"Devil's Work"
Single by Joyner Lucas
from the album ADHD
ReleasedMay 2, 2019
GenreConscious hip hop
Length4:45
LabelTwenty Nine
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)SoSpecial
Joyner Lucas singles chronology
"Just Let Go"
(2019)		 "Devil's Work"
(2019)		 "ISIS"
(2019)
Music video
"Devil's Work" on YouTube

"Devil's Work" is a song by American rapper Joyner Lucas, released on May 2, 2019. It is the second single from his debut studio album ADHD (2020). The song was written by Lucas, Bartosz Jakub Welka, Marcin Gerek and Bob Foster, and produced by SoSpecial.

Content

Lyrically, Joyner Lucas expresses a message to God, where he queries about why God has taken the lives of so many great people, instead keeping many wicked people.[1][2] Lucas pays tribute to those who he believes did not deserve their deaths, such as Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Big Pun, XXXTentacion, Selena, Aaliyah, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Lil Snupe, Eazy-E, Trayvon Martin, Nipsey Hussle, Emmett Till, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and Sandra Bland.[1] He asks God to resurrect them, and says he is willing to trade them with people who he believes deserve to die, such as Suge Knight, Donald Trump, Martin Shkreli, R. Kelly, Eric Holder (referring to Nipsey Hussle's murderer), George Zimmerman, Dylann Roof, James Holmes, Tomi Lahren, and Laura Ingraham.[3]

Music video

The official music video was released alongside the song on May 2, 2019. It was filmed in the St. Peters Catholic Church in Worcester, Massachusetts.[4] In it, he drinks from a bottle of Hennessy while holding a bible.[1] Around him, there are photos of people he mentioned on funereal easels. Lucas raps his questions about the deaths as if talking to God.[3]

Controversy

The lyrics, which discuss the people Joyner wants to return to life and the ones he does not, have stirred up a lot of controversy. Monsignor Francis Scollan, the priest of the church where Lucas shot the video, said that he would not have given the rapper permission to do so if he had known about what was going to be in it.[4] However, according to Lucas, the church was really aware of it and got paid.[5] Tomi Lahren tweeted in response to the video, "Truly disgusting. You don't have to like me or respect me but this is too far. This isn't "art" it's sick."[6]

Charts

Chart (2019) Peak

position

Ireland (IRMA)[7] 72
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[8] 7
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[9] 5
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[10] 46

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Saponara, Michael (2019-05-03). "Joyner Lucas Pays Homage to Nipsey Hussle, Michael Jackson, Tupac in Striking 'Devil's Work' Video: Watch". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2019-05-03. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  2. ↑ "Joyner Lucas Raps God Should Bring Back Back Nipsey and 2Pac in "Devil's Work" Video". Complex. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  3. 1 2 Infante, Victor D. "Song To Get You Through The Week: Joyner Lucas delivers raw, emotional 'Devil's Work'". telegram.com. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  4. 1 2 Gazette, Mark Sullivan, Worcester (Mass ) Telegram &. "Priest now regrets allowing 'Devil's Work' rap video to be filmed inside his church". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 2020-08-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. ↑ II, C. Vernon Coleman. "Joyner Lucas Says Church Where He Filmed "Devil's Work" Video Got Paid, Shouldn't Be Upset". XXL Mag. Retrieved 2020-08-02.
  6. ↑ Tomi Lahren 'Truly Disgusted' After Feature In Joyner Lucas' 'Devil's Work', 2019-05-05, retrieved 2020-08-02
  7. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Joyner Lucas". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  8. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 13, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Joyner Lucas Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Joyner Lucas Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 18, 2019.
  11. ↑ "American single certifications – Joyner Lucas – Devil's Work". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
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