“95.south” is the opening by J. Cole from his 2021 album ‘The Off-Season.’ On the track, J. Cole brags about his dominance at the top of the rap game and how he enjoys the perks that come along with it.
J. Cole announced his sixth studio album ‘The Off-Season‘ out of the blue as intended. The rapper only released an interlude from the album before the album release on May 14, 2021. This is J. Cole’s follow-up album to his 2018 project ‘KOD.’ Announcing the album, J. Cole said, the new album was years in the making.
J. Cole also has rapper Cam’ron on the chorus and outro of the track, although not mentioned as a feature. There are also several shout outs on this track to artists such as Nelly, Kelly Rowland, Kid Cuid, and Eric Clapton.
Listen to “95.south” by J. Cole
“95.south” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
Verse 1
J. Cole starts off strong. He says that the rap game has become too easy for him now. Almost all of his albums have gone Platinum in sales, meaning having more than 1 million copies sold. He also mocks artists who drop very lengthy albums (containing 30-odd tracks) that merely sell 100,000 copies. Meanwhile, J. Cole drops a 12-track album and it goes platinum. It is the quality of music that matters, rather than quantity.
The best line on the song probably is; “If I’m bettin’ on myself, then I’ll completely double down.” No matter the end result, make sure to believe in yourself and give your best at whatever you do.
He further motivates listeners by sing that you should work day and night until you reach your goals. “sleep is the cousin of death,” raps J. Cole. This line is also a homage to Nas’s “N.Y. State of Mind” track from 1994.
Finally, J. Cole nods to his past where he witnessed so much inhumane things. He raps that angels shed tears in Heaven seeing the disgraceful state of humanity in some instances. Following up on this, Cole shouts out to the legendary musician Eric Clapton and his song “Tears in Heaven” from 1992.
Verse 2
In the second verse of the song, J. Cole shouts out to a few notable artists. He mentions Nelly’s hit track “Dilemma” featuring Kelly Rowland, Kid Cudi, and possibly Eminem.
The majority of the verse is dedicated to talking about Cole’s competition, which he believes to be nonexistent. He says going against him is very bad for their health.
He ends the verse with an acknowledgment of police brutality against African Americans. He says the police are good at chalking the bodies of fallen Black men, which seems to be a pattern these days. However, Cole says that God is watching, and he is welcoming all those fallen brothers into his Kingdom.
Let us hear what you think about this song in the comments below. Find the complete lyrics to the song on Genius.