And I appreciate her and others like her because they challenge my beliefs and I feel that in these times that’s important. I haven’t done a lot of reading and I don’t feel well equipped as a leader in these times. Meanwhile a nigga like me just be rapping. She has done and is doing the reading and the listening and the learning on the path that she truly believes is the correct one for our people. Butįollow I love and honor her as a leader in these times.
I accept all conversation and criticisms. That’s fine with me, it’s not my job to tell anybody what to think or feel about the work. Some assume to know who the song is about. Right or wrong I can’t say, but I can say it was honest. I stand behind every word of the song that dropped last night. On the morning after releasing this song, Cole acknowledged the overwhelming criticisms of his lyrics and essentially confirmed that Noname was who he was speaking about in the following thread of tweets:
Plus endurance to survive, help mine thrive Still, I know I'm just a boy in God's eyes Though I be tryin' to let the time heal my mind I hope we'll find the reason why we often sob, go on, cry Well, maybe 'cause deep down I know I ain't doin' enough He was like, "Cole, 'preciate what you been doin', my nigga, that's real"īut damn, why I feel faker than Snow on tha Bluff?
He said something that had me like, "Wait" Ran into this nigga outside of the store yesterday I done betrayed the very same people that look at me like I'm some kind of a heroīecause of the zeros that's next to the commasīut look here, I promise I'm not who you think Thinkin' just maybe, in my pursuit to make life so much better for me and my babies Therefore, we just gotta learn everything as we goįeel like a slave that somehow done saved enough coins to buy his way up outta slavery This change is inevitable, but ain't none of us seen this before Understandin' the time and love and patience that's needed to grow I would say it's more effective to treat people like children If I could make one more suggestion respectfully You got all the answers but how you gon' reach? I'm on some "Fuck a retweet," most people is sheep Hit the ghetto and slowly start plantin' your seedsįuck is the point of you preaching your message to those that already believe what you believe? I look at freedom like trees, can't grow a forest like overnight These shackles be lockin' the mental way more than the physical Shit, it's a reason it took like two hundred years for our ancestors just to get freed Instead of conveyin' you holier, come help us get up to speed How you gon' lead, when you attackin' the very same niggas that really do need the shit that you sayin'? Just 'cause you woke and I'm not, that shit ain't no reason to talk like you better than me With parents that know 'bout the struggle for liberation and in turn they provide her withĪ perspective and awareness of the system and unfairness that afflicts 'emĪnd the clearest understandin' of what we gotta do to get freeĪnd the frustration that fills her words seems to come from the fact that most people don't see She strike me as somebody blessed enough to grow up in conscious environment So when I see something that's valid, I listenīut shit, it's something about the queen tone that's botherin' me Now I ain't no dummy to think I'm above criticism She mad at the celebrities, lowkey I be thinkin' she talkin' 'bout me She mad at my niggas, she mad at our ignorance, she wear her heart on her sleeve She mad at these crackers, she mad at these capitalists, mad at these murder police I scrolled through her timeline in these wild times, and I started to read My IQ is average, there's a young lady out there, she way smarter than me
Niggas be thinkin' I'm deep, intelligent, fooled by my college degree