Noname Releases First 2020 Single, “Song 33”, Hits Back at J. Cole

Noname releases her first song in over a year as "Song 33" references the deaths of George Floyd and Toyin Salau and hits back at supposed J. Cole shades thrown at her earlier Thursday, June 18.

"Song 33," performed by Noname and produced by Madlib, lasts for a little over a minute. "Oh, I have ambitions, dreams./ But dreams don't come cheap," the song begins. She then narrates Salau's story, "Why Toyin body don't embody all the life she wanted?/ A baby just nineteen/ I know I dream all black/ I seen her everything, immortalizing, tweets all caps./ They say they found her dead."

The lyrically-packed "Song 33" then started throwing punches in J. Cole's direction. "But ni**as in the back quiet as a church mouse/ Basement studio when duty calls to get the verse out." Without mentioning any names, the Bronzeville, Chicago native continued: "I guess the ego hurt now." Noname added: "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?" She then asked the subject of her bars that When George Floyd called for his mother, saying he could not breathe, the unnamed man still thought to write about her.

A Response to "Snow on Tha Bluff"

Noname's response to J. Cole after the North Carolina rapper released his surprise track "Snow on Tha Bluff" Tuesday, June 16. In the track, Cole tackles racism and police brutality. Also, he used the track to explain his insecurities about speaking out at this time.

Unfortunately, people alleged that he was throwing shade at the female rapper with his lines. "My IQ is average, there's a young lady out there, she way smarter than me." He also rapped: "Just 'cause you woke and I'm not, that s**t ain't no reason to talk like you better than me."

"I'm on some "F**k a retweet," most people is sheep./ You got all the answers but how you gon' reach?" J. Cole also added in the track, further fueling speculations. Back in May, Noname wrote in a now-deleted tweet: "Poor black folks all over the country are putting their bodies on the line in protest for our collective safety and y'all favorite top selling rappers not even willing to put a tweet up,"

J. Cole Doubles Down, Calls Noname a "Leader"

Cole has addressed the controversy on Twitter. He said that he stands every word he said in the track. He also admitted to not doing a lot of reading and that he doesn't "feel well equipped as a leader in these times." J. Cole then said that he appreciates "her and others like her" because they challenge his beliefs, stressing its importance.

He also urged his 13.4M followers on the social media platform to follow Noname. Cole said that he loves and honors the rapper as a leader in these times. He further explained that she is doing the things she believes is the correct for their people. "Meanwhile a ni**a like me just be rapping."

While Cole has already attempted to defuse the situation, he's still not off the hook. Chance the Rapper, who has previously collaborated with both artists, also weighed in on the issue via Twitter, June 17. He said that though both of them were "my peoples," Chance thought that only one of them put out a song about how the other one has to reconsider their tone.

Listen to Noname's "Song 33" below:

Tags

J. Cole, Chance The Rapper, Hip hop