"Follow God" is a song by American rapperKanye West from his ninth studio album,Jesus Is King (2019). The song was produced by West, BoogzDaBeast and Xcelence. The producers wrote it alongside Aaron Butts, though the song'ssampling of work by Whole Truth led to songwriting credits being listed for Calvin and Curtis Eubanks. It was playlisted to UKmainstream radio by theBBC as the album'slead single on November 8, 2019, throughGOOD Music andDef Jam. Around the time of release, the song was the top performing track fromJesus Is King onstreaming services. A religiouship hop track, it includes a sample of "Can You Lose by Following God" by Whole Truth, which ischopped up in certain sections. On February 6, 2021, aDr. Dre remix was leaked from the scrappedJesus Is King II album.
The lyrics of "Follow God" are about Kanye West's connection with his father, which is in reference to bothGod and his biological father Ray West, while the meaning of being "Christlike" is questioned by him. The song received generally positive reviews frommusic critics; many named it the best track onJesus Is King. Critics appreciated the bouncing beat and Whole Truth sample, and complimented West's rapping flow and pace. The song was awarded Top Gospel Song andRap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year at theBillboard Music Awards and51st GMA Dove Awards in 2020, respectively.
Commercially, "Follow God" debuted at number 7 on the USBillboard Hot 100, becoming West's 18th track to reach the top 10 on the chart. The song also reached the top 10 in nine other countries, including Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. It was later certifieddouble platinum and gold in the United States and the United Kingdom by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) andBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI), respectively. The song also received a gold certification in Denmark byIFPI Danmark, while it was awarded this certification in Portugal byAssociação Fonográfica Portuguesa (AFP). An accompanyingmusic video was screened on November 6, 2019, and released the following day. It shows Kanye and Ray West driveATVs in snow inCody, Wyoming. The video concludes with a message from Kanye about his relationship with Ray West. Kanye West performed the song with theSunday Service Choir as part of his Sunday Service concerts in 2019.
West teased the song in 2019 prior to release, including playing it during a listening party forJesus Is King atThe Forum in the County of Los Angeles.
Kanye West produced "Follow God" with Xcelence and BoogzDaBeast, the latter of which is one ofJesus Is King's lesser-known producers who contributed to six of its tracks.[1][2] West previously worked with BoogzDaBeast on the 2018self-titled debut studio album byKids See Ghosts, ahip hop duo composed of West andKid Cudi.[3] The song title was first revealed in a revised track listing ofJesus Is King that West's wifeKim Kardashian shared viaTwitter on September 27, 2019.[4] West later previewed the track at a listening party for the album atThe Forum in the Los Angeles County on October 23 of that year.[5]
The songsamples "Can You Lose By Following God" (1969) bygospel band Whole Truth, which was featured on archival record labelThe Numero Group's 2013 compilation albumGood God! Apocryphal Hymns.[6] Though the album was not confirmed to be the sample source, West had often sampled music released through the archival record label in the past, including on his tracks "Bound 2", "Facts", "Ghost Town", and "4th Dimension".[6] Brothers Calvin and Curtis Eubanks received credit as writers on "Follow God" because they contributed backing vocals to "Can You Lose By Following God".[7][8] The song was co-written by West, Aaron Butts, Xcelence and BoogzDaBeast.[7] "Follow God" was one of the three tracks that caused the release ofJesus Is King to be delayed due tomixing modifications.[9] West collaboratorConsequence explained that the song was important to West due to him being "up against the ghost of" his previous tracks such as "Otis", "Good Morning", "Champion" and "Heard 'Em Say". According to Consequence, "Follow God" had "to go somewhere new" and "be mechanically in tune with the people." Consequence said the song "is a dirty version that got cleaned up," which he and West opted for, believing it was an authentic version that "the people are going to gravitate to".[10] West cited "Follow God" as an example of him creating a track "that people never heard before."[11]
"Follow God" is a hip hop track[15] which features achopped up sample of Whole Truth'ssoul[13][16][17][18] recording "Can You Lose by Following God".[12][14] It was compared to West's earlier releases which used samples,[19] and his 2016 song "Father Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1".[12][20][21] "Follow God" is built around the sample's vocal line, "Father, I stretch/Stretch my hands to You," which begins from the 1:32 mark of the sample.[14][22] It opens with the sample used as a declaration.[12]
The lyrics are about Kanye's connection with his father, although he referencesGod under this connection as well as Ray West.[12] However, the lyrics are not entirely religious, with the song including Kanye West demonstrating faith in himself.[23] It also speaks of disconnecting from negativity related to social media.[12] West begins his verse with lines about struggling to achieve pureness in a world of sin, while in other lyrics he compares himself toJesus Christ andMichael Jordan.[12][24] In "Follow God", West considers what it means to be "Christlike" after an argument with his father.[14][25] The song concludes with West climaxing the argument by recalling the two of them getting angry at each other, accompanied by a scream from him.[12][20]
