 Genius Meanings
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J. Cole Disses Rappers New And Old On “False Prophets” And “Everybody Dies”
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Is he talking about Kanye West and Lil Yachty?
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J. Cole – everybody dies
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“Everybody Dies” had been released on the Behind-the-Scenes documentary, “Eyez” that was exclusively released on Tidal. The interlude targets other members of the rap community
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J. Cole – Runaway
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On the lush “Runaway,” Cole talks about his relationship troubles, which, underneath the moral struggles and spiritual dichotomies hinted at by the album title, is another topic he
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Lupe Fiasco – N.E.R.D.
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Released about a week after J. Cole’s industry diss track “Everybody Dies,” Lupe similarly addresses the current state of affairs in rap music. In doing so, he utilizes the same
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J. Cole – t h e . c l i m b . b a c k
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On “t h e . c l i m b . b a c k,” J. Cole talks about rediscovering his love for rap and some of his traumatic life experiences.
Two days before releasing the song, Cole
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Lil Yachty & J. Cole Demand Respect On New Song “The Secret Recipe”
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It’s their fist official collaboration.
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21 Savage (Ft. J. Cole) – a lot
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On the introspective introduction to his sophomore studio album, 21 Savage raps about having “a lot” of blessings and curses in his life. Savage also reflects on his tumultuous
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J. Cole (Ft. Missy Elliott) – Nobody's Perfect
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This Missy collab features Cole talking about the ladies and wondering about his girl’s “number”. Maybe he should talk to Anna Faris.
The first verse of this song is widely
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J. Cole – G.O.M.D.
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Cole is starting to lose himself in Hollywood; becoming arrogant and making typical commercial music.
His first doubts about his new lifestyle come in the second verse—he starts
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J. Cole, Bas & 6LACK – l e t . g o . m y . h a n d
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On “l e t . g o . m y . h a n d,” J. Cole analyzes his life and career, detailing some of the doubts he has had over the years and the fears he has as the father of two black sons
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Dreamville, EARTHGANG & J. Cole (Ft. Saba & Smino) – Sacrifices
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“Sacrifices” features Midwest rappers Smino and Saba in their first collaboration with Dreamville’s J. Cole and EARTHGANG. On the track, which closes out ROTD3, each artist
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J. Cole – 1985
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“1985” is representative of the year J. Cole was born. When combined with 2014 Forest Hills Drive’s “January 28th,” Cole’s entire birthday is in his discography.
The song is a
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J. Cole – A Tale of 2 Citiez
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A Tale of Two Cities is a novel by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. Some of its major themes–rebellion, conflict between rich and
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Kendrick Lamar – HiiiPoWeR
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The first song released from Kendrick Lamar’s Section.80, “HiiiPower” talks of self enlightenment through reflection and active work. It constantly touches on racial subjects
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J. Cole – Villuminati
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Cole sets the mood for Born Sinner, which is also an ongoing theme, by wittingly announcing this body of work “way darker this time” – the previous time being his debut album.
“
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J. Cole – Trouble
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The song was one of the more darker cuts on the album. Featuring the powerful vocals of a choir throughout the song, this continuation of the album’s religious theme gave the track
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J. Cole – Fire Squad
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J. Cole attempts to restore the balance in hip hop as he criticizes white privilege and white appropriation of the culture—namely, Macklemore’s The Heist winning the 2013 Grammy
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Here’s The Deeper Meaning Behind J. Cole’s New Album ‘4 Your Eyez Only’
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It all revolves around the murder of a friend named James McMillan Jr.
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J. Cole (Ft. TLC) – Crooked Smile
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Using his own imperfect set of teeth as an example, Cole reaffirms his belief that nobody’s perfect, as everyone has their own “crooked smile”, and that nobody has to be perfect
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Benny the Butcher & J. Cole – Johnny P's Caddy
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On “Johnny P’s Caddy,“ Benny The Butcher and J. Cole link up to boast about their rise to the top in rap. Released on the same day as J. Cole’s birthday (January 28), the track
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Dreamville, JID & J. Cole (Ft. Kenny Mason & Sheck Wes) – Stick
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On “Stick,” all four performing rappers discuss their habit of keeping a gun on them at all times, with either, or sometimes both, protective or aggressive motivations.
