Believe What I Say

"Believe What I Say"
Single by Kanye West
from the album Donda
ReleasedNovember 30, 2021 (2021-11-30)
RecordedSeptember 2020 – August 2021
Genre
Length4:02
Label
Songwriters
Producers
Kanye West singles chronology
"Life of the Party"
(2021)		 "Believe What I Say" / "Off the Grid"
(2021)		 "Eazy"
(2022)

"Believe What I Say" is a song by the American rapper Kanye West from his tenth studio album, Donda (2021). It features additional vocals from Buju Banton, Dem Jointz, and Stalone, and contains samples of "Doo Wop (That Thing)" by Lauryn Hill. It was serviced to US rhythmic contemporary radio as the album's third single on November 30, 2021 (second promoted to radio formats). West produced the track with Jointz and co-produced it alongside BoogzDaBeast, FnZ, and Ojivolta, with Antman Wonder adding additional production.

The song peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100, also reaching the top 40 in Australia and Canada.

Background

On September 15, 2020, Kanye West posted a series of tweets about his relationship with Universal Music Group.[1] In the tweets, the rapper expressed desire to buy back his master recordings. He went on to leak his full recording contract documents between himself and Universal. He also stated that he is "not putting no more music out until I'm done with my contract with Sony and Universal".[2] The next day, West flew out to Jamaica and recorded music with Buju Banton and Saint Jhn, the former of which features on "Believe What I Say".[3] West later shared a snippet of the song to his X account on September 26,[1] featuring a video of him riding in a boat while out at sea.[4][5]

Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Believe What I Say" is a Hip house[6] song with elements of R&B[7] and soul.[8] It features a prominent of sample of Lauryn Hill's 1998 song "Doo Wop (That Thing)",[4] best heard in the intro, where she says "Yo, yo ... My men and my women"[9] alongside cooing-like vocals.[8] Critics generally considered the track to be uptempo,[8][10] usually attributing this to the sample.[8] It follows a four on the floor kick rhythm with minimal percussion and a bassline,[11][12] which contrasts the "dusty"-sounding boom bap drums used on "Doo Wop (That Thing)".[11]

The lyrics to "Believe What I Say" are focused on West reminding himself to not be dragged down by his fame.[8] In the opening verse, West asserts that an individual needs "something unexpected" in the form of a "weapon", noting that they can ask a "him" to feel protected and actually feel it. West later clarifies that he does not support the "message" or "methods" of an unnamed third party.[4][13] He references his estranged relationship with ex-wife Kim Kardashian,[14][15] rapping that he is going through "celebrity drama that only Brad [Pitt]'ll know",[9][15] seemingly in reference to Pitt's highly publicized divorce from actress Angelina Jolie.[15] West furthers this by telling Kardashian that he "never questioned" her wants and gave her "everything" she asked for.[15]

Promotion and release

"Believe What I Say" was first previewed in full on August 26, 2021 at the Donda listening event at Soldier Field.[16] The album was released onto streaming services three days later through GOOD Music, distributed by Def Jam,[17][18] with "Believe What I Say" as its tenth track,[18] though West claimed that he did not approve the release beforehand.[17] On November 30, the song was serviced to US rhythmic contemporary radio as the album's third single overall,[19] and was accompanied by the urban contemporary single "Off the Grid".[20]

On September 9, composer Antman Wonder, who was initially uncredited on the song, posted an older version of it, claiming that he had composed the outro and that West had not properly credited his and several other artists's contributions to Donda.[21][22] The credits were later updated to include him.[18]

Credits and personnel

  • Kanye West – production, vocals, songwriting
  • Dem Jointz – production, additional vocals, record engineering, songwriting
  • Buju Banton – additional vocals, songwriting
  • BoogzDaBeast – co-production, songwriting
  • FnZ – co-production, songwriting
  • Ojivolta – co-production, songwriting
  • Antman Wonder – additional production, songwriting
  • Stalone – additional vocals, songwriting
  • Irko – mix engineering, master engineering
  • Devon Wilson – record engineering
  • Mikalai Skrobat – record engineering
  • Josh Berg – record engineering
  • Preston Reid – record engineering
  • Louis Bell – vocal editing
  • Patrick Hundley – vocal editing

