J. Cole surprised fans today with the release of his new single, “Snow On Tha Bluff.” The track is a direct response to ongoing protests against police brutality and racial injustice, and specifically speaks to Cole’s struggles with navigating activism as a celebrity. “There’s a young lady out there she way smarter than me/I scrolled through her timeline in these wild times and I started to read/She mad at these crackers, she mad at these capitalists, mad at these murder police,” he raps in part, presumably alluding to Chicago rapper Noname’s social media presence. Most of the single is similarly preoccupied with Noname and Cole’s feelings of inadequacy and confusion in the face of her vocal activism: “And the frustration that fills her words seems to come from the fact that most people don’t see/Just ‘cause you woke and I’m not, that shit ain’t no reason to talk like you better than me.” Noname herself responded to the song on Twitter, referencing the lyric “But, shit, it’s something about the queen tone that’s bothering me.” She later deleted the tweet. “Snow On Tha Bluff” marks Cole’s first official single since 2019’s “Middle Child.”
J. Cole Surprise Drops 'Snow On Tha Bluff' Single
J. Cole hasn’t appeared on any new music since Gang Starr’s “Family & Loyalty” single, which dropped last September. But on Tuesday (June 16), his hiatus ended when he dropped a surprise single called “Snow On Tha Bluff.”
Presumably inspired by the aftermath of the May 25 police killing of George Floyd, the slow, brooding track arrived on Spotify, TIDAL and YouTube in the form of a lyric video on Tuesday evening.
“Niggas be thinking I’m deep/intelligent fooled by college degree/My IQ is average/There’s a young lady out there she way smarter than me/I scrolled through her timeline in these wild times and I started to read/She mad at these crackers, she mad at these capitalists, mad at these murder police,” he raps in part. “She mad my niggas, she mad at our ignorance, she wear her heart on her sleeve/She mad at the celebrities, low key I’m assuming she talking bout me.”
“Snow On Tha Bluff” is produced by the Dreamville founder and Wu10 and is a solid indicator of where Cole’s head is right now.
The title for “Snow On Tha Bluff” comes from the 2011 documentary of the same name. Directed by Damon Russell, the film revolves around Atlanta “robbery boy” and crack dealer Curtis Snow who stole a camera from some college kids during a drug deal and used it to tell his life story.
Cole joined the Floyd protests in his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina late last month. Although he was more than willing to speak with fellow protestors, he asked that no one take photos of him so it wouldn’t “detract” from the primary message of the protests.
Since then, Cole has stayed vocal about current events. Earlier this month, he called the Minneapolis City Council’s plans to defund and disband the city’s police department “powerful.”
Listen to “Snow On Tha Bluff” via Spotify above or YouTube below. Keep scrolling for the lyrics courtesy of Genius.
[Verse]
Niggas be thinkin' I'm deep, intelligent, fooled by my college degree
My IQ is average, there's a young lady out there, she way smarter than me
I scrolled through her timeline in these wild times, and I started to read
She mad at these crackers, she mad at these capitalists, mad at these murder police
She mad at my niggas, she mad at our ignorance, she wear her heart on her sleeve
She mad at the celebrities, lowkey I be thinkin' she talkin' 'bout me
Now I ain't no dummy to think I'm above criticism
So when I see something that's valid, I listen
But shit, it's something about the queen tone that's botherin' me
She strike me as somebody blessed enough to grow up in conscious environment
With parents that know 'bout the struggle for liberation and in turn they provide her with
A perspective and awareness of the system and unfairness that afflicts 'em
And the clearest understandin' of what we gotta do to get free
And the frustration that fills her words seems to come from the fact that most people don't see
Just 'cause you woke and I'm not, that shit ain't no reason to talk like you better than me
How you gon' lead, when you attackin' the very same niggas that really do need the shit that you sayin'?
Instead of conveying you holier, come help get us up to speed
Shit, it's a reason it took like two hundred years for our ancestors just to get freed
These shackles be lockin' the mental way more than the physical
I look at freedom like trees, can't grow a forest like overnight
Hit the ghetto and slowly start plantin' your seeds
Fuck is the point of you preaching your message to those that already believe what you believe?
I'm on some "Fuck a retweet," most people is sheep
You got all the answers but how you gon' reach?
If I could make one more suggestion respectfully
I would say it's more effective to treat people like children
Understandin' the time and love and patience that's needed to grow
This change is inevitable but ain't none of us seen this before
Therefore we just gotta learn everything as we go
I struggle with thoughts on the daily
Feel like a slave that somehow done saved enough coins to buy his way up outta slavery
Thinkin' just maybe, in my pursuit to make life so much better for me and my babies
I done betrayed the very same people that look at me like I'm some kind of a hero
Because of the zeros that's next to the commas
But look here, I promise I'm not who you think
Ran into this nigga outside of the store yesterday
He said something that had me like, "Wait"
He was like "Cole, 'preciate what you been doin', my nigga, that's real"
But damn, why I feel faker than Snow on Tha Bluff?
Well, maybe 'cause deep down I know I ain't doing enough
[Bridge]
The sun is shinin' today
The sun is shinin' today
The sun is shinin' today
[Outro]
Can you walk with me?
I hope we'll find the reason why we often sob, go on, cry
Painful memories fuck up the vibe
Though I be tryin' to let the time heal my mind
I was once a child, I've gotten older
Still, I know I'm just a boy in God's eyes
Fill me up with wisdom and some courage
Plus endurance to survive, help mine thrive
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