Adults often consider the music that the younger generation listens to as “noise” or “racket.” They argue that certain genres poison the minds of the youth. Adults criticized the anti-war protest sounds of John Lennon and complained about the drug references made by the now-classic rock bands Guns ‘N’ Roses or the Rolling Stones. While the genres have evolved over time, the criticism has remained constant. Rock and roll has recently been dethroned as the most widely listened to music genre by hip-hop. Rappers are known for their explicit lyrics and raunchy behavior. The most popular hip-hop artists are criticized for making music that glorifies blatantly promiscuous behavior, the frivolous spending of their new-found fortunes, and a laissez-faire attitude about drug use. The subject matter that rappers address that seems to be left in the dark is the commentary on social injustices such as racism and discrimination. Hip-hop artist Jermaine Cole uses his lyrics and his large following to promote awareness about the racism and discrimination that occurs in today’s society. His music paired with his music videos demonstrate the undeniable truth that racial injustice is not only present but is very much prominent in society today. He uses his power to provide relevant information to his fanbase.
In J. Cole’s most recent album, his song, “Neighbors,” alludes to an incident that had occurred in March of 2016. At his rented house in North Carolina that the artist’s label uses as a studio, the SWAT team raided the property after neighbors called accusing Cole of using the house to make and deal drugs. In the end, no drugs were found at the estate. Footage of the event is available for public viewing on YouTube, accompanied by the song playing in the background. Research done by Johnson and King (2017) concluded that Blacks are perceived as more threatening in appearance than Whites, and are also more likely to be sentenced to prison when tried for a criminal offense. That being said, it is clear that stereotypes are relied upon in the decision making processes of the criminal justice system which leads to flawed accusations and unfair treatment of Blacks. The habit of basing assumptions off of stereotypes is what led the SWAT team to wrongfully raid Cole’s property that is in the midst of a predominantly white neighborhood. Throughout the song, Cole makes several references to the shooting of Trayvon Martin that had occurred due to the same wrongful assumptions made due to racially-based suspicion by his neighbor who followed Trayvon while on the phone with 911, then shot him shortly after the phone call ended. (Dahl, 2013) The news of the event spurred much controversy after George Zimmerman, Martin’s neighbor, was released. Addressing this incident with a murky racist motivation, Cole paints a clear picture of how prominent racism is in today’s society and how quickly society will reject the notion that an event has underlying racial prejudice and discrimination.
In contrast to the lively and verbose stylings of the majority of J. Cole’s music, his song “Be Free” is backed up by a somber beat and contains zero rapping. Cole shifts between moments of him singing and a spoken account of the shooting of an unarmed Michael Brown by his friend Dorian Johnson. In response to the shooting and the protests that ensued as a result, in Ferguson, Missouri x, Cole released this song as a call for action in favor of eradicating America’s long-standing racism and discrimination and police brutality that occurs as a response to them. The artist made his feelings about the tragedy crystal clear and publicly known. In doing so, Cole’s fanbase is exposed to the perspective of a well-respected black icon and hears his personal outrage about the details of the situation. While prejudice is always interpersonal, discrimination can be either interpersonal or institutional. (Lyubansky, 2017) In the bridge, Cole sang, “ Are we all alone, fighting on our own.” This lyrics calls to attention the fact that the population is supposed to view the police as protectors and people who keep them safe; however, Blacks are about half as likely to have a positive opinion of police treatment. In a tweet, Cole revealed that he believes that the incident could have just as easily involved him or a loved one, and he points out that society has become desensitized to unjustness such as the shooting of Michael Brown. (Payne, 2014)
On Cole’s most recent album, he put out another song that addresses the subject of the cycle of violence and issues with the law in black communities. As J. Cole mentioned in his tweet, that the shooting in Ferguson could have just as easily been him or a loved one, his song “Change” is a remembrance of his friend James McMillan Jr. (name was changed for privacy reasons) who was murdered at the age of 22 years old. For the duration of the song, Cole addresses numerous stereotypes associated with Blacks, and he criticizes the White prejudice that comes along with them. He notes that, despite what some white people assume,God understands “the ignorance that make a n**** take his brother life. The bitterness and pain that got him beating on his wife.” Cole blatantly refutes the assumption that the lifestyle that some individuals live in the black community is wrong, and will lead them to eternal damnation. His refutation demonstrates the privilege of the white population in which they do not understand and look down upon the hardships that pressures Blacks to live a life that is encompassed by violence and crime. In the outro, he uses a typical funeral procession backed up by violent mutterings by James’ loved ones to illustrate how the circle of violence is never broken because the first thought of loved ones is to avenge the death of the ones they have lost. At the end of the final verse and into the outro of the song, Cole utilizes a generic news broadcast recording . The statement did not include James’ name or even location, but it did mention his race and socioeconomic standing. This calls to attention the desensitization that has occurred in today’s society to a black man’s death.