JID
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Young Thug (Ft. J. Cole & Travis Scott) – The London
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On “The London,” Young Thug, J. Cole, and Travis Scott rap about what they would do with their significant others at “The London,” which could refer to a luxury hotel in either
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J. Cole – 4 Your Eyez Only
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“4 Your Eyez Only” serves as a message to James McMillian, Jr.’s newborn daughter, recounting memories. James McMillian, Jr. is a friend whom Cole speaks of throughout the album.
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J. Cole – MIDDLE CHILD
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J. Cole’s first offering of 2019 serves as a warning in advance of an extensive rollout of Dreamville material. On the track, Cole envisions himself in the center of the old and
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J. Cole – I Get Up
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Inspirational song by J. Cole talking about the struggles in life and how everyone is doing something to get by.
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J. Cole – Snow On Tha Bluff
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“Snow On Tha Bluff” is J. Cole’s first release of 2020. On the song, which is titled after a January 2011 film about a robbery in Atlanta, Cole delivers a single continuous verse
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J. Cole – Deja Vu
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On “Deja Vu,” Cole raps from the perspective of his deceased friend James McMillan Jr., who imagines a conversation with a woman about the kind of men she gravitates towards. He
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J. Cole – Once an Addict (Interlude)
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J. Cole uses “Once an Addict” to detail the development of his feelings concerning his mother’s relationship with alcoholism. Cole uses this interlude to show that he also deals
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J. Cole (Ft. Amber Coffman & Cults) – She Knows
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Born Sinner’s third single features Dirty Projectors’ Amber Coffman (Cole had previously sampled her on his remix of Major Lazer’s “Get Free”), also heavily sampling the Cult’s
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Dreamville & J. Cole (Ft. KEY!, Maxo Kream & Zoink Gang) – Oh Wow...Swerve
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“Oh Wow…Swerve” is the fifth track from Revenge of the Dreamers III and is divided into two parts: “Oh Wow” and “Swerve”. Part I features Zoink Gang and J. Cole while Part II
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J. Cole – ATM
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“ATM” is an introspective yet energetic track that highlights Cole’s relationship with money. He confirmed in a tweet that the song title is an abbreviation for “Addicted To Money
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Jay Rock (Ft. J. Cole) – OSOM
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OSOM is the seventh song off Jay Rock’s third album Redemption, released in June of 2018.
The theme of paranoia and being “Out of Sight and Out of Mind” (OSOM) is a recurring one
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J. Cole – Note to Self
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The final song on 2014 Forest Hills Drive completes Cole’s main outlook on life: Love one another and life will fall into place.
In true ROC fashion (“Blueprint,” “My 1st Song
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Kendrick Lamar – Black Friday
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This song is a counterpart to J. Cole’s rhyme over K.Dot’s “Alright” — both freestyles were released simultaneously on November 27, 2015. The two rappers have long been associated
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J. Cole (Ft. James Fauntleroy) – Born Sinner
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This is both the title track and the last song on the standard issue of J. Cole’s sophomore LP, Born Sinner. In true Cole fashion, he closes the album with an emotional, cinematic
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The Best Annotations of April 2018
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Genius contributors investigated Cardi B’s love for Beyoncé, connected Post Malone’s music to his apocalyptic woes, and more this month.
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J. Cole (Ft. kiLL edward) – The Cut Off
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“The Cut Off” appropriately named, talks about Cole having to cut people off who were close to him due to lack of trust and being taken advantage of. He realized that he was giving
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J. Cole – p u n c h i n ’ . t h e . c l o c k
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On the album’s briefest track, J. Cole raps about the hours he’s spent working—or “punching the clock.”
The intro samples NBA star Damian Lillard’s August 11, 2020, post-game
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J. Cole – High for Hours
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This song was released on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2017. J. Cole touches on his experience meeting President Barack Obama in the second verse and has thoughts of revolution in
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J. Cole – Crunch Time
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J. Cole’s joint about those struggling through tough times, including close friends of his.
Samples “Munchies For Your Love” by Bootsy’s Rubber Band:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?
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J. Cole – False Prophets
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On “False Prophets,” Cole addresses the trials and tribulations of being a star. Though he refrains from name-dropping, Cole uses this track to fire shots at a few people
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J. Cole – i n t e r l u d e
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“i n t e r l u d e” is the second single from J. Cole’s sixth studio album, The Off-Season. On the brief track, Cole raps about his come-up and presence at the throne of the rap
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