The phrase "what your life like" is repeatedly used as a question by West and was compared to fellow rapper Shotgun Suge's "What's your life like?" phrase. Suge said the phrase was his slogan and that West should acknowledgebattle rap culture. A writer fromThe Source argued that West used the phrase as "a device for introspective contemplation", while Suge used it to "challenge the authenticity of his opponents".[26]
"Follow God" was released on October 25, 2019, along with West's ninth studio albumJesus Is King, as its third track.[27] On November 5, West chose it as thelead single fromJesus Is King after it became the album's most popular track onstreaming services at the time.[28] The song was playlisted by Britishmainstream radio stationBBC Radio 1 on November 8, 2019.[29] It was later released to radio stations in Italy on November 11, and the United States on November 12, 2019.[28][30]
Alyric video was released for "Follow God" onYouTube on October 26, 2019.[31] On November 1, 2019, West and his gospel group theSunday Service Choir performed the song during a concert at Bethany Rose Church inBaton Rouge, Louisiana.[32] West performed the track during a surprise appearance at fellow rapperTravis Scott's Astroworld Festival in Houston on November 9, 2019.[33] During a Sunday Service Experience performance of the song atJoel Osteen'sLakewood Church on November 17, Westname-dropped American convict Rodney Reed, who Kardashian helped with delaying a court order.[34] West performed the song live as part of a Sunday Service concert in Downtown Los Angeles'Skid Row on December 29, 2019.[35]
"Follow God" was well received by mostmusic critics; a number of them viewed it as the best track onJesus Is King.[nb 1] Writing forEntertainment Weekly, Brian Josephs called the song West's "most palpable post-Life of Pablo thriller," citing his verse as "a surreal stream-of-conscious sprint".[39] Wren Graves ofConsequence of Sound said thesong structure is reminiscent of West's "older tricks" and commented, "It's not just the best beat on the album; it's also Kanye at his most lucid and raw."[25]The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber likened the "focus and ease" of West's flow to that ofWatch the Throne, his 2011 album with fellow rapperJay-Z.[40] Ross Horton ofThe Line of Best Fit regarded the track as "a sickening reminder of how good Ye has been in the past", highlighting its "bulletproof beats, scratchy rapid-fire rapping," and "tight rhymes".[37]
Jordan Bassett ofNME called the song "pounding" and likened its "bouncing beat" to music from West's 2018 albumYe.[36] Neil Z. Yeung fromAllMusic cited the "slapping beat" as amongJesus Is King's "true power" which he felt was in West's "meticulous studio tinkering".[27]Rolling Stone's Brendan Klinkenberg described the Whole Truth sample as "neck-snappingly good" with "the kind of textured punch that, still, only West seems capable of."[41] InThe Independent, Roisin O'Connor appreciated the sample's "cool,funk-inflected" groove, and said the song has "some of West's sharpest bars delivered in a strangelydeadpan style."[38] Dean Van Nguyen ofThe Guardian wrote that the "lean soul sample" recalled West's 2013single "Bound 2",[16] whileChicago Tribune'sGreg Kot commented that it evoked West's earlier music which had a "knack for astutely reviving and recontextualizing snippets of soul 'dusties.'"[17] In a review forClash, Will Rosebury felt the Whole Truth sample complimented the "incredible" song's thumping drums.[18]
Rawiya Kameir ofPitchfork wrote that despiteJesus Is King lacking the vulnerability which made West "a uniquely compelling artist," "Follow God" was an exception because it "prompts consideration, however shallow, of what it means to be 'Christlike.'"[14] In her review of the album, Phoebe Luckhurst of theEvening Standard regarded "Follow God" as "the best of a fairly poor bunch."[42]Exclaim!'s Joey Chini viewed it as the album's "only slapper" and said although being "painfully short", it is "a return to form" for West and "took the record in the right direction".[43] On the other hand, Andrew R. Chow ofTime was critical of West for not developing a metaphor about God, and called the song "a reject" fromGOOD Music presidentPusha T's 2018 albumDaytona.[44]
Complex placed "Follow God" at number 49 in its list of the Top Songs of 2019. Eric Skelton from the publication said the track was a reminder of West's "enduring musical gifts" and its "vintage Ye" production "should please anyone who still pines for a return of the 'old Kanye.'"[45] "Follow God" ranked as Australian radio stationTriple J's 87thmost popular song of 2019.[46] The song was nominated for theBest Gospel/Inspirational Award at the20th BET Awards in 2020, though ultimately lost toKirk Franklin's single "Just for Me" (2019).[47] At the2020Billboard Music Awards, the song won the Top Gospel Song award over fellow album tracks "Closed on Sunday", "On God" and "Selah".[48] The song received a nomination for the award of Top Christian Song at the same ceremony.[48] At the51st GMA Dove Awards in 2020, "Follow God" was awardedRap/Hip Hop Recorded Song of the Year.[49]
Themusic video for the track was directed byJake Schreier and filmed at West's ranch inCody, Wyoming.[50][51] It is the first video that Kanye and Ray West have appeared in together.[52] Kardashian shared a preview of the music video via her Instagram stories on November 6, 2019, although the release date for it was unknown at the time.[53][54] Kanye West rented aBurberry store inNew York the same day for a private screening of the video.[50] The visual was played back multiple times in a room at the store.[52] Fellow rappersTyler, the Creator andASAP Rocky attended the screening.[50] The video was released on YouTube on November 7, 2019; West shared it simultaneously on Twitter.[55][56] "Follow God" became the first song fromJesus Is King to receive a music video.[57][58]
Kanye and Ray West driveATVs throughout the video.
