"Oh My God" is a song by American hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, released in May 1994, by Jive Records as the third single from their third album, Midnight Marauders (1993). The song contains a sample of "Who's Gonna Take the Weight" by Kool & the Gang and also features Busta Rhymes on the chorus.
Critical reception
Upon the release, Larry Flick from Billboard magazine wrote, "The masters of the abstract return with a slick, stylistic jam. Jazzy horns slide against samples from Lee Morgan and Kool & the Gang, while a big beat combats the organized noise."[1] James Hamilton from the Record Mirror Dance Update named it a "jaunty 'Oh my Gowd!' jiggled mutterer" in his weekly dance column.[2] Rolling Stone magazine included "Oh My God" on their list of 20 essential A Tribe Called Quest songs, noting, "It's not easy to listen to Phife boast 'When's the last time you heard a funky diabetic?' now that the disease has taken his life. But that line also sounds fiercer and more defiant than ever."[3]
Music video
The music video for "Oh My God" begins in a convenience store where Q-Tip and Phife Dawg are buying snacks. When they get outside, the video shoot's moving stage drives away with Ali on it. As Tip and Phife run after the truck, the kids gathered outside the convenience store chase them. After catching up with it and getting on, Tip begins to rap. There are three main scenes: a gate area, the group on the stage, and Busta Rhymes on the deli's roof. Near the end if the video, when Tip says, "Take off your boots 'cause you can't run the race", the children stop running.
Remixes and appearances
- A remix of the song was featured on the limited edition of The Love Movement. The percussion on the remix was subsequently sampled and used for the percussion of the Jay-Z song "Dead Presidents".
- Part of the song was re-recorded for the song "Intro-lude" on TLC's CrazySexyCool album.
- The song was featured in the controversial 1995 film Kids.
- The song appeared in the television series Black Lightning in the episode "The Book of War: Chapter Three: Liberation," when Khalil Payne, portrayed by Jordan Calloway, fought against Painkiller in his mind to take back control of himself.
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- ^ Flick, Larry (1994-05-21). "Single Reviews: Rap" (PDF). Billboard. p. 51. Retrieved 2025-05-16.
- ^ Hamilton, James (1994-06-04). "DJ directory" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved 2025-05-18.
- ^ Harris, Christopher R. Weingarten,Jon Dolan,Mosi Reeves,Jason Newman,Keith; Weingarten, Christopher R.; Dolan, Jon; Reeves, Mosi; Newman, Jason; Harris, Keith (2016-03-23). "A Tribe Called Quest: 20 Essential Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-10-12.
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- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "A Tribe Called Quest Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
- ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Dance Music Maxi-Singles Sales". Billboard. Vol. 106, no. 52. December 24, 1994. p. YE-76. Retrieved June 3, 2025.
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