Photo by Zach Cooper
One of the most talked-about moments on 21 Savage’s new album, i am > i was, is the standout appearance from J. Cole on its opening track, “a lot.” Fans who opted to purchase physical copies of the album, however, have been surprised to discover that Cole is nowhere to be found. Instead, 21 spits a third verse to close out “a lot.”
Reddit user xwavezz shared the third verse, which finds 21 rapping about his rise to fame and current relationship status:
Before the fame, Plan B was robbing banks
Being married man, right now I just can’t
All the love they gave me knew that it was fake
Mama love me so much so either way I’m straight
He also addresses the immigration crisis at the US-Mexico border as well as Flint, Michigan’s lead-tainted water:
Lights was out, the gas was off so we had to boil up the water
Went through some things, but I couldn’t imagine my kids stuck at the border
Flint still need water, niggas was innocent couldn’t get lawyers.
21’s manager Kei Henderson confirmed that they submitted a different version of the project for physical release:
It’s unclear why Cole’s verse wasn’t included, but timing could have something to do with it. During a recent interview with Genius' For the Record, 21 revealed that Cole’s verse came together just a few days before the album was completed.
“He called me out the blue, probably like two, three days before I was done with the album type shit and he drove to Atlanta from Raleigh, six-hour drive,” he said. “It was like 3:00 in the morning, he drove all the way back to Raleigh and did the song.”
Cole’s “a lot” verse grabbed attention for its reference to the legal predicament of 6ix9ine, who was arrested on federal racketeering and armed robbery charges back in November:
Pray for Tekashi, they want him to rot
I picture him inside a cell on a cot
‘Flectin’ on how he made it to the top
Wondering if it was worth it or not
21 and Cole’s collaboration debuted at No. 37 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Read all the lyrics to 21 Savage’s “a lot” on Genius now.
