| "Wash Us in the Blood" | ||||
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| Single byKanye West featuringTravis Scott | ||||
| Released | June 30, 2020 | |||
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| Length | 3:10 | |||
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| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Wash Us in the Blood" onYouTube | ||||
"Wash Us in the Blood" is a song by American rapperKanye West featuring fellow American rapperTravis Scott. It was produced by West,Ronny J, and BoogzDaBeast, while co-produced byFnZ and A.G., with additional production fromDem Jointz and Israel Boyd. The producers wrote the song alongside Travis Scott, Aaron Butts andKayCyy Pluto. The song was released fordigital download andstreaming as a standalonesingle on June 30, 2020, throughGOOD Music andDef Jam. Will Welch teased the song during an interview with West in April 2020.
Anindustrial hip hop song, "Wash Us in the Blood" featureselectro production. The lyrics of the song see West referencingJesus' sacrifice, alongside mentioning subjects such asslavery and genocide. The song received generally positive reviews frommusic critics. Some appreciated it in comparison to West's previous work, though a few critics observed a lack of originality. At the2021Billboard Music Awards, the song won the award of Top Gospel Song.
"Wash Us in the Blood" debuted at number 49 on the USBillboard Hot 100, while it attained top 40 positions in Australia, Greece, and Ireland. An accompanyingArthur Jafa-directedmusic video was released on June 30, 2020. The video makes usage ofsplit-screen presentation, with it including various forms of footage. The music video received mostly positive reviews from critics, who often directed praise towards the combining of clips. However, it was age restricted byYouTube. West performed a version of the song live atNebuchadnezzar in November 2019.
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During anInstagram Live chat with French artistMichèle Lamy on May 22, 2020, American cinematographerArthur Jafa revealed that West had been working on a new track.[1] Jafa continued, telling Lamy that the track was set to be included on West's then-upcoming albumGod's Country and "will be, like, the firstsingle, I guess, off of it."[1] Admitting to not being sure if he was "supposed to not be announcing it or whatever," Jafa said that he "may just be spilling the beans" on the track.[1] West later announced "Wash Us in the Blood" for release viaTwitter on June 29, 2020, alongside sharing a 10-second snippet of it as well as the single's cover art.[2][3] The artwork, designed by Jafa, features a12"picture disc.[4] An alternate cover was used that is a "blood red"7", while the song'scassette is also red.[4][5] American record producerDr. Dre solelymixed "Wash Us in the Blood", after West had announced aremix version of his ninth studio albumJesus Is King (2019) with the record producer, and the song stands as part of the work that they had created together up to June 2020.[5][6] The song was produced by West,Ronny J and BoogzDaBeast, and co-produced by Michael Mule and Isaac DeBoni ofFnZ alongside A.G., while additional production was handled byDem Jointz and Israel Boyd.[7] The producers wrote the song alongside Aaron Butts andKayCyy Pluto.[7]
In November 2019, West premiered hisChristian operaNebuchadnezzar.[8] The opera included West performing "Wash Us in the Blood", which was listed in the setlist that he tweeted out prior toNebuchadnezzar.[8] In April 2020,GQ journalist Will Welch reported that he had heard a playlist of 54 tracks by West while in Mexico with him.[9] Welch commented that the song contrasted with "mellow and sweet" tracks from the playlist, with him comparing itsindustrial sound to West's sixth studio albumYeezus (2013).[9] The lyrics of the song'schorus were also shared by Welch.[9] This interview marked the first time that the song had been mentioned.[2] The song ultimately being released on June 30, 2020 marked West's first solo release sinceJesus Is King in October 2019, and the first release to involve West since hisgospel group theSunday Service Choir's debut studio albumJesus Is Born in December 2019.[10] Before echoing 2017-2021 USpresidentDonald Trump within the song, West had been a known supporter of his.[11]
