If you’ve been following the world of hip-hop lately or reading GlobalGrind these past few weeks, you may have noticed how important June 18 was to hip-hop.
Why?
Because J. Cole’s Born Sinner and Kanye West’s Yeezus both hit stores nationwide. The North Carolina native bravely decided to battle Kim Kardashian’s baby daddy, pitting the success of Born Sinner against Yeezus.
Although Cole challenged Kanye on general success and sales, popularity wasn’t the only thing on Cole’s agenda when fighting Kanye; race and prejudice was a definite topic of discussion – one of ‘Ye’s favorites. But can Cole battle with Kanye? Let’s see…
J. Cole lyrically becomes a beast on Born Sinner. He created the monstrous track: “Runaway Pride,” which gave Kanye’s “Black Skinhead” a run for its money.
The St. John’s graduate proved that he probably excelled in history class, as he purposely added a personal anecdote to the track, name-dropping the 3/5th compromise, which declared that black slaves were just three fifths of a person.
“Basis, my manager back in the day was racist/I was a young boy, passing skates and tucking laces/Old perverted white man who told me: ‘Jermaine it’s all pink inside, fuck what color their face is’ Wise words from an indecent man/ Made me reflect on the times when we was three-fifths of them.”
Jermaine also raps about why his granny’s pigmentation is as light as it is. He took it back to the plantation days, where women of color (i.e. slaves) where sexually assaulted by their white slave masters:
“In chains and powerless, brave souls reduced to cowardice/Slaving in the baking sun for hours just/ To see the master creep into the shack where your lady at/9 Months later got a baby, that’s/Not quite what you expected, but you/Refuse to neglect it, cause you/Know your wifey love you, does you refuse to accept it?/That’s the type of shit that tell why my granny light-skinned.”
Every single lyric touches a different sentiment, which opens up every tangible feeling, creating a visual image that allows one to see what life as a slave was like.
Kanye West “Black Skinhead”
Most can argue West did his thing on the first verse of “Black Skinheads.” Describing what happens on the daily, West is simply stating or spitting the dark truth that haunts blacks and minorities alike in America today, by putting emphasis on the crime rate in Chicago’s South Side, and pointing out how religious institutions react to the harsh voice of Yeezus.
“Middle America packed in/Came to see me in my black skin/Number one question they asking/Fuck every question you asking/If I don’t get ran out by Catholics/Here comes some conservative Baptists/Claiming I’m overreacting/Like them black kids in Chiraq bitch”
Kanye did well, But J. Cole took it a step-further; he mentioned our history’s dark past and how it shines light on today’s harsh reality, the black community and different ethnic groups we live in. Cole didn’t hold any bars, instead he spit them, and got them far into people’s minds and hearts, causing one to question what their skin color truly means in America.
J.Cole “Villuminati”
The battle isn’t over; J. Cole keeps fighting back, this time with the first track on the record, “Villuminati.”
On the second verse, Cole describes how it took a black president to say sorry to the Japanese and stresses the question: who will be sorry for the African-American race?
“So, Back with this pen to give back for my sins/Took a black president to tell the Japanese sorry/But who the fuck gon’ tell my niggas sorry/Never seen his pops cause he’s sorry/Fuck the education/Would ask for reparations”
Kanye West “New Slaves”
Yeezus also makes a strong statement regarding the differences of a poor black person and a rich one, illustrating how his mother couldn’t have clean water because of her skin color.
“My momma was raised in the era when/Clear water was only served to the fairer skin/Doing clothes you would have thought I had help/But they wasn’t satisfied unless I picked the cotton myself/You see its broke nigga racism/ That’s that ‘Don’t touch anything in the store'”
Mr. West also addresses rich black people, who are all doomed to fit into this false stereotype of wanting name brands, luxury cars, and fur coats.
“And this rich nigga racism/That’s that “Come in, please buy more/What you want, a Bentley, Fur Coat? A diamond chain?/All you blacks want all the same things”/Used to be only niggas now everybody playing/Spending everything on Alexander Wang/New Slaves”
J.Cole “Chaining Day”
The Fayetteville native also talks about the stereotypes and prejudices placed on black people in regards to their economic status. Cole notes that what a poor black person is satisfied with, a white affluent person just laughs at, emphasizing the fixation most black folks have on religious inspired jewelry.
“Ice on this white Jesus seem a little unholy/The real strange thing about this iced out Rolly/It’s the same shit a broke black nigga get gassed at/The same shit a rich white mo’fucka laugh at”
Kanye West “Blood On The Leaves”
Kanye titled this song after one of Billie Holiday’s lyrics on her song “Strange Fruit,” about the lynching of black people. In the intro of the song we hear Nina Simone sing:
“Strange Fruit hanging from the poplar trees/Blood on the leaves”
Those two lines speak louder than the whole song. Kanye killed it in this one.
But who do you think wins the racial discussion battle – who really made you think? Let us know in the comment section below.