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Believe What I Say"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[35] Gold 15,000‡
United States (RIAA)[36] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 Yoo, Noah (September 26, 2020). "Kanye West Previews New Song "Believe What I Say": Listen". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  2. ↑ Sodomsky, Sam (September 16, 2020). "Kanye Tweets Out Alleged Record Contracts Amid Dispute With Label". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  3. ↑ Skelton, Eric (November 17, 2020). "The World Is Finally Ready For SAINt JHN". Complex. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 Peters, Mitchell (September 26, 2020). "Kanye West Teases New Song 'Believe What I Say': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  5. ↑ Gonik, Michael (September 26, 2020). "Hear Kanye Sample Ms. Lauryn Hill in Preview of New Song". Okayplayer. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  6. ↑ Jenkins, Craig (September 2, 2021). "Kanye West 'Donda' Album Review". Vulture. Archived from the original on September 4, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  7. ↑ 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.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Hobbs, Thomas (August 30, 2021). "Kanye West: Donda Review - Misfiring lyricism from a diminished figure". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 30, 2021. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  9. 1 2 Ahmed, Insanul (August 30, 2021). "Kanye West's "Believe What I Say" Flips A Sample Of Lauryn Hill's "Doo Wop (That Thing)"". Genius. Archived from the original on February 25, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  10. ↑ 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 August 21, 2026.
  11. 1 2 D., Dre (February 28, 2024). "Kanye West Samples Lauryn Hill Classic In New Snippet "Believe What I Say"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  12. ↑ Willman, Chris (August 30, 2021). "Kanye West Obsesses About Jesus, Kim, His Mother, Himself and Drake in Overstuffed, Fascinating 'Donda': Album Review". Variety. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  13. ↑ Gallagher, Alex (September 28, 2020). "Listen To A Snippet Of Kanye West's New Lauryn Hill-Sampling Song 'Believe What I Say'". Music Feeds. Archived from the original on April 25, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  14. ↑ Pearson, Ryan (August 31, 2021). "Review: A revival for Kanye West on divorce album 'Donda'". AP News. Archived from the original on July 29, 2025. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  15. 1 2 3 4 White, Adam (August 29, 2021). "Kanye West appears to diss Kim Kardashian and her 'family secrets' on new album Donda". The Independent. Archived from the original on February 4, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  16. ↑ Sanders, Danielle (August 27, 2021). "Kanye Comes Home for the Third "Donda" Album Experience". Chicago Defender. Archived from the original on March 4, 2024. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  17. 1 2 Lavin, Will (August 29, 2021). "Kanye West claims Universal put 'Donda' out without his approval". NME. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  18. 1 2 3 Believe What I Say by Kanye West on Apple Music, August 29, 2021, archived from the original on August 10, 2026, retrieved August 21, 2026
  19. ↑ "Top 40/Rhythmic-Crossover Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on November 23, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Urban/R&B Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  21. ↑ Eustice, Kyle (September 9, 2021). "Grammy Award-Winning Composer Claims Kanye West Snubbed Several 'Donda' Credits – Including His". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  22. ↑ Robinson, Joshua (September 10, 2021). "Grammy-Winning Composer Blasts Kanye West For Not Crediting Him On "Donda"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on October 19, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
  23. ↑ "Kanye West – Believe What I Say". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Kanye West – Believe What I Say" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  27. ↑ "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.
  28. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Christian Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Gospel Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  32. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  33. ↑ "Hot Christian Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Hot Gospel Songs – Year-End 2021". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 2, 2021. Retrieved December 20, 2021.
  35. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Kanye West – Believe What I Say". Radioscope. Retrieved April 10, 2026. Type Believe What I Say in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  36. ↑ "American single certifications – Kanye West – Believe What I Say". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
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