After years of teasing his final studio album, J. Cole has finally dropped “The Fall Off,” and boy does he have a lot to say! His seventh album is jam-packed with 24 songs addressing everything from Kendrick Lamar’s beef with Drake to his own relationship with God.
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Cole’s mission with this album was simple: prove himself once again, and while it’s way too soon to say how his project will stand the test of time, reviews from Soul in Stereo, Billboard, Complex and others suggest the “Love Yourz” rapper accomplished his goal.
If you’ve taken the time to listen to the double disc, you probably caught many of the spicy lyrics throughout the project. But if you haven’t, here’s some of our favorite lyrics from “The Fall Off.”
Shots at Your Favorite Rapper
On the song “Two Six,” Cole pulls out a hip-hop signature: Calling out other rappers and declaring he’s better. “Caught a lot of bodies, so my closet, it got skeletons/ Don’t believe me? Call your favorite rapper for the evidence/ Rolls-Royce, please don’t sell these rappers no more Cullinans/ They unoriginal, and plus I know they don’t be budgeting,” he raps.
Calling Out Congress
A running theme throughout the album is Cole’s love and admiration for his hometown in Fayetteville, N.C.. With that, he’s often made a point to address systemic issues facing the Black community in Fayetteville and areas similar to it. On the track “Bunce Road Blues,” the rapper called out young Black men caught in the life of crime.
“Why in the f**k do we feel that n****s that’s lookin’ like us who deserve to be killed?/ Meanwhile Capitol Hill been makin’ it easy for them to go stuff us in cells,” he said.
Addressing Drake and Kendrick Beef
We previously told you Cole got caught in the middle of the 2024 rap beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. But after apologizing and bowing out of the fight for that Number 1 spot, Cole has remained relatively silent until now. On the song “What If,” it’s clear that beef is still on his mind.
But instead of addressing the controversy directly, Cole imagines if Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. settled their beef before things took a deadly turn.
“The streets is a bit upset/You claimin’ that you f**ked my bi**h,” Cole rapped as Biggie. “But, check, instead of escalatin’/At a time when ni**as say ‘Big, let’s decimate ’em/I’m tellin’ em chill ’cause although he violatin’/In my heart, I could never hate ’em/I love you,” he later said as Pac.
Talking to God?
While Cole is no stranger to using religion and gospel in his own music, a particular line on “39 Intro” caught the eyes and ears of many.
“Play my song when I’m gone, I’ma still be a myth/ Even God gon’ wonder how the f**k did he exist?/ I mean, could he have just slipped through the cracks?/ Ain’t let a n***a into heaven so I went through the back/ And when I entered, I saw a old friend that I dapped/ He said, ‘Please, n***a, kick one of them infinite raps,’” Cole rhymes.
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