Yeah, the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope A house of cards, built on a bedrock of paradox, Cole’s psychoanalysis of his self-concept reveals the wedge between his two personas - the black success, the black role model, the black dream - and the black stereotype, slinging dope, wearing chains, and never escaping the black condition.I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope Cole’s argues of his innocence - all to subtly admit guilt. Cole is in fact, ‘sellin’ dope,’ in the line ‘well motherf***** I am // I am.’ Throughout the song, J. Cole’s visions of sanctuaries and black empowerment, is seen in the reluctant admittance that J. This second identity, contradictory to J. Cole who defeat the stereotypes are stuck wondering who they really are, discouraged by the promise of a better society for their people in light of the first black presidency. In a society imposing a racial profile on all black Americans, those such as J. Cole provides an anecdotal explanation for Du Bois’ concept of double-consciousness. The stereotypes repressing successful, ‘clean’ black rappers such as J. “No evidence of the harm we done // just a couple of neighbors that assume we slang // only time they see us we be on the news in chains, damn.” He ironically is guilty of crimes, ending his second verse by cleverly assessing his ‘crime’: His lines, “even when your crib sit on a lake // even when the President jam your tape” implies Cole’s awareness of the inability of his money or success to transcend fundamental racial prejudices.
#J cole neighbors skin#
Here, Cole acknowledges his social deficiency - his skin color. “Some things you can’t escape // death, taxes, and a ra- // -cist society that make // every nigga feel like a candidate // for a trayvon kinda fate // even when your crib sit on a lake // even when your plaques hang on a wall // even when the President jam your tape” The police found nothing, but the incident inspired this meta-aware track, assessing the damages of 21st century social repression. However, on March 18th, 2016 a SWAT team raided the ‘sheltuh’ after Cole’s neighbors suspected he was dealing dope. “That’s why I moved away, I needed privacy // surrounded by the trees and Ivy League // Students that’s recruited highly // Thinkin’ ‘You do you, and I do me”‘Ĭole’s last project, 2014 Forrest Hills Drive, is affectionately named after the home. “I been buildin’ me a house // back home in the South, ma // won’t believe what it’s costin’ // and it’s fit for a king, right? // or a nigga that could sing” Cole’s repurchased childhood home in Forrest Hills, North Carolina, nicknamed the ‘sheltuh.’ Cole boasts of his refurbished sanctuary, dropping five bars:
The chorus of the song, echoing “I guess the neighbors think I’m selling dope,” refers to an incident that occurred at J. Cole, the modern black artist, questioning the so-called “integration” of Black America, instead grimly endorsing a return of his people’s culture.īuilt on an transcending, addictive electric playground, opposing looming bass beats, the track showcases Dreamville at it’s best production value. Cole’s nostalgic album “4 Your Eyez Only,” Neighbors is an unmistakable realization - one that leaves J. Du Bois’ concept of double-consciousness. Neighbors, an unforgettable testament to the prizes and perils of a black man’s success, struggles explicitly in its’ subconscious effort to capture the dichotomy of W.E.
For Rhetoric and Civic Life II, I plan to write rap song reviews for my passion blog.