21 Savage - a lot Ft. J. Cole (Lyrics Review and Song Meaning)

21 Savage gets into a confessional mode in his latest breakout track “a lot” featuring J. Cole. The trippy beat and some flawless verses by both artists make this song something to remember.

“a lot” appears in 21 Savage’s second studio album titled ‘i am > i was’ released on December 21st, 2018. It is the first track on the album and gives an intro to the entire theme of the album, which roughly stands to mean how he has moved forward in life. The album title ‘i am > i was’ stands to mean that his current state (“i am”) is better/bigger (mathematical symbol “>” where anything on the open end is bigger than the closed end) than his past state (“i was”). He could be talking about his personal life, musical career or state of mind.

21 Savage speaks about having a lot of enemies, having to do a lot of dirty business, having to survive, and going through heartbreaks in his journey of self-progress. J. Cole joins on the track to back 21 Savage, as he raps about his struggles in making it out as an artist.

Listen to “a lot” by 21 Savage and J. Cole

Download “a lot” Song on iTunes and Amazon

Buy ‘i am > i was’ Album on iTunes and Amazon

Lyrics Review and Song Meaning of “a lot”

In 21 Savage’s lyrics on this track, we hear him talking to himself about the diverse alleys of curses and blessings in his life. Being a prominent artist in hip-hop makes you a target for every other artist in the industry.

21 Savage has many questions to himself. He expresses that he had a lot of people who doubted him, who prayed for his failure, who undercut him and his work, and even who literally shot him.

21 Savage has a history of being in red waters with the police due to gun possession. So it is highly likely that it is true when he says he has been shot and he has shot other people in “a lot” lyrics. An article claims that 21 Savage was shot 6 times on his 21st birthday-talk about getting shot a lot!!!

21 also reflects on him-his relationships. He admits that he has cheated a lot in the past. He also admits that his significant others have given him too many chances. However, he seems to be better now as J. Cole mentions in this song.

Verse 1/2

21 Savage also talks about his loyalty to his brothers in this new song. He emphasizes that he would rather be in jail or dead than be rich if it comes to snitching on his crew.

21 talks about the loss of his brother-Tayman at a drug deal gone wrong. He also lost his best friend-Johnny at 21’s birthday party after being shot in the head by gang related assailants. 21 Savage was also shot 6 times during the shoot out.

All these traumatic events led to 21 Savage becoming the ‘street thug’ he is today. Society made him who he is today.

J. Cole’s Verses on “a lot”

J. Cole salutes 21 for being a stand up guy at the beginning of his verses on this collaboration. Cole reminds of his visit to the studio to work on this track and finding 21 with his two kids in the studio. So despite the traumatic upbringing 21 had, he is a family man committed to both music and personal life.

In latter verses, J. Cole exposes the dirty business of the music streaming world-using loops to extend song play times and using robotics to manipulate song streams. All of these generate more streams and more revenue to the artists.

J. Cole goes on to speak of the poor quality of music in the industry right now. Most artists focus on bragging about their wealth, which Cole says he was never into. He hopes that the fans would realize it on their own, but that also had not come true.

Controversial artist Tekashi 6ix9ine gets a shout out from Cole in this song. Cole questions Tekashi if he is happy about the controversies that he had to put up to rise to fame in the music industry. Tekashi was arrested multