Was J Cole’s ‘False Prophets’ diss aimed at Kanye West?
J Cole has been one of the most renowned hip-hop artists in recent years. He’s a lyricist who has always taken his craft seriously. Unlike many other MCs who gained popularity in the early 2010s, Cole consistently released quality music during what many perceived as a lull in hip-hop culture. Some even saw it as a slight regression.
The 2010s was an exciting decade for Cole, who stood out when SoundCloud rappers and mumble rappers flooded the airwaves. To this day, it is hard to find meaningful yet not overly political and depressing hip-hop music, yet J Cole provided just that.
Like many rappers from the early 2010s, the North Carolina native came to prominence with mixtapes and eventually secured features under Jay-Z’s record label, Roc Nation. His second mixtape, The Warm Up, was of particular importance as it caught the eye of Jay-Z. Before long, the prodigy was on tracks with Wale and Talib Kweli and, as a part of the Roc Nation roster, even featured on Jay-Z’s 2009 album The Blueprint Three.
Still, as expected, during these early days, he wasn’t much of an aggressive emcee. Unlike other MCs, he chose to actively avoid controversy and feuds, especially on social media. This behavioural approach was key to his success, as he was an unproblematic collaborator who was, before long, ubiquitous.
That said, as he grew and carved out his own lane, he also began to gain adversaries, some more important than others. While it is not unusual to have hecklers like Soulja Boy on the sidelines calling your name for attention, sometimes people of stature address you, and you must reply.
Since the beginning of his career, J Cole has never tended to call out another musician directly in his music. Instead, he has always chosen to insinuate, implicate, and give subtle hints, letting his fans infer what he is attempting to say and to whom. Although he addressed Nas by name in his song ‘Let Nas Down,’ it wasn’t a diss track. It was an apology in all but name.
However, Cole has released what many would consider diss tracks. One of his most respected and arguably his best is ‘False Prophets.’ The 2016 track was meant to appear on his sixth studio album, The Fall Off, but now lives as a stray single in his catalogue.
‘False Prophets’ uses an iconic hip-hop beat that was first released as a smooth hip-hop beat by Freddie Joachim entitled ‘Waves’. The instrumental was then used by Joey Bada$$ in 2012 for his 1999 mixtape. Cole then used it in 2016 to address the now-infamously problematic Kanye West.
The track takes direct shots at West. For example, referencing Kanye’s self-aggrandising comments about being a genius, Cole raps, “He’s fallin’ apart, but we deny it / Justifying that half-ass shit he dropped, we always buy it / When he tell us he a genius, but it’s clearer lately / It’s been hard for him to look into the mirror lately.”
He also insinuates that hip-hop culture was “egging on” Kanye’s antics, as he rhymes, “Well, fuck it, what’s more important is he’s cryin’ out for help / While the world’s eggin’ him on, I’m beggin’ him to stop it / Playin’ his old shit, knowin’ he won’t top it.”
Many say the track has remained true to this day, especially considering the track was released before Kanye’s divorce from Kim Kardashian and all the ensuing mess. Although it’s not known if it is an official diss against Kanye, most heard it as a opaque but undeniably Ye-focused song.