The music video opens with a scene of Kanye and Ray West walking on snow.[59][60] Pastor Kerwin B. Lee delivers a voiceover, asking: "What does it really mean to follow God?".[59] He describes how Kanye and others feel fear when they first walk in the snow from the perspective of God looking at his children.[59] The outfit worn by Kanye consists of an orange hoodie, white vest, brown gloves, and thermal trousers.[61] The Wests drive around inall-terrain vehicles (ATVs) in the music video.[55] After initially driving around in a relatively large ATV, the two of them later change to a larger one for transport and use the vehicle for doingdonuts.[62][63] The Wests are also shown dancing and Kanye mimes his own scream.[51][62] The visual ends with white text displayed over a blue background. The message explains it took Kanye 42 years to realize that his father is his best friend.[51][56]
Craig Jenkins ofVulture wrote that "Follow God" continued a streak from 2011's "Otis" and 2007's "Flashing Lights" as West's "most striking" videos that were also filmed in cars. Jenkins found the setting symbolic for the Wests due to Ray recalling a time when his children never saw snow, and Kanye now owning ranch lands that Ray's grandchildren can call their "backyard".[64]Spin's Tosten Burks said Kanye and Ray's connection in the video made it "one of the more charming things Kanye has released in some time".[65] Thom Waite ofDazed felt it showed that Kanye's relationship with Ray was "running a bit more smoothly" than what the song's lyrics suggested.[51] The music video received over 1.6million views on YouTube following its first 14 hours of release.[66] As of January 2024 the music video has 55 million views.
The song marked West's 18th single to reach the top 10 on the USBillboard Hot 100, tying him withLudacris as the rapper with the fifth-most top-10s.
Following the release ofJesus Is King, "Follow God" debuted at number seven on the USBillboard Hot 100, making it the highest charting track from the album on the chart.[67] It became West's 18th song to reach the top 10 of the chart, and his 8th to debut in the top 10.[68] West tiedLudacris for the fifth-most top 10 singles on the chart among rappers, while also extending his span of top 10s to over 15 years, from 2004 to 2019.[67][69] The track accumulated 34 million streams and sold 8,000 digital copies in its first week, and was present on the chart for six weeks.[68][70]
"Follow God" became West's most successful release on USChristian Songs where it debuted at the top of the chart, endingLauren Daigle's 66-week run at number one with "You Say".[71][72][73] In total, the track remained at the summit of the Christian Songs chart for eight weeks.[74] It topped the USGospel Songs chart, spending 35 weeks at number one before falling to number two on the issue date of July 11, 2020, being replaced by West's own single "Wash Us in the Blood".[72][74] The track also reached the summit of the US Christian Streaming Songs, Christian Digital Song Sales, Gospel Streaming Songs, and Gospel Digital Song Sales charts.[74] On the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the track debuted at number three and remained on the chart for a total of six weeks.[75] On January 10, 2024, the song was certifieddouble platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for track-equivalent sales of 2,000,000 units in the US.[76]
AfterJesus Is King's release, the song was frequently viewed as the album's best track by users of Twitter.[24] According to a number of them, it is the only good track on the album.[24] Pusha T announced his wifeVirginia Williams' pregnancy in afreestyle rap over "Follow God" shared viaInstagram on December 9, 2019.[97] Jay-Z placed the track among a playlist of his favourite songs of 2019, which was uploaded by him toTidal on December 19 of that year.[98] During a round of theprimetimeJeopardy! tournamentJeopardy! The Greatest of All Time on January 15, 2020, hostAlex Trebek gave the clue for a question about West's discography by stating, "'Follow God' and 'Closed on Sunday' are tracks on this 2019 Kanye West album."[99] The contestantsKen Jennings,Brad Rutter andJames Holzhauer failed to correctly answer withJesus Is King.[99] On August 12, 2020,Merrill mayor Derek Woellner endorsedWest's 2020 presidential campaign and admitted that he was voting for him due to West being "the guy that says follow god," while Woellner shared a link to the song's music video as part of his endorsement.[100]
^ab"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 44. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
^ab"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 44. týden 2019 in the date selector. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
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