J. Cole is responding following the release of his new song “Snow on Tha Bluff.”

On the politically-charged track, his first release of 2020, the Dreamville rapper speaks about the discourse surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement and his reaction to seeing tweets from a “young lady” who is using her platform to educate about systemic racism. There was speculation that he was referring to rapper and activist Noname, which he confirmed.

“Morning. I stand behind every word of the song that dropped last night,” tweeted Cole.

While he was praised by some for speaking his mind, he also received backlash from others who deemed his tone as misogynistic and didn’t find it appropriate to criticize a Black woman’s activism in the midst of nationwide protests.

But despite the controversy, Cole is standing behind his words. “Right or wrong I can’t say, but I can say it was honest,” he said, while welcoming the criticism.

“Some assume to know who the song is about. 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,” he added.

He encouraged his followers to follow Noname on Twitter. “I love and honor her as a leader in these times,” he tweeted. “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. Meanwhile a ni**a like me just be rapping.”

He admits that he struggles with activism himself, but is open to dialogue. “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.”

While he may not agree with her approach, he hopes they can learn from each other. “We may not agree with each other but we gotta be gentle with each other,” said Cole.

Noname has not responded directly to Cole. After the song was released, she tweeted and deleted: “QUEEN TONE!!!!!!”