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Jonah (Kanye West song)

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"Jonah"
Song by Kanye West featuring Lil Durk and Vory
from the album Donda
ReleasedAugust 29, 2021 (2021-08-29)
Recorded2020–2021
Length3:15
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Jonah" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his tenth studio album Donda (2021). The song features fellow American rappers Vory and Lil Durk (marking their first collaborations with West) along with additional background vocals from frequent collaborator Ty Dolla $ign. It peaked at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and made the top ten on the Billboard Christian Songs and Gospel Songs charts.

Background

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West announced a release date of July 24, 2020 and posted a track listing for the album.[1] "Jonah" began as a solo Vory track dedicated to Jonah Ware, a rapper from Louisville who was fatally shot and killed on August 8, 2020.[2][3] Vory posted a snippet of the song on his Instagram on August 17, 2020. The song was first played at the Donda Mercedes-Benz Stadium listening party on July 23, 2021, with no vocals from West.[4] The subsequent second listening party on August 5, 2021, at the same stadium premiered West's verse on the track.

Summary

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"Jonah", the seventh track off of Donda, the album that saw the reunification of Jay-Z and Kanye, begins with Lil Durk celebrating that moment, but then lamenting "I lost my brother when we was millionaires / I wasn't scared to die, but him, that was my biggest fear."[5] Kanye West is seen as connecting his issues to God's mysterious behavior throughout the album.[6][7] "Jonah" sees Kanye rapping about his relationship with God,[8] alongside fellow rappers Vory and Lil Durk opening up about their pain of losing friends and family members, respectively.[9] Durk's verse is dedicated to his brother, DThang, who was murdered in 2021.[10] The Guardian said in a review of the song that Lil Durk powerfully references a nephew and a niece now without a father, and goes on to say that "West clearly inspires frank admissions from all of the featured artists on Donda, who treat him like a priest they’ve visited for a group therapy session."[10]

The song paints a portrait of isolation, abandonment, and being in need with lyrics such as "Who's there when I need a shoulder to lean on?" and "I hope you're here when I need the demons to be gone."[11][12]

Reception

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Donda was one of the most discussed albums of 2021, and likewise many there have been many reviews of "Jonah". The theme of the song, loneliness and isolation, has been noted as being particularly well portrayed, making the song easily relatable.[13] Charlie Recchia of The Maneater called the song "an emotionally devastating track that discusses fighting inner demons and how lonely that process can be, even if you are a star" and said that "the ghostly hook on this song always gives me chills."[14] A Gigwise reviewer called the track "perfectly serviceable Ye cuts that follow the cookie cutter pattern of interesting features and Yeezy rapping about his relationship with God."[15]

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from Spotify.[16]

  • Kanye West – writer, producer, performer
  • Lil Durk – writer, producer
  • Michael Suski – writer
  • Mike Dean – writer, producer
  • Tahrence Brown – writer
  • Vory – writer
  • Wheezy – writer, producer
  • DrtWrk – producer
  • Audi – producer

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ Blistein, Jon (July 21, 2020). "Kanye West Shares Release Date, Track List for New Album 'Donda'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  2. ^ Gazaway, Charles (8 August 2020). "Local recording artist identified as victim shot, killed in Chickasaw neighborhood". Wave3. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Jonah by Kanye West". Songfacts. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  4. ^ Lewczyk, Maria (23 July 2021). "On the scene at Kanye West's 'DONDA' playback in Atlanta: "It feels cathartic"". NME. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  5. ^ "The Best Features on Kanye West's 'Donda,' Ranked". Complex. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  6. ^ Dwyer, Michael (August 30, 2021). "Kanye West redefines idea of 'the album' – but was Donda worth the wait?". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  7. ^ "Who is Jonah? Kanye West's DONDA explores Bible's story of forgiveness". The Focus. 2021-08-29. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  8. ^ Brock, Charlie (August 29, 2021). "Album Review: Kanye West - Donda". Gigwise. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  9. ^ Wood, Mikael (August 31, 2021). "Review: Kanye West reeks of desperation on dispiriting, exhausting 'Donda'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Kanye West: Donda review – misfiring lyricism from a diminished figure". the Guardian. 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  11. ^ "Kanye West's 'Donds' : the NME review". NME. 2021-08-29. Retrieved 2021-09-25.
  12. ^ "Kanye West – Jonah Lyrics". The West News. 2021-08-29. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  13. ^ Velasquez, Angelina (17 September 2021). "No track left behind! "Donda" by Kanye West has finally dropped". The Scarlet. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  14. ^ "Kanye West's long awaited 10th album feels like a beautiful raging fire that West started, but cannot fully control | The Maneater". themaneater.com. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  15. ^ "Album Review: Kanye West - DONDA | Gigwise". www.gigwise.com. Retrieved 2022-03-12.
  16. ^ "Credits / Donda / Kanye West". Retrieved 23 September 2021 – via Spotify.
  17. ^ "Kanye West – Jonah". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  18. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  19. ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 35, 2021". Hitlisten. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  20. ^ "Kanye West – Jonah" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  21. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2021.
  22. ^ "Tónlistinn – Lög – Vika 35 – 2021" (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on September 6, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  23. ^ "2021 35-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  24. ^ "Kanye West – Jonah". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  25. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 35. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  26. ^ "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 100: 27/08/2021 to 02/09/2021". The Official South African Charts. Archived from the original on September 9, 2021. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  27. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 35". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  28. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  29. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 27, 2021.
  30. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Gospel Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  31. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  32. ^ "Hot Christian Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  33. ^ "Hot Gospel Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
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