J. Cole Calls SoundCloud Rappers ‘Exaggerated Versions Of Black Stereotypes’
April 25, 2018
J. Cole didn't pull any punches on "1985 (Intro To 'The Fall Off')". The KOD closer finds the Fayetteville rapper taking shots at anonymous rappers who glorify stereotypical portrayals of African-Americans. Many people think Cole's subliminals are for Lil Pump or Smokepurpp. However, in a new Vulture profile, Cole reveals his critique is meant for a variety of people.
"It's really a 'shoe fits' situation — several people can wear that shoe," Cole said. "Why you yelling at your show? You must feel attacked in some kind of way, must feel offended, and if you feel offended, then that means something rings true, something struck a chord. That’s cool with me. That’s all I ever want to do."
Cole made a more pointed statement later in the interview about the caricatures many SoundCloud rappers paint of the black community.
"If you exclude the top three rappers in the game, the most popping rappers all are exaggerated versions of black stereotypes," the Kids on Drugs rapper continued. "Extremely tatted up. Colorful hair. Flamboyant. Brand names. It’s caricatures, and still the dominant representation of black people, on the most popular entertainment format for black people, period."
On "1985," Cole describes why he believes a white audience wants to see negative portrayals of black and brown artists.
But have you ever thought about your impact?
These white kids love that you don't give a fuck
'Cause that's exactly what's expected when your skin black
They wanna see you dab, they wanna see you pop a pill
They wanna see you tatted from your face to your heels
And somewhere deep down, fuck it, I gotta keep it real
They wanna be black and think your song is how it feels
Recently, Cole has released two videos from KOD — "A.T.M." and "Kevin's Heart." Both songs see the Dreamville rapper taking a close look at the addictive qualities of money, sex, and drugs. It's safe to say Cole has a message to tell and he isn't slowing down anytime soon.