J Cole releases new single dealing with current American problems and a newfound respect for Obama.
Following the December release of 4 Your Eyez Only, J Cole (quietly) released a new song. Produced by Elite and Cam O’bi, J Cole posted the song, High For Hours, on his SoundCloud page.
In the first verse of High For Hours, J Cole criticizes America for its “hypocrisy” starting with slave ownership. Citing Christianity and ISIS as examples, he goes on to state that religion doesn’t mean “[expletive].”
“American hypocrisy, oh let me count the ways / They came here seeking freedom and they end up owning slaves / Justified it using what Christianity would say / Religion don’t mean shit, there’s too much ego in the way / That’s why ISIS is a crisis / But in reality this country do the same shit / Take a life and call it righteous.”
He also criticized people’s obsession with the news, calling them out using the biblical commandment not to kill.
“Remember when Bin Laden got killed, supposedly / In a hotel lobby after a show / Was noticing these white ladies watching CNN / Covering the action / They read the headline and then they all started clapping / As if Lebron has just scored a basket at the buzzer / I stood there for a second watch them high five each other / For real? I though this was thou shalt not kill.”
J Cole doesn’t shy away from dealing with controversial topics. He gave listeners a breakdown of his view on police shootings on African Americans.
“But police still letting off on niggas in the Ville / Claiming that he reached for a gun / They really think we dumb and got a death wish / Now somebody’s son is laying breathless / When I was a little boy my father lived in Texas / Pulled up in Toyota, drove that bitch like it was Lexus / Put my bag in his trunk and headed off for Dallas / Out their for the summer feeling just like I was Alice / Lost in the wonder land where niggas still suffering / Just like they was back home and that’s wrong.”
In the second verse, J Cole discusses a meeting with President Obama. Obama is reportedly an outspoken fan of the rapper. However, the rapper has openly questioned his policies. Yet, after the meeting, it appears the rapper gained a newfound respect for Obama.
“I had a convo with the president, I paid to go and see him / Thinking bout the things I said I’d say when I would see him / Feeling nervous, sitting in a room full of white folks / Thinking about the black man plight, think I might choke, nope / Raised my hand and asked a man a question / ‘Does he see the struggles of his brothers in oppression? / And if so, if you got all the power in the clout as the president / What’s keeping you from helping niggas out?’ / Well I didn’t say nigga, but you catch my drift / He look me in my eyes and spoke and he was rather swift / He broke the issues down and showed me he was well aware / I got the vibe he was sincere and that the brother cared / But dawg you in the chair, what’s the hold up? / He said there’s things that I wanna fix / But you know this shit nigga, politics / Don’t stop fighting and don’t stop believing / You can make the world better for your kids before you leave it.”
In the final verse, J Cole deals with what a true revolution means. According to him, the problem with human nature ultimately lead to a vicious cycle of corruption.
“Here’s a thought for my revolutionary heart / Take a deeper look at history, it’s there to pick apart / See the people at the top, they get to do just what they want / Till after while the people at the bottom finally get smart / Then they start to holla revolution, tired of living here, destitution / Fuck that looting, can you tell me what’s the best solution? / I used to think it was to over throw oppressors / See, if we destroy the system that means we’ll have less of greed / But see, it’s not that simple / I got to thinking bout the history of human nature / While this instrumental, play / Then I realized something that made me wonder if revolution was really ever the way / Before you trip and throw a fit over these words I say / Think about this shit for second, you heard the way / The children in abusive households grow up knocking girlfriends out cold / That’s called a cycle / Abused becomes the abuser and that how life go / So understand / Look at the power, but you know what power does to man / Corruption always leads us to the same shit again / So when you talk about revolution dawg, I hear just what you saying.”
J Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only currently enjoys solid sales. He scores his fourth #1 album on Billboard charts, and it also recently went gold. You can listen to the song below.