I'm God

2020 track by Clams Casino and Imogen Heap

"I'm God"
The face of a woman wearing a white mask. Black bars appear at the top and the bottom due to letterboxing.
Single cover art on streaming services, taken from Perdues dans New York (1989)
Instrumental by Clams Casino and Imogen Heap
from the album Instrumental Relics
B-side"I'm the Devil" (vinyl)
Released2011 (unofficial)
April 24, 2020 (2020-04-24) (official)
RecordedApril 2009
GenreCloud rap, witch house
Length4:37
LabelClams Casino Productions
Songwriter(s)Michael Volpe, Imogen Heap
Producer(s)Michael Volpe
Clams Casino chronology
"I'm the Devil"
(2020) 		"I'm God"
(2020) 		"Haunt"
(2021)
Imogen Heap chronology
"The Quiet"
(2019) 		"I'm God"
(2020) 		"Phase and Flow"
(2020)
Official audio
I'm God on YouTube

"I'm God" is an instrumental track by American producer Clams Casino and British singer Imogen Heap, released officially on April 24, 2020, through Clams Casino Productions. Clams Casino, real name Michael Volpe, created "I'm God" by sampling Heap's song "Just for Now" (2005), after learning of her through a friend. Volpe then sent the track to American rapper Lil B, who rapped over it. The final result appeared on Lil B's debut album, 6 Kiss (2009).

Volpe released "I'm God" unofficially in 2011 and again in 2012 as part of the Instrumentals 2 mixtape. Following years of unsuccessful attempts to clear the sample usage, it received an official release in 2020 as part of Volpe's Instrumental Relics compilation. A cloud rap song, "I'm God" is noted for its ethereal and dream-like aspects. It received a cult following on the Internet, being unofficially reuploaded by fans, including in the form of a music video that incorporates clips from the French film Perdues dans New York (1989). "I'm God" is considered a highly influential cloud rap instrumental.

Background and release

A woman holding a MIDI keyboard
Clams Casino sampled "Just for Now", a song by Imogen Heap (pictured in 2010).

Clams Casino, real name Michael Volpe, became serious about music production in late 2007, when he started publishing his songs online. Volpe was using MySpace to contact artists and rappers, sending free beats to them. As he was a "super fan" of the Pack, he decided to reach out to one of its rappers, Lil B.[1] Their first interaction was around September 2008 via MySpace, and Volpe later obtained Lil B's e-mail address.[2]

"I'm God" was produced around April 2009.[3][4] The track samples "Just for Now" (2005), a song by British singer Imogen Heap. Volpe discovered her through a friend, who sent him a song for Volpe to sample. While not managing to do it for that song, he went through other tracks of Heap's and discovered "Just for Now". Volpe liked Heap's voice on the track and created different beats with it, including "I'm God". The sample is Volpe's favorite aspect of the song.[5]

Volpe said he did not find "I'm God" unusual or important and was indifferent to it at first.[1][4] He sent the instrumental to different artists; the first person to have a positive reaction to the song was Lil B, who, according to Volpe, "freaked out".[a] Lil B then recorded his vocals over it.[3] The final result appeared on Lil B's debut solo studio album, 6 Kiss, released on December 22, 2009. This was his first ever collaboration.[6] Lil B later showed the "I'm God" instrumental to Soulja Boy, who also rapped over it in his song "2 Milli" (2010).[7]

In 2011, the "I'm God" instrumental was unofficially released by Volpe on Zippyshare and Twitter.[1][3][4] The next year, it appeared on his Instrumentals 2 mixtape.[8] Initially, Volpe did not think of clearing the usage of the "Just for Now" sample, as he was not "thinking about the business side" and he did not expect to "make money off of anything", as he was just uploading free tracks on social media for fun.[1][4] As the years went by, Volpe tried to have the sample cleared for an official release, but encountered issues as many people were involved, since "Just for Now" had been released through a major label.[1] Although Volpe's and Heap's teams were having trouble with the sample clearage, Volpe said that Heap was "into it" as long as she was credited, and said she enjoyed "I'm God".[4] In 2019, Heap's team opened up to an official release.[4] On April 24, 2020, the song received an official release as part of Volpe's Instrumental Relics mixtape after he got the rights to sample "Just for Now". Heap is credited alongside him.[3][9] The song was released on streaming through Clams Casino Productions.[10] A 7" vinyl with "I'm the Devil" was released through Second City Prints.[11]

