Selah (Kanye West song)

"Selah" is a song by American recording artist Kanye West, from his ninth studio album Jesus Is King (2019). It was released as the second track on the album, though had originally been slated for release on Yandhi. The song includes samples of "Revelations 19:1" by the Sunday Service Choir. The former received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, who often praised the composition but a few were critical of the lyrical content. West and the Sunday Service Choir performed the song live in November 2019. It was featured in the Super Bowl LIV trailer of the 2021 film, F9.[3]

"Selah"
Song by Kanye West
from the album Jesus Is King
ReleasedOctober 25, 2019 (2019-10-25)
Recorded2018–2019
Genre
Length2:45
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

A rendition of the New Jerusalem Choir's "Revelations 19:1" was released under the same title on Sunday Service Choir's debut studio album, Jesus Is Born (2019). Despite being sampled within "Selah", the former was released two months later. A gospel song, the rendition includes a chorus that features praise for Jesus Christ being delivered by the Sunday Service Choir. It charted at number 17 on the US Billboard Gospel Songs chart in 2020. The rendition has been performed live by the Sunday Service Choir on multiple occasions.

Background and composition

"Selah" later leaked online on October 13, 2019 after being played at multiple listening sessions for Jesus Is King, though the version played was different from the leak.[4] West originally planned to release the song on Yandhi in November 2018, until the album was ultimately shelved.[5] Following on from Ant Clemons' involvement with West as a songwriter for Teyana Taylor's second studio album K.T.S.E. in June 2018, the two didn't see each other again until the fall of that year.[6] Ant Clemons went to Chicago and found himself freestyling in front of others, with the structure of "Selah" being built in his freestyle session.[6] Alongside the song, fellow Jesus Is King tracks "Water" and "Everything We Need" also include vocals from Clemons.[6] The New Jerusalem Choir's director Jeffrey LaValley was amazed that West sampled his work in "Selah".[lower-alpha 3][9]

The song features samples of a rendition of "Revelations 19:1", performed by the American gospel group Sunday Service Choir.[7] The chorus includes hallelujah chants, which are sampled from the rendition.[10][11] Organ chords are also included in the composition of the song, coming before its chorus.[10]

Release and promotion

"Selah" was released on October 25, 2019, as the second track on West's ninth studio album Jesus Is King.[12] West and the Sunday Service Choir performed the song live at Bethany Church in Baton Rouge on November 3.[13] For West's "Sunday Service Experience" on November 17, 2019 at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church, the song was performed by him and the group.[14] During the performance, the line "He saved a wretch like me" was sang off-key by West.[14]

Critical reception

"Selah" was met with mixed to positive reviews from music critics, with general praise for the composition. Rawiya Kameir of Pitchfork noted "the battle drums that propel" the song for echoing "the stark, confrontational attitude of" West's sixth studio album Yeezus (2013).[15] Entertainment Weekly's Brian Josephs praised the song for the Sunday Service Choir going "to awe in the climax."[16] Sam C. Mac of Slant Magazine viewed the Sunday Service Choir as "on hand" for elevating the song, specifically with a "hallelujah" chant "that's augmented by dynamic leaps in octave and by Ye's colossal bursts of percussive, scraping-metal sound effects."[17] In a mixed review, Brendan Klinkenberg of Rolling Stone complemented the composition of it for "lightly affected organs opening to bludgeoning percussion and a crescendoing choir" but criticized West's rapping due to being what "capsizes the vessel" and slammed his lyricism.[18] Ross Horton from The Line of Best Fit branded the song as "a bunch of Bible verses interspersed with barbed, growled snatches of vocal."[19]

Sunday Service Choir version
"Revelations 19:1"
Song by Sunday Service Choir
from the album Jesus Is Born
ReleasedDecember 25, 2019 (2019-12-25)
Recorded2019
GenreGospel
Length5:33
Label
  • INC
Composer(s)
  • Jason White
  • Nikki Grier
  • Stephen A. Hurd
  • Steve Epting

A rendition of the track "Revelations 19:1" by the New Jerusalem Baptist Church Choir was recorded by the Sunday Service Choir under the same title as the original, and the rendition is sampled within "Selah".[7][8] The Sunday Service Choir version of "Revelations 19:1" was released on December 25, 2019, as the third track on the group's debut studio album Jesus Is Born.[20] However, this was two months after the release of "Selah" on Jesus Is King, meaning that the rendition had been sampled prior to release.[12][21] In January 2019, Former West Angeles Church of God in Christ music director Jason White received a call from Ray Romulus of the Stereotypes telling him that West wanted a choir, requesting 100 people for it and to put together a band.[22] Despite being "a little scared" of getting involved with any of West's controversies, White said that he "could see something different about this guy" on the night of first meeting West in rehearsal and he has since served as the Sunday Service Choir's director.[22] White solely arranged the rendition, while he also composed it alongside Nikki Grier, Stephen A. Hurd and Steve Epting.[23]

The rendition is a gospel track, which features the Sunday Service Choir singing for over five minutes.[7] Its chorus sees the group deliver praise for Jesus Christ, including them singing hallelujah repeatedly.[7] The rendition reached number 17 on the US Billboard Gospel Songs chart for the issue date of January 11, 2020.[24] The Sunday Service Choir have regularly performed it live on a weekly basis.[7]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[23]

  • Jason White – arranger, composer
  • Nikki Grier – composer
  • Stephen A. Hurd – composer
  • Steve Epting – composer

Charts

Notes
  1. Credited as co-producer
  2. Credited as additional producer
  3. "Selah" samples "Revelations 19:1" by the Sunday Service Choir, which is a rendition of the recording of the same title by the New Jerusalem Choir.[7][8]

References
  1. Thistlethwaite, Michael (November 20, 2019). "What 'Jesus is King' Should Have Been | 'Selah' – Kanye West". Impact 89FM. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  2. Frank, Allegra (October 25, 2019). "Kanye West's Jesus Is King album and IMAX experience: an unfinished pair". Vox. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  3. ""Selah" Featured In New Fast & Furious 9 Trailer". Syncsite. 2 February 2020. Archived from the original on 15 March 2020.
  4. Navjosh (October 13, 2019). "Two More Kanye West Songs 'Selah' & 'All Dreams Real' Surface Online". HipHop-N-More. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  5. Coscarelli, Joe (September 30, 2019). "Kanye West Teases 'Jesus Is King,' a New Album With No Cursing". The New York Times. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  6. Leight, Elia (October 29, 2019). "Ant Clemons Went From Sleeping on Floors to Singing With Kanye West". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  7. Zidel, Alex (December 27, 2019). "Kanye West's Sunday Service Choir Returns With Hallelujah-Filled "Revelations 19:1"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on April 3, 2020. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  8. Bowler, Paul (October 31, 2019). "'Jesus Is King': The Gospel According To Kanye West". uDiscover. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  9. Ramey, Elisse (November 14, 2019). "Flint gospel musician 'honored' with credit of 1984 song sampled on Kanye's 'Jesus is King' album". ABC 12. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
  10. Nguyen, Dean Van (October 26, 2019). "Kanye West: Jesus Is King review – rap genius can't see the light". The Guardian. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
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  14. Miles, Frank (November 18, 2019). "Kanye West performs free 'Sunday Service Experience' concert at Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church". Fox News. Retrieved November 22, 2019.
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