This past Tuesday night, the respected rapper, J. Cole, released a new song, and while it was praised by some, other people didn’t like it as much, including Earl Sweatshirt, who came out to say that the track was “corny.”
According to People Magazine, Cole talked about not using his celebrity to fight for the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police’s custody. The artist addressed not speaking more about the protests in his new song.
Let me use this moment to say this
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) June 17, 2020
Cole took to his Twitter account to say that he stands behind everything he said in the song. He added, “right or wrong, I can’t say, but I can say it was honest.” Reportedly, some of the lyrics J. Cole wrote appeared to be in response to a tweet from the rapper, Noname, who had been accusing other big artists of not using their influence for good.
I haven’t done a lot of reading and I don’t feel well equipped as a leader in these times. But I do a lot of thinking. And I appreciate her and others like her because they challenge my beliefs and I feel that in these times that’s important.
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) June 17, 2020
According to Complex, Noname said that artists such as J. Cole have constructed entire discographies about the plight of black people in the United States, however, when it comes time to do something for the sake of black lives, they are “nowhere to be found.”
We may not agree with each other but we gotta be gentle with each other. ✌🏿
— J. Cole (@JColeNC) June 17, 2020
In Cole’s new song, he described himself as scrolling through his social media feed and seeing the comments from a female rapper in which she’s so mad at many different groups of people in the United States, including the “crackers” and the “capitalists.”
Later, J. Cole went on to say that he was just voicing his opinion, and people like him are just “rapping.” As it was noted above, J. Cole’s single came under fire from other artists in the game as well, including Earl Sweatshirt.
Earl took to his Twitter to say that J. Cole’s new song was “just corny,” and he compared it to a popular white rapper posting a song about their understanding of black people’s experience in the world.
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Some argued in defense of Cole, claiming that the rapper is busy taking care of his wife and kids.
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