Songfacts®:

• Here, Kanye West gives us an insight into his state of mind as he raps about media criticism of his outspokenness.
  
  Just one time for the record, just one time for the record
  Don't agree with the message, don't agree with the methods
  
  And the issues in his marriage with Kim Kardashian.
  
  I be goin' through things I had to wrote
  Celebrity drama that only Brad'll know
  Too many family secrets, somebody passin' notes
  Things I cried about, I found laughable
  
  Like Kanye West, Brad Pitt also went through high-profile divorce from his fellow celebrity wife.
• The song starts with a sample of the intro to Lauryn Hill's 1998 hit song "Doo Wop (That Thing)." Hill's vocal harmonizing continues throughout the track.
  
  West previously sampled Hill when he repurposed her "The Mysteries Of Iniquity" as the hook for the original version of 2003's "All Falls Down." The Chicago rapper couldn't clear the sample for legal reasons, so he interpolated Hill's song instead and hired Syleena Johnson to re-sing her parts.
• Jamaican dancehall artist Buju Banton contributes to the bridge before concluding the track. He reprimands his lady for being gullible and for believing the lies others spread about their relationship.
• "Believe What I Say" had been in the works at least a year before the release of Donda. West first previewed the song with a snippet posted on his Twitter account on September 26, 2020.
• West co-produced the track with Dem Jointz. The California producer contributed to four Donda tracks, including "Jail." FnZ, Ojivolta and BoogzDaBeast also assisted with the production.