It is clear that many of J. Cole’s songs cover the topics of maltreatment of the black population, and also his discontent with his transformation since his becoming famous. In “Fire Squad,” Cole’s commentary on the white appropriation of hip-hop culture metamorphoses through the stages of the Racial Identity Development Model. Although he never expresses a preference for the dominant culture values (conformity stage), Cole fluctuates from questioning beliefs of the conformity stage (dissonance stage) to accepting that all cultures have acceptable and unacceptable aspects (integrative awareness stage). (Lyubansky, 2017). In the beginning of the song, the artist establishes that he is the “King” of the rap industry, and that other artists are either not good enough to survive in the industry or are to caught up in the lifestyle to put in the necessary effort. By the third verse, Cole gives several examples of white artists who overtook predominantly black genres such as how, “Elvis did with Rock n Roll” or how Eminem and Macklemore did with rap. He later realizes that his fear of the white artists taking over the hip-hop genre stems from his lack of knowledge of their perspectives. Cole then ends the song by recognizing the racial differences, but acknowledges that despite their external differences “deep down every poet just wanna be loved.”(Cole, 2014). The evolution of Cole’s opinions toward the white appropriation of hip-hop music is very telling of American society’s biases between the ingroup and outgroup of racially different rappers. “Respondents voice their pride in the more inclusive nature they perceive to exist within the UK’s rap scene, and its ‘open door’ policy in terms of colour. The underlying fact that white rap artists in America have a certain stigma still attached to them, even post-Eminem, is one of the predominant factors for a distance in association.” (Laidlaw, 2011).
On one of his most popular songs, “G.O.M.D. (Get Off My D**k),” Cole establishes his authority as the king of the rap game on the West Coast, but he also explains how he pays the price for his fame. Throughout the song, his frame of mind about his fame transitions from positive to negative. In the midst of his introspection, he also criticizes the stereotypes related to black hip-hop artists. He realizes how much he has changed since he made it big with his music and how he is ashamed of what he has become. In their analysis of the music of two Zimbabwean rappers, Ncube and Chipfupa (2017) found that scholars concluded that individuals not involved in “street culture” concur that rap music is “more like a sonic jackhammer, a visual eyesore, and a conceptual nuisance [and] often call hip-hop materialistic, misogynistic, homophobic, racist, vulgar, and violent. It’s a hot mess […]” Cole’s lyrics explicitly address these stereotypes and scrutinize other rappers for feeding into these stereotypes. He sets himself apart from the rest of the hip-hop artist community by mocking the common themes of popular rap songs such as violence and degrading women. Going even further, he uses lyrics from old school rap songs to do so. In the same light, Cole also expresses his disdain towards his new persona that came along with his success and fame. In the second verse of this song, he discloses that when he visits home he does not want people to see how he has changed, and he wishes to go back to the old Jermaine Cole instead of “J. Cole.” In doing this, Cole challenges the stereotypes given to the entire rap artist community and the genre itself.
Aside from the lyrics themselves, “G.O.M.D.”’s music video also addresses the racism that is ingrained in American society. Portraying a house slave for a white family, Cole’s character spurs a revolution among the other domestic slaves and the family members. While the video clearly displays the rigid hierarchy between blacks and whites in society, the artist made his racial regard known to MTV by explaining that he intended for the video to be perceived as a call for unity within the black community in itself. (Markman, 2015). Cole sees a hierarchical organization among members of the black community based on their skin tone. By publicizing his viewpoint, he brings a type of in-group discrimination to the forefront. This points out how prejudice and discrimination are not exclusive to interracial attitudes and behaviors. With this in mind, his listeners gain insight into the overlooked problem within this minority race and have a foundation laid out for them to begin building a more unified community to combat interracial oppression.
Over the years, hip-hop music has been stirred up a great deal of trans-generational controversy, chiefly among teenagers and their parents. A common viewpoint is that the lyrics of hip-hop songs promote bad values and behavior. The fact of the matter is that other genres glorify the same frowned-upon lifestyle that is closely tied to rap music. J. Cole’s music detoxifies the minds of his listeners by shattering the stereotype that rappers only have a negative influence on their young listeners. His music opens his fans’ eyes to the reality of the black community’s struggle and how he is no stranger to the oppression that is instilled upon black individuals. Other leading hip-hop artists such as Logic and Kendrick Lamar are starting to have their music discuss racial inequality. The “noise,” as some may refer to it, has a voice, and that voice is raising consciousness and speaking out against the maltreatment of the minority communities of society.