'Snow on tha Bluff' controversy: Chance the Rapper slams J Cole for allegedly calling out Noname in the song
J Cole's new track, 'Snow on tha Bluff', which dropped on Tuesday night (June 16), is facing criticism for its politically charged lyrics. Chance the Rapper slammed Cole in a string of Twitter posts on June 17 for his lyrics widely assumed to be aimed at female rapper Noname. He wrote, “Yet another L for men masking patriarchy and gaslighting as contructive criticism (sic).”
After a fan took issue with his words, saying, "I know Noname ya peoples, and Cole did NOT read the room before dropping that.. but c’mon bro," Chance posted another tweet, noting that both Noname and Cole are his friends, but explained the reason behind his criticism. “They both my peoples but only one of them put out a whole song talking about how the other needs to reconsider their tone and attitude in order to save the world,” he told the fan, adding, “It’s not constructive and undermines all the work Noname has done. It’s not BWs job to spoon feed us. We grown.”
Chance rounded off his thoughts by adding, “Everybody’s argument on either side is, we can’t personally attack each other if we really want to see a revolution. I can agree with that and can apply it in my own life. I wish we could learn that w/o two artists I admire having a public dispute.” Although no specific person is named on the track, the lyrics are about a "young lady." Most listeners allege it to Noname due to her criticism of mainstream rappers' actions, or lack thereof, amid protests over the killing of George Floyd.
On June 17, although Cole didn't confirm his track is about Noname, he encouraged his Twitter followers to follow her. “Some assume to know who the song is about,” he wrote. “That’s fine with me, it’s not my job to tell anybody what to think or feel about the work. I accept all conversation and criticisms. But Let me use this moment to say this. Follow @noname. I love and honor her as a leader in these times. She has done and is doing the reading and the listening and the learning on the path that she truly believes is the correct one for our people."
Other tweets included, "I haven’t done a lot of reading and I don’t feel well equipped as a leader in these times. But I do a lot of thinking. And I appreciate her and others like her because they challenge my beliefs and I feel that in these times that’s important" and "We may not agree with each other but we gotta be gentle with each other."