Maps of Music

God Did (2022)

Where the lyrics of God Did take you, and where it was really made.

God Did debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, yet its Metacritic score of 43 is the lowest of DJ Khaled's career.

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God Did: thirteenth studio album by American DJ and record producer DJ Khaled
Released August 26, 2022 by We the Best Music Group and Epic Records
Follow-up to Khaled Khaled, released a year earlier
Guests include Drake, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend, Kanye West, Eminem, Future, SZA, Travis Scott, and Juice Wrld
Music mainly produced by Khaled himself, with StreetRunner and Tarik Azzouz
Critics noted the maximalist production
Album returns to a more hip-hop-oriented approach

Previous album Khaled Khaled had courted pop prestige with guests such as Justin Bieber and Justin Timberlake
Album thematizes a constant quest to relate to and praise a higher God, who believed in Khaled when others did not
Khaled has openly described himself as a Muslim who habitually prays
Title comes from a self-affirming mantra Khaled frequently uses
Two singles: Staying Alive with Drake and Lil Baby, and Big Time with Future and Lil Baby

Kanye West and Khaled recorded a couple of tracks for the album, but they were never completed
The reason given: West's busy schedule
The Use This Gospel remix with West and Eminem was produced by Dr. Dre

Cover art revealed August 22, 2022
Shows Khaled looking to the sky with a tear on his right cheek, image shot by Lougè
Jay-Z was allowed to choose the cover from two options

Born Khaled Mohammed Khaled on November 26, 1975, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to Palestinian immigrant parents.
Parents were musicians who played Arabic music; he developed an early interest in rap and soul.
Worked at a local Merry-Go-Round record store.

Started DJing in reggae sound clashes in New Orleans and later co-hosted The Luke Show on WEDR 99 Jamz in Miami from 1998.
Worked with Fat Joe's Terror Squad as a DJ and producer.
Debut album Listennn... the Album (2006) debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200.
Breakthrough with "I'm So Hood" (We the Best, 2007) and "All I Do Is Win" (Victory, 2010, triple platinum).
Major label debut We the Best Forever (2011) produced his first Billboard Hot 100 top ten single, "I'm on One".
Albums Major Key (2016), Grateful (2017), and Khaled Khaled (2021) reached number one on the Billboard 200.
Won his first Grammy for "Higher" at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Known for maximalist production, motivational catchphrases, and a strong social media presence.

The album received mixed reviews from critics
Clash called the album "incredibly entertaining" and also called it a "bombastic return from the hip-hop high-roller"
Dani Blum of Pitchfork described the project as a "bogged-down album" in which some of the most appealing melodies and hooks seem more incidental than intentional
Blum judged Khaled unable to use the power of collaboration to push artists beyond their comfort zones, with the title track featuring Jay-Z as the exception
Simon Vozick-Levinson of Rolling Stone called the Jay-Z verse on the title track "a master class in mature lyricism"
Complex wrote that the long-teased verse reminds listeners that Jay-Z is still an exceptional writer

Title track God Did, with Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy, drew the most praise among the album's songs
Clash and other outlets singled out the title track's verse as the album's strongest moment
The album's overall reception stayed far below the chart result

God Did debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart
It earned 107,500 album-equivalent units in its first week, including 9,500 copies in pure album sales
The album earned five nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Album
It was certified Gold by the RIAA on December 4, 2023
On Metacritic, based on 6 reviews, the score of 43 is the lowest of Khaled's career

The album title comes from a self-affirming mantra Khaled frequently uses, announced on July 6, 2022.
Jay-Z was allowed to choose the cover from two options, according to Khaled's interview with Billboard.
Bills Paid is the only all-female track on the album, with samples from Lights, Camera, Action!.
The closing track Grateful shares its name with Khaled's chart-topping tenth studio album.
Asahd and Aalam Cloth Talk is the only song on the album to feature no artists, with Khaled and his sons speaking over a short interlude.
West and Khaled's unfinished tracks were set aside, while the Use This Gospel remix made the final tracklist.