IS J. COLE DISSING DRAKE, KANYE WEST, & LIL YACHTY IN âEYEZâ DOCUMENTARY?
J. Cole takes aim and fires, but who are his targets? Thatâs the question fans are asking after the release of âFalse Prophetsâ and âEverybody Diesâ from the North Carolina MCâs TIDAL documentary Eyez and presumably off his forthcoming album 4 Your Eyez Only.
So far, fans are speculating that âFalse Prophetsâ is, at least in part, about Kanye West, with lyrics about a âstarâ who âcaught our heartsâ but is now âfallinâ apart.â âWhen he tell us he a genius but itâs clearer lately,â raps Cole. âItâs been hard for him to look into the mirror lately / There was a time when this ni**a was my hero, maybe / Thatâs the reason why his fall from grace is hard to take.â The âheartsâ reference has been seen as a nod to 808s & Heartbreak while his âfalling apartâ quote could be a possible prediction or reflection of Yeezyâs recent hospitalization.
Some have called that a diss aimed at West, particularly because he ends the verse by saying he will ânever topâ his old material. However, listeners have suggested that itâs merely a moment of tough love and disappointment as he acknowledges West might be âcrying out for help.â
Within that same verse, fans are wondering if Drake might be another possible target. Here, Young Jermaine adds: âWhen come to find out these ni**as donât even write their **** / Hear some new style bubbling up, then they bite that ****.â Of course, Drizzy has been criticized for both of those things since ghostwriting allegations surfaced last year and with âHotline Blingâsâ likeness to D.R.A.M.âs âCha Cha,â among other similar instances of alleged wave-riding.
More speculation surrounds âFalse Prophetsâ and its second verse. Itâs about a rapper who âwants to win badâ but claims âni**as donât **** with himâ despite his fans and major platform. âYou too anxious livinâ life,â raps Cole. âAlways worried about the critics.â Some speculate that this could be about Wale, who often goes on tirades about critical perception.
But thatâs not all. âEverybody Diesâ is also filled with subliminal bars aimed at MCs. âI hate these rappers,â spits Cole. âEspecially the amateur-eight-week rappers / Lil Whatever, just another short-bus rapper / Fake drug dealers turned tour-bus trappers.â Many have surmised that Cole was rhyming about Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty on this verse.
Of course, Lil Boat made waves when fans found an old 2011 tweet in which he wrote â**** J. Cole.â âI donât listen to J.Cole, but I have nothing against J.Cole,â Yachty would later tell 106 KMEL. âI was young, I was talking ****, trolling. I never thought I was gonna be a rapper.â Could this be Coleâs clap back?
While the rumor mill will continue, fans can decide for themselves. Listen to both tracks in the Eyez doc and get ready for 4 Your Eyez Only on Dec. 9.