Source: PYMCA / Getty
First things first, we are stopping short of calling the Noname and J. Cole situation a beef, although it can certainly be categorized as such. With the North Carolina rapper firing the first salvo with “Snow On Tha Bluff,” the Chicago rapper and activist returned fire with “Song 33” and addressed Cole with surgical precision while still centering Black liberation.
In the wake of long-deleted tweets, Noname called out rappers for not using their massive followings and platforms to call for reform and change. Most readily assumed the tweets were aimed at Cole and Kendrick Lamar and that theory may have been what sparked Cole to record his recent drop. While Cole never mentions Noname in the track, his clarification statement on Twitter cleared up any confusion and, in some circles, didn’t do him any favors.
For the past day or so, fans on Twitter have been both slamming Cole for, to paraphrase, police Noname’s tone as she continues to rally the troops while some said it could be the start of a conversation. If a response is what Cole wanted, then he got one that gave him a bit of the smoke but not an all-out spanking as some might portray, with Noname sounding right at home over the Madlib production.
From “Song 33”:
But n*ggas in the back quiet as a church mouse/Basement studio when duty calls to get the verse out/I guess the ego hurt now/It’s time to go to work, wow, look at him go/He really ’bout to write about me when the world is in smokes?/When it’s people in trees?/When George was beggin’ for his mother saying he couldn’t breathe/You thought to write about me?
The brief affair is over before it gets started, but not without Noname making certain to make mention of the tragic death of 19-year-old Oluwatoyin Salau, and the disturbing number of transwomen who have been violently killed as well.
On Twitter, Noname is currently trending with many declaring this a closed case. In a perfect world, this will be a spark for change in J. Cole to do the reading he admitted not to doing in his clarification statement and perhaps collaborating with Noname for something that truly benefits the whole.
Check out “Song 33” below.
—
Photo: Getty
Noname Surgically Drags J. Cole By The Dreadlocks On “Song 33” While Centering Black Liberation was originally published on hiphopwired.com
1.
NONAME
— jay (@JAYVERSACE) June 18, 2020
2.
noname responsed to the misogyny and of course niggas gone double down on the misogyny. We know how it go.
— Delenciaga (@Duhlency) June 18, 2020
3.
Between "my pussy wrote a thesis on colonialism" and "I got a demon on my shoulder its lookin like patriarchy"
— MFN {L} God 🐢 (@burnergod77) June 18, 2020
Noname has some of the best one liners in the game.
4.
So J Cole defends himself, admits he didn’t do enough, and called her a queen in his song and gets called a misogynist. NoName makes a diss on J Cole and is getting praised. Make it make sense pic.twitter.com/1q6Vthtpfi
— ❦ 𝔶𝔲𝔯𝔭𝔢/𝔪𝔬𝔱𝔩𝔢𝔶 ❦ 🧘🏾♂️ (@YurpeX) June 18, 2020
5.
The thing that makes it so much more brutal is that NoName has the voice of dew on a single leaf after a rainy morning, and she used it to express her disappointment in this man https://t.co/WPPO7s0r0N
— Zito (@_Zeets) June 18, 2020
6.
NoName didn’t even say no names with her tweet. Hit dog hollered and she ain’t back down.
— No Relation, Esq. (@TheCosby) June 18, 2020
7.
bruh noname kill you in a song sounding like rap tabitha brown you gotta just hold that L 😂😂
— 🌺 skkrrtt cobain (@tirhakahlove) June 18, 2020
8.
9.
J. Cole: "educate me don't belittle me
— Soldier in the Flo Militia (@justaudreyw) June 18, 2020
Noname: pic.twitter.com/z7pqtaJQvD
10.
All J.Cole did was give Noname free promo and a new audience lmfao. Men are dumb.
— Corsetta Devine (@evelynvwoodsen) June 18, 2020
11.
12.
Noname said pic.twitter.com/wnI1crH7I8
— 🌺 (@jusdrea_) June 18, 2020
13.
y’all the only ones beefing now, even j cole and noname have moved on lol.
— King Wow (@wowthatshiphop) June 18, 2020
14.
NoName dropped and now people saying, “this isn’t the time....”. Where was that energy a couple days ago? Hush your lip. Lmao
— Wanna (@WannasWorld) June 18, 2020
15.
“Why Toyin body don’t embody all the life she wanted?” — @noname
— Sylvia (@SylviaObell) June 18, 2020
16.
Noname on Song 33: pic.twitter.com/GcEDgKGjSC
— all in due time. ☀️ (@Sungizzle) June 18, 2020
17.
18.
Soon as NoName said “I saw a demon on my shoulder it’s looking like partriarchy...” I buckled up
— Black Big Lebowski (@LaJethroJenkins) June 18, 2020
19.
20.
The real difference to me between Noname’s track vs Cole’s is, as expected, she’s demonstrating an awareness of the movement we’re in, in this moment. It actually just makes his song even more disappointing.
— Cordova (@GNCordova) June 18, 2020
