It’s the waning days of summer, as blockbuster season gives way to low-expectations season. But DJ Khaled is sliding under the closing door like Indiana Jones to give us God Did, his thirteenth (13th!) solo album. The producer-executive-social media personality-professional yeller’s latest LP fits his trend of high-sheen, big budget releases, featuring a guest list full of bankable stars (Jay-Z, Drake, Eminem, Future), and exciting new talents (Skillibeng, Latto, Nardo Wick).
As presaged by its advance single, “Staying Alive”—the lukewarm Drake and Lil Baby collaboration that interpolates the Bee Gees’ Saturday Night Fever hit—God Did is an album that continually swings for the fences, aiming for viral moments, radio hits, and street credibility all at once.
Here are the big moments that have people buzzing, including a sprawling Jay-Z verse, an inspired turn from 21 Savage, and a truly outside the box ‘80s sample.
Jay-Z wants us to know he’s rich and has made others rich, too.
Jay-Z is 52, worth over a billion dollars, and has an extremely prosperous life. He doesn’t need to keep rapping, so when he does step into the booth, it always grabs the attention of the hip-hop community at large.
His verse on the album’s title track is the equivalent of an NBA offense clearing out for a superstar, as he raps 80 bars to close out “God Did.” Certain phrases already have the internet buzzing, including one where he raps about his 10-figure family tree: “How many billionaires can come from Hov crib? / I count three, me, Ye and Rih / Bron’s a Roc boy, so four, technically.” The verse also cleverly juxtaposes Jay’s Brooklyn hustler origins with the way drug culture has changed. ”Now the weed in stores, can you believe this, Ty?” he jokes.
There are a few clunker lines, chiefly one where he compares the sale of Rihanna’s Fenty clothing line to fentanyl, but it’s an expansive verse that allows Jay to brag about his corporate prowess as only he can. Or, as he puts it, “We just corner boys with the corner office.”
A three-year old Juice WRLD collaboration finally sees the light of day.
Juice WRLD’s “Another One” was first previewed more than three years ago, without a direct contribution from Khaled, but with several references to him and his signature catchphrases. Though it subsequently leaked, the song has finally gotten an official release as “Juice WRLD Did.”
Produced by Juice’s regular collaborators Nick Mira and DT, it instantly stands out on the God Did tracklist. It’s a catchy song, proof of the rapper’s hook-writing prowess and penchant for peppering his verses with recognizable pop culture references.
“Juice WRLD Did” doesn’t mesh effortlessly with the other songs on Khaled’s album, but he has said that Lil Bibby randomly sent it to him and he felt compelled to include it. Either way, it’s enjoyable to hear the voice of a truly talented artist gone too soon.
Latto continues to effortlessly put her own stamp on classics.
