J. Cole: Essential to the Industry, Essential to Black Lives Matter
An unapologetic state of mind is exactly what the black and people of color communities need in order to make a change and see a change, whether that be through music or poetry. We need to possess a rawness and a potentially vulnerable presence that we should not let be presented weakness. This is exactly what J. Cole’s intentions are. There are multiple ways in which Cole has shown that he is an essential tool to the Black Lives Matter movement in terms of music. Before briefly referencing the beef with Noname in which she emphasized on the claim that rappers only make empty gestures, I want to reference three songs in which Cole poignantly describes the raw deal that black people and people of color have been given in different life circumstances.
There are rappers that rap about chains, money, sex, drugs and alcohol, but then there’s Cole. If your eyes don’t open while listening to him, there is a problem. If his bars do not force you to expand your thinking capacity, there is something seriously wrong. J. Cole has tracks like “See World”, which shine a light on just how deranged everything is, even outside of the black community. For some general perspective, using his money and status as a viewpoint, but to keep in theme with the Black Lives Matter angle and baseless claims made, I am trying to go on, the next track that I will be referencing is called “Be Free”. the song was dedicated to Michael Brown and performed instead of tracks from his album on The Letterman Show.
“Ahh we all alone fighting on our own
Please give me a chance
I don't wanna dance
Something's got me down
I was there my ground
Don't just stand around
Don't just stand around”
The lyric sample I just provided perfectly embodies the Black Lives Matter movement as a whole. The black community has been held down for so long; too long. We could be staring down the barrel of a gun while there are protests and trending hashtags such as #JusticeFor(insertnamehere) and #BlackLivesMatter AND still be questioning if we are still on our own fighting a useless battle. However, our soul as a community through our unique cultures is quite literally indestructible. The other song I would like to reference is “Before I’m Gone” also from the mixtape Friday Night Lights in which Cole raps:
“Cole the wrong one bringin' the city shine
All he ever doin' is paintin' pictures of crime
Tellin' stories of pain, paintin' pictures of dope
Bitch if you listen I'm paintin' pictures of hope”
Cole mentions it himself that what critics think he is doing is painting pictures of hopelessness and helplessness when what he is really trying to do is shine a light that desperately needs to be shone. He reiterated that same point in his clapback to Noname on “Snow on Tha Bluff”. Now I can go on and on -trust me I am tempted to- on how baseless the claims made by Noname are but I guess I will let Cole’s verses speak for themself.
“Just 'cause you woke and I'm not, that shit ain't no reason to talk like you better than me
How you gon' lead?
When you attackin' the very same niggas that really do need the shit that you sayin'?
Instead of conveying you holier, come help get us up to speed
Shit, it's a reason it took like two hundred years for our ancestors just to get freed
These shackles be lockin' the mental way more than the physical
I look at freedom like trees, can't grow a forest like overnight”
The truth of the matter is that there is no need for attack against the same people who are trying to fix shit the same way someone retweets #JusticeFor(insertnamehere) or #BlackLivesMatter. We need pictures of crime and injustice painted through lyrical genius, we need that bleak illustration, so that we can raise the seed of growth which is exactly what Jermaine Cole is doing regardless of baseless criticism, and that’s that on that.