Earlier this week, rapper J. Cole released a new song called “Snow On Tha Bluff” that expresses his feelings and insecurities about the current surge of activism around Black Lives Matter—which is fine, except the track takes more time criticizing an unnamed woman for the “queen tone” of her tweets than it does supporting the cause. The woman is widely believed to be Chicago MC Noname, who took the higher ground last night and responded to J. Cole by pointing out all the more important things he should be thinking about rather than policing her tone.
The song, “Song 33,” is only a minute and nine seconds long, and it doesn’t waste a second of that running time. “I saw a demon on my shoulder/ It’s looking like patriarchy,” she begins, kicking off a passionate cry for justice for Black Lives Matter activist Oluwatoyin Salau and freedom from violence for Black women everywhere. “One girl missing, another one go missing,” she raps, calling out Black men for their silence on the murders of Black women over a Madlib-produced beat.
“When George was begging for his mother, saying he couldn’t breathe/ You thought to write about me?,” she adds; “Little did I know all my reading would be a bother/ It’s trans women being murdered and this is all he can offer?” It’s an invigorating combination of an answer song and a political call to action, and you can hear it and read its lyrics below.
“Looking for ways to advocate for Black lives? Check out this list of resources by our sister site Lifehacker for ways to get involved.”