploaded toYouTube,SoundCloud and other social media by fans, becoming viral.[1][3] Cunningham called it one of the most expansive hits from hip-hop's blogosphere era, which captured the interest of every Internet user with a craving for new sounds when it was unofficially released in 2011.[1] Schube ofComplex said that the track had been "pseudo-viral for a number of years" by 2016.[4] In 2024, it was certified gold in the United States by theRecording Industry Association of America, with 500,000certified units.[24]
An unofficial music video for "I'm God", which uses clips from the French filmPerdues dans New York (1989), became synonymous with the track. Uploaded to YouTube before the song's official release, it had 25 million views by May 2020.[3] Its comment section contains users mourning the death of people close to them.[1][3] Balram ofVice said that "I'm God" has been associated with "stories of hope and recovery",[3] with Internet users describing the song's impact while they haddepression;[3] Cunningham said that the song "resonated really deeply" with multiple people.[1] According to Balram, the song received a cult following in part because of its association with two suicide stories: Billy Watts, who had posted the song to hisInstagram account weeks before his death, and David Higgs, who referred to the song in an apparent suicide note posted to4chan—although it is unconfirmed that he died.[3] The unofficial music video's title was updated as a tribute to Watts and Higgs.[3]
Adapted from the 7" vinyl liner notes.[12]
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[26] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[24] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| "I Smoked Away My Brain (I'm God x Demons Mashup)" | |
|---|---|
| Single byASAP Rocky featuringImogen Heap andClams Casino | |
| Released | August 18, 2023 (2023-08-18) |
| Length | 3:12 |
| Label | ASAP Rocky Recordings |
| Songwriters |
|
| Producer | Clams Casino |
| Official audio | |
| "I Smoked Away My Brain (I'm God x Demons Mashup)" onYouTube | |
"I Smoked Away My Brain (I'm God x Demons Mashup)" is amashup between "I'm God" and American rapperASAP Rocky's "Demons", from his debut mixtapeLive. Love. ASAP (2011). It was officially released on August 18, 2023. It charted onBillboard'sBubbling Under Hot 100,Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, andCanadian Hot 100, while also entering theNZ Hot Singles Chart and theUK Singles Chart. It was certified platinum byRecorded Music NZ, gold by theBritish Phonographic Industry, and double platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America.
| Chart (2023–24) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBubbling Under Hot 100 (Billboard)[27] | 13 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[28] | 35 |
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[29] | 98 |
| New Zealand (NZ Hot Singles Chart)[30] | 10 |
| UK Singles Chart (OCC)[31] | 80 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[32] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[33] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[34] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||