“Jesus Is the One (I Got Depression)” by Zack Fox & Kenny Beats
As pointed out numerous times throughout this post, this rap is not only a freestyle but also one that was put together by a comedian. Therefore on top of being disjointed, “Jesus Is the One (I Got Depression)” also features a plethora of humorous (depending on one’s respective sense of humor) references. Owing to this, it may be best if we just take a linear approach to this analysis, encapsulating the main points as much as reasonably possible.
The Start
The song starts off with Zack Fox emulating a gangsta rapper in sentiment, i.e. threatening to shoot his opps, so to speak. But in this case said opps would be those who don’t believe in Jesus, as in non-Christians. And yes, such a sentiment may not be funny in and of itself, as it alludes to religious-based violence. But when taken into context in relation to the reasons rappers usually threaten to kill people, then it does read a bit more light-hearted.
“Jesus is the One”
Afterwards and still in the intro comes the titular phrase “Jesus is the one”. So it is apparent, in the very least, that Zack Fox was thinking about the biblical figure when he first began this freestyle.
In fact there were additional bars related to Jesus that were cut out of the final version of this song due to Fox dissing Jews for bringing about his execution. And that would logically be why he proceeds to call for the liberation of Palestine directly after ‘praising Jesus Christ’. In doing so, he is basically echoing a belief that the Israeli Jews are an occupying force in the Holy Land.
Popular Namedrops in “Jesus Is the One”
And with the idea of freedom in mind, the vocalist also calls for the release of Tay-K. Tay-K is a young criminal rapper who is currently doing a major bid for aggravated robbery. Then Fox namedrops 19th century American President Abraham Lincoln (in a rap context) and proceeds to wish that Hollywood actress Betty White ‘rest in peace’, even though she was very much alive, though elderly at the time.
Song’s Verse
Then, the actual verse of “Jesus Is the One” is where the comedic aspect really comes into play. On one hand, Zack presents himself as “a real n**ga” who is on top of his game. But he also depicts himself as someone who is very much challenged financially. Additionally we can also say he is psychologically challenged considering that he mentions of ingesting his own spe*m and enjoying the taste later in the verse. Another notable part of the passage is when he expresses sort of a mutual disdain for White people.
“Jesus Is the One (I Got Depression)”
And the implication, as presented in the chorus (and subtitle) is that all of these adverse behaviors are a result of the vocalist being depressed. And being stuck in such a less-than-ideal state is also why he engages in a number of negative activities, including
- drenching his test**les in salad dressing
- not paying taxes
- stealing from his mother to buy an old car
And of course those are not actual symptoms of what is a very real psychological malady. But seemingly, as implied by the outro, the main goal at hand is to bring awareness to the disease in general. So in that regard Zack Fox comes off a lot like the late Juice WRLD, though again on an overtly-comedic tip.
Takeaway
So maybe at the end of the day, some psychological association or what have you could argue that this song is making fun of a serious disease – not even to mention the potentially off-putting religious aspect of it.
But it would be somewhat obvious to anyone who actually has knowledge of freestyling that Zack didn’t step into this piece with any clear lyrical goal in mind. However, as things turned out off the top of his head, the two main subjects he ends up harping on is his apparent belief in Jesus and being stricken with depression.
And it is actually the latter matter which he focuses on the most and in that regard in a largely humorous context. Or, we can close by saying that the most-successful comedy acts tend to be those that are also the most controversial, and accordingly Zack isn’t pulling punches in this rap.
Zack Fox and Kenny Beats
The vocalist on this song is Zack Fox, an entertainer from Atlanta. He is primarily a comedian by profession. However, he also knows how to rap, and relatedly he has worked with Kenny Beats on numerous occasions. Kenny is more along the lines of a straight-up musician.
In fact the two of them dropped a track together entitled “Square Up” in 2018. They also officially released another collaborative song, “Get Off My D**k”, in 2021.
Facts about “Jesus Is the One (I Got Depression)”
Meanwhile “Jesus Is the One (I Got Depression)” came out on 14 June 2019.
The origin of “Jesus Is the One” dates back to Zack appearing on a YouTube series hosted by Kenny Beats entitled The Cave. On that show, visitors are tasked with rendering a rap to one of Kenny’s beats. And the date upon which Fox appeared on the show in this instance was 26 April 2019.
To note, being a freestyle and all, this track was never meant to be released to the public as a single, nor does Zack consider himself a legitimate rapper. But it proceeded to go viral on social media platforms such as YouTube, Spotify and TikTok nonetheless.
A lot of parts this song were edited out before it was officially released as a single. The primary reason was because of the strong religious undertone.
This song was written by Zack Fox in conjunction with its producer, Kenny Beats.
Betty White
Betty White (1922-2021) was already 97 years old when this track was dropped. So Zack predicting her imminent demise was somewhat logical, if you will. But it is interesting to note that out of all of the elderly celebrities out there he chose to namedrop White. Betty died on the 31st of December, 2021. She was 99.
