Odd Future alum Earl Sweatshirt is one of many rappers commenting on J. Cole’s controversial “Snow On Tha Bluff” single, which arrived on Tuesday night (June 17). Around the same time Chika was laying into her “favorite rapper” for Cole’s perceived “tone deaf” response to Noname, Earl was throwing in his two cents as well.
“Multiple truths baby lets go this aint even complicated,” he tweeted. “Lol before I get grouped in to anything let me state that first truth of many is that the shit was just corny… It would b like on one of the nights following big floyds death if a white rapper (one that ppl like) made a ‘im uneducated on ur plight’ track it just taste bad lol.”
Earl then insinuated maybe the expectations fans have for Cole and other celebrities are too high. At the same time, he pointed out Cole’s transparency.
“what if yall are mad at yourselves that you look to cole for more than he has to give?” he added. “bro just laid his cards down on the table ‘i went to college, i dont know stuff’ and he’s alot of niggas elected representative.”
Ultimately, Earl knows the problem is bigger than Noname’s initial tweet, which stated, “poor black folks all over the country are putting their bodies on the line in protest for our collective safety and y’all favorite top selling rappers not even willing to put a tweet up. niggas whole discographies be about black plight and they no where to be found.”
When someone tried to chastise people for telling Cole to “read the room,” Earl replied, “bro the room isn’t just him responding to nonames tweet. the room is Oluwatoyin’s world where the lid has just been lifted alot of black womens searing pain.
“its abt awareness of who she is and what she represents and awareness who he is and what he represents and the lack of it.”
[Editor’s note: Oluwatoyin Salau is the 19-year-old Black Lives Matter activist who was found dead in Tallahassee, Florida earlier this week.]
Noname’s initial sentiments echo CNN anchor Don Lemon who called out multiple celebrities for not using their massive platforms for important social justice issues, something Dave Chappelle dismissed in his 8:46 special.
“Yes, I’m calling you out, and you can be mad at me all you want,” Lemon said. “And what they’re doing, you’re sitting there and watching TV and you’re bitching about it … Get on television or do something and help these young people instead of sitting in your mansions and doing nothing. And have some moral courage and stop worrying about your reputation and your brand.”
“By me calling you out by name, that doesn’t mean I’m calling you out,” he added. “That means I love you Ellen, that mean I love you Oprah. And I know they give millions of dollars to charity every year but I mean your visibility in helping speak out for these people, these young kids. That’s what I’m talking about. I want to see you Tyler Perry, I want to see you Drake, I want to see you, my friend Anthony Anderson. I want to see you Diddy, out there, doing this. I want to see you out there fighting for this.”
Cole has since responded to the backlash from “Snow On Tha Bluff,” stating he “stands by every word” he said in the song. Nevertheless, Twitter is still trying to cancel both Cole and Kendrick Lamar (on his birthday no less).
Check out “Snow On Tha Bluff” below.