Musically, "Wash Us in the Blood" is anindustrial hip hop song.[17][18] Specifically, the track's industrial sound received comparisons toYeezus and was noted for being combined withelectronic sounds.[11][14][16] According toThe Guardian, "Wash Us in the Blood" is "aclub anthem."[12] On the other hand, the track was described as sounding "like the child of a nail grating on the chalkboard and apolice siren."[19] The track contains a two-note sirenmotif that is afeedback sound, which has a lowersemitone than the feedback on West's songs "Send It Up" (2013) and "Feedback" (2016).[12] It includes apulse, coming from the feedback sound.[12][13] The track features production reminiscent ofYeezus through its "splinteringelectro-styled beats."[20] Hard-hitting drums are present within the song, alongsideexperimental sounds such as horns andspray cans.[16][21] The track includesbongos before introducing "a thumpingcacophony of quaking beats" as well as industrialsynth lines that are screams, complemented withwhite noise and deepvocal samples.[13] For the opening of the track, West raps "in short, repetitive bursts, drawling the end of his lines," accompanied by a sample of preacher Robert G. Moore Jr, which was contributed by producer Dem Jointz after being sent the record from Dr. Dre.[19][22][23]Travis Scott contributes seven lines to the track through hisauto-tuned vocals in a performance that was interpreted as "characteristically woozy," with his vocals appearing on thebridge and part of the second verse.[13][19][21]
Lyrically, "Wash Us in the Blood" has a religious message; the song imploresGod "to deliver black America from evil" throughJesus' sacrifice while discussing mass incarceration,slavery, genocide, and drug-dealing.[13][15][24] In the chorus of the song, West and Travis Scott plead for theHoly Spirit to come down and "wash us in the blood."[14][15] Within the song, Travis Scott also performsad-libs and criticizescapital punishment.[16][24] West attacksrecord labels for trying to "sign a calm 'Ye" as well as others who do not want him to be himself, though the antagonists are unnamed by West.[13][19] Following on from this, West switches focus by taking aim at the media alongside evoking Trump's criticism offake news.[19][21]
On June 30, 2020, "Wash Us in the Blood" was released fordigital download andstreaming as thelead single fromGod's Country.[5][25] The song was also made available for pre-order via West's website in various physical formats, including a 12-inch vinyl, 7-inch vinyl, cassette, andCD single.[5] In July 2020, West shared a track list for his upcoming tenth studio albumDonda on Twitter, revealing the song to be slated for release on the album at the time.[a][27] However, it was ultimately not included on the album.[28] On November 25, 2019, West performed "Wash Us in the Blood" duringNebuchadnezzar at theHollywood Bowl.[8] For the performance, West served as the narrator and was accompanied by operatic singers, large groups of robed people that occupied the venue's aisle, and a choir.[8] The choir wore matching robes and stood on an elevated structure that was shaped like a horseshoe, and the version of the song performed had the same instrumental as the final version.[8][29]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| The Guardian |  [12] |
| NME |  [13] |
"Wash Us in the Blood" was met with generally positive reviews frommusic critics, with a number of them praising the music. Ben Beaumont-Thomas lauded the song in his review forThe Guardian, hailing it as "one of [West's] most focused and arresting tracks for years" as well as "an intensely potent study of race and faith," while he explained that the motif "gets your blood up."[12] Sam Moore ofNME highlighted the song as "a glorious return to'Yeezus'-era chaos" and added that it "thankfully proves that even 2020's passionately non-secular Kanye isn't done yet with challenging and provoking his listener."[13] Jason Lipshutz fromBillboard described the song as "a return to the boiling anger that made 2013'sYeezus so kinetic," praising West and Travis Scott's "fiery examination of injustice."[30] Craig Jenkins ofVulture viewed the song as a return to form for West as well as "a smoother pairing of West's newfound faith and existing politics," albeit one where he "[recycles] ideas [he's] already perfected elsewhere."[25]Consequence of Sound's Eli Enis commented that the song's sound is "decidedly noisier and more aggressive" in comparison to West's 2019 releases and his eighth studio albumYe (2018), with him noting it being "chock-full of religious themes and motifs."[17]
In a less enthusiastic review,HipHopDX writer Devon Jefferson called the song a "banger" which "appears to be" a return form by West to "the naked and somewhat unassuming eye," though admitted that the song is "more of a mutation of Ye, which we've seen in many forms in recent years."[31] Jefferson elaborated on his viewpoint, stating that "it feels like a veiled attempt at the sort of radical musical advocacy" which West delivered withYeezus, while dubbing the song a "watered down" version of the album's lead single "Black Skinhead" (2013).[31]Complex's Eric Skelton opined that the song "contains many flaws" and "sounds unfinished," but nonetheless concluded that "it's encouraging to hear Kanye experiment on a song" and that "there are moments where he sounds more creatively charged than he has in quite some time."[21] Writing forPitchfork, Hubert Adjei-Kontoh remarked that the song "feels more like a tossed-off sketch than a meticulous portrait," citing its "parodic" social commentary and noting the "woozy, clippy" production of the song.[15] Gavin Haynes ofThe Guardian opined that the song is a "dark, frenetic" track and "has all the commercial potential of aMetal Machine MusicB-sides compilation," likening it to "someone pouring a baby into the bear enclosure."[32]