Composition

"I'm God"
Multiple critics and journalists highlighted the song's ethereal and dream-like aspects.[b]
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"I'm God" is an instrumental cloud rap song.[3] Volpe's production was described as dream-like and delicate by The Guardian,[12] while MusicRadar said it was "sultry" and relaxed.[13] In the context of Lil B's version of the track, Randall Roberts of Los Angeles Times felt that Volpe made "I'm God" "sound as freaky as the rapper is chaotic".[16] Pitchfork writer Nadine Smith said the song "decays and disintegrates inside your eardrum", being innovative and ethereal.[9] Vice's Dhruva Balram described the instrumental as "psychedelic",[3] while Smith thought the drum programming resembled boom bap more than trap.[9] Simpson described the drums as "sludgy".[15]

"I'm God" extensively samples a stretched-out version of Imogen Heap's "Just for Now".[3] Her vocals were edited to be of a "floating [and] angelic" nature, according to Steve Shaw of Fact,[8] while Complex's Craig Jenkins described the vocals as "spectral" and being outfitted "with pillowy bass and subdued drums".[6] Jon Caramanica wrote to The New York Times that the song renders Heap "even more tragic than she was on her own".[14] Paul Simpson of AllMusic said that the vocals, which bring a "dank, cave-like atmosphere", were rearranged "with an almost Philip Glass-like precision".[15] Smith described the sample as "unforgettable".[9]

Reception and legacy

Multiple writers described the "I'm God" instrumental as highly influential in the cloud rap genre.[1][3][4] Katie Cunningham of Red Bull described it as the genre's "seminal track",[1] while Vice's Balram said that the track was generally regarded as cloud rap's birth.[3] Schube of Complex described it as "a brilliant and stunning landmark" of the genre,[4] while Kyle Garb, writing for the same magazine, considered it a key track from the witch house era.[17] Spin named "I'm God" the seventh best track of 2011.[18] In 2012, NME wrote that it was "conceivably the most gorgeous backing track of the decade".[19] In 2013, Complex's Craig Jenkins called it one of the "25 Best Rap Beats of The Last 5 Years" and said that it "shines" as the opening track of Volpe's discography, which was by then full of "majestic, oceanic production work".[6] Reviewing Instrumental Relics (2020), Smith of Pitchfork described "I'm God" as "the definitive Clams Casino recording".[9] Like the instrumental, Lil B's version is also considered an important cloud rap song.[1][13]

"I'm God" received a cult following on the Internet,[1][3][4] being one of the first known productions by Volpe.[6][20] By 2011, the track had inspired people both to create tracks sampling "Just for Now" and to recreate the "I'm God" instrumental when it still was not available,[5] while also being considered the representative song of "based music".[14][21] Smith said that, when it was released unofficially that year, it was "instantly iconic, immediately imitated, and impossible to recreate".[9] "I'm God" was shared on file-sharing services and unofficially uploaded to YouTube, SoundCloud and other social media by fans, becoming viral.[1][3] Red Bull's Cunningham described it as "one of the most far-reaching hits of hip-hop's blog days" which every Internet user "with an appetite for new sounds" got interested in at the time it was unofficially released in 2011.[1] Schube of Complex said that, "[b]y 2016, the song had been pseudoviral for a number of years".[4]

An unofficial music video for "I'm God" which uses clips from the French film Perdues dans New York (1989), uploaded before the song's official release, had 25 million views by May 2020. The video became synonymous with the track.[3] Its comment section contains users mourning the death of people close to them.[1][3] Balram said that "I'm God" has been associated with "stories of hope and recovery",[3] with Internet users describing the song's impact while they had depression;[3] Cunningham said that the song "resonated really deeply" with multiple people.[1] According to Balram of Vice, the song received a cult following partly due to two suicide stories being related to it: Billy Watts, who had posted the song to his Instagram account weeks before his death, and David Higgs, who referred to it in 4chan posts (although it is unconfirmed that he died).[3] The unofficial music video's title was updated as a tribute to Watts and Higgs.[3]

