It's been just about five days since J. Cole unleashed his new KOD album, and fans are still talking about the project's bookend, "1985 (Intro to 'The Fall Off')," a lecture of a track that's seemingly rubbed a few burgeoning rap stars the wrong way. Speaking with the folks at Vulture, Jermaine didn't back down from the lyrics, saying that if those artists in question were offended by the track it's because its message applied to them.

“It’s really a ‘shoe fits’ situation — several people can wear that shoe,” Cole tells the music publication of "1985," which finds the rapper explaining to an imaginary younger rapper the many pitfalls of being blooming rap star living off trends.

He continues, “Why you yelling at your show? You must feel attacked in some kind of way, must feel offended, and if you feel offended, then that means something rings true, something struck a chord. That’s cool with me. That’s all I ever want to do.”

Cole didn't name any of the artists he's heard might be offended by his new song, but he does allude to rappers shouting about him at their shows. While it's unclear who started the chant, fans at a recent Smokepurpp concert in Atlanta did shout "Fuck J. Cole" during Purpp's performance.

For his part, Lil Pump, who initially appeared to throw some shade at the rapper on Instagram, thanked Cole "for all the clout." He hasn't said anything else about the matter, but it doesn't seem as if Cole would see any additional responses as anything but him doing a good job.

A bit later on in the interview Cole explains that, outside of hip-hop's top three artists, the most popular rappers are "exaggerated versions of Black stereotypes."

“Extremely tatted up," Cole begins in his list of traits the most popular rap up and comers share with each other. "Colorful hair. Flamboyant. Brand names. It’s caricatures, and still the dominant representation of black people, on the most popular entertainment format for black people, period.”

If you want to get a more detailed picture of the sorts of folks Cole's talking about, check out KOD for yourself.

 

See Fans React to J. Cole’s Advice to New Wave Rappers on “1985 - (Intro to ‘The Fall Off’)”

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