Wale Responds to J. Cole on 'Groundhog Day'
Wale responds.
After hearing what many perceived as a J. Cole diss towards him on “False Prophets,” the D.C. rapper addresses the controversy on the Jake One-produced “Groundhog Day.”
From the outset, the MMG spitter refers to the Cole track by name. “I know since I got my deal and his shit got real, I ain’t been the easiest ni**a to deal with,” he explains. “I’m heavily flawed, but far from a false prophet.”
After alluding to depression, Percocet usage, anxiety, and a bipolar disorder diagnosis, Wale reflects on his relationship with Jermaine. “I remember me and Cole would open for Hov,” he raps. “Everyday a star is born, I guess I died in the womb / I ain’t make it on Blueprint, so made me a blueprint / You got you a nice watch, my minutes was finished / I was lost at Interscope.”
Things get deeper as Wale recalls being suicidal after reading a Kid Cudi interview. “Thoughts of suicide ’cause who gon’ want you alive / When ni**as you used to ride with cry with all that high shit / Talking down in they interviews / I ain’t forget that, Scott / Only difference is I didn’t get no sympathy calls to get back up.”
This is a callback to a 2010 Complex interview in which Cudder said: “People like Wale get mad that ‘Ye ain’t give him no beats—’Ye ain’t give you no beats because we ain’t fucking with your raps. It’s not a conspiracy theory. We don’t fuck with you musically, so we’re not going to provide music for you.”
Back to “Groundhog Day,” Wale explains that he’s “so grateful for that inspiration” on “False Prophets.” “It hit home ’cause there’s some truth,” he raps, before confirming this with a shoutout: “I love my brother though / That’s why it’s rest in peace to Tommy, we still bumpin’ Cole.”
On the outro, Wale sends another friendly message to Cole: “I’ll see you at the game, bro.” Sure enough, the MMG rapper lived up to his word, posting a video of himself and Jermaine at a basketball game shortly after the track was released.
https://twitter.com/Wale/status/805171490350133248
Speculation about Cole’s “False Prophets” was rampant following its release in the North Carolina MC’s Eyez documentary. In it, Jermaine raps about a friend who “wants to win bad” but constantly complains about how “ni**as don’t fuck with him.” “You too anxious livin’ life,” he adds. “Always worried about the critics.” Fans have also suggested that the song’s first verse — also filled with thinly-veiled raps — might be about Kanye West and/or Drake.
Cole’s 4 Your Eyez Only is due Dec. 9, while Wale is readying his album S.H.I.N.E. for 2017.