Track listing

Single – Streaming[10]
  • "I'm God" — 4:37
"I'm God" / "I'm the Devil" 7" vinyl[11]
  • "I'm God" — 4:37
  • "I'm the Devil" — 3:41

Personnel

Adapted from the 7" vinyl liner notes.[11]

  • Michael Volpe — production, mixing
  • Imogen Heap — voice sample

Notes

  1. ^ In interviews, Volpe consistently said that Lil B "freaked out" or "flipped" when receiving the "I'm God" instrumental. With Vice, he said that Lil B "just kind of freaked out".[3] With Complex, he said that Lil B "just flipped out".[4] With Red Bull Music Academy, he said that Lil B "freaked out. He flipped."[5]
  2. ^ Attributed to multiple references:[6][8][9][12][13][14][15]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Cunningham, Katie (June 1, 2020). "How Clams Casino made internet history with 'I'm God'". Red Bull. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  2. ^ Dombal, Ryan (March 31, 2011). "Rising: Clams Casino". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Balram, Dhruva (May 7, 2020). "The Dark Internet History of Clams Casino's Cult Song 'I'm God'". Vice. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Schube, Will (May 14, 2020). "The Decade-Long Journey of Clams Casino's Iconic 'I'm God'". Complex. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Noz (2011). "Clams Casino". Red Bull Music Academy. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e Jenkins, Craig (September 3, 2013). "The 25 Best Rap Beats of The Last 5 Years". Complex. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  7. ^ Baker, Ernest (January 13, 2011). "Lil B Breaks Down His 25 Most Essential Songs". Complex. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved March 5, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Shaw, Steve (June 12, 2012). "Clams Casino: Instrumentals 2". Fact. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g Smith, Nadine (May 6, 2020). "Clams Casino: Instrumental Relics". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  10. ^ a b "I'm God – Single by Clams Casino, Imogen Heap". Spotify. April 24, 2020. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Clams Casino, Imogen Heap (July 16, 2020). "I'm God" / "I'm the Devil" (vinyl liner notes). Second City Prints. 207977.
  12. ^ a b Considine, Clare; Gibsone, Harriet; Pattison, Louis; Richards, Sam; Rowe, Sian (June 29, 2012). "The A-Z of pop in 2012". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c "The beginner's guide to: cloud rap". MusicRadar. March 2, 2022. Archived from the original on April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Caramanica, Jon (August 16, 2011). "A Befuddling Sound, but Danceable Nonetheless". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  15. ^ a b c Simpson, Paul. "Instrumental Relics Review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  16. ^ Roberts, Randall (July 15, 2011). "In rotation: Clams Casino's 'Rainforest'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  17. ^ Garb, Kyle (October 31, 2023). "Witch House: An Intro To The Microgenre That Influenced Everyone From Tyler, The Creator To ASAP Rocky". Complex. Archived from the original on December 26, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  18. ^ Aaron, Charles (February 2012). "Best Songs of the Year". Spin. p. 42. ISSN 0886-3032. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved December 26, 2023 – via Google Books.
  19. ^ "Clams Casino - Instrumental Mixtape 2". NME. June 29, 2012. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  20. ^ Amorosi, A. D. (October 10, 2016). "Clams Casino: Jersey dream-hop producer, at the Troc Friday, is a man of many levels". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on April 16, 2024. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  21. ^ Soderberg, Brandon (April 8, 2011). "Clams Casino: Instrumental Mixtape". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved December 25, 2023.

External links

  • Official audio on YouTube
  • v
  • t
  • e
Clams Casino
Studio albums
Mixtapes
  • Instrumentals (2011)
  • Instrumentals 2 (2012)
  • Instrumentals 3 (2013)
  • Instrumentals 4 (2017)
EPs
  • Rainforest (2011)
Singles
  • "I'm God" (2020)
Albums produced
Related articles
  • v
  • t
  • e
Studio albums
Singles
Other songs
  • "Hallelujah"
  • "Canvas"
  • "Just for Now"
  • "Can't Take It In"
  • "Spooky"
  • "Thriller"
  • "I'm God"
Related articles
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  • MusicBrainz release group