At the2021Billboard Music Awards, "Wash Us in the Blood" was awarded Top Gospel Song.[33]
On May 25, 2020, Jafa revealed that he had been "really busy" shooting amusic video with West for the lead single fromGod's Country.[1] Prior to the collaboration, Jafa had used West's 2016 track "Ultralight Beam" in his filmLove Is The Message, The Message Is Death that was released the same year.[1] Alongside directing the music video for "Wash Us in the Blood", Jafa designed the single's cover art.[34] West had donated to the families of African-AmericansBreonna Taylor andAhmaud Arbery before using clips of them for the video.[34] It premiered on June 30, 2020 at 10:00 a.m.EDT viaYouTube.[20]
For the opening of the music video, warped faces are displayed while police sirens can be heard.[34] The opening shows apolice officer berating a fellow officer, which appears to be done during aBlack Lives Matter rally.[24] The video usessplit-screen presentation throughout and features footage of West'sSaint Pablo Tour (2016),[34] police brutality,[35] a gospel choir, people with masks on that struggle to breathe, goats,Afrofuturism, Taylor dancing,[36] Arbery soon before his shooting, protests, church services,[37] cars doingdonuts, scenes fromGrand Theft Auto V (2013),computer-generated images of West,[24] imprisoned people, and an unmanned drone.[11] To end the video, the camera zooms in on the face of Kanye's daughter North West as she dances at a rehearsal for the Sunday Service Choir.[24][36] At the same time as her dancing, Kanye West says the chorus of "Wash Us in the Blood", with him doing this after the song's audio has run its full length.[36]
BBC arts editorWill Gompertz gave the music video four stars out of five, asserting that "it is a good film," albeit one inferior to Jafa's earlier work such asLove is the Message, The Message is Death andThe White Album (2018) due to the position of "Wash Us in the Blood" as the visual's most important element.[38]Jon Caramanica ofThe New York Times judged that "Jafa's video collage of trauma and exuberance remains effective here."[39]MTV writer Patrick Hosken dubbed the visual "chaotic," noting that it opens "with police sirens and warped faces and intercut with footage of West's own glitched-out face."[34] However, Adjei-Kontoh panned the "risible" video for juxtaposing clips of Taylor and Arbery with video game footage and viral videos, which he argued denies "the sacred inherent in the very lives the song seeks to praise" and reduces black life "to digital death and instant commodification."[15] Within less than 24 hours of release, the music video had received over a million views on YouTube.[40] Based on the platform's community guidelines, the video was age-restricted.[41]
After three days of tracking, "Wash Us in the Blood" debuted at number 49 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[42] During the tracking period, it received 6.3 million streams and sold 18,000 downloads.[42] The song became West's 108th entry on the Hot 100, bringing him one entry closer to tying with American singerElvis Presley for the 6th most appearances in the chart's history.[42] It lasted for two weeks on the Hot 100.[43]
The song topped the USChristian Songs,Gospel Songs, Christian Streaming Songs, Christian Digital Song Sales, Gospel Streaming Songs and Gospel Digital Song Sales charts at the same time, following on from West's single "Follow God" (2019) as his second track to top all six of the charts and giving Travis Scott his first appearance on the charts. By debuting at the summit of the US Gospel Songs chart, the song ended the single's 35-week run at number one. The song opened atop theDigital Song Sales chart, becoming West's sixth number one on the chart and Travis Scott's second.[42]
In Australia, the song performed best by debuting at number 31 on theARIA Singles Chart, becoming one of three new releases to reach the top 50 for the week of July 13, 2020.[44] "Wash Us in the Blood" experienced similar performance in Ireland, peaking at number 32 on theIrish Singles Chart.[45] It also reached the top 50 in Greece and Lithuania, attaining positions of number 37 and 47 on theGreece International Digital Singles andLithuanian Top 100 charts, respectively.[46][47] On theUK Singles Chart, the song entered at number 69 for the issue dated July 9, 2020.[48] The following week, it rose 18 places to number 51 on the chart.[49] In total, the song remained on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks.[50]
Credits adapted fromYouTube.[7]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | June 30, 2020 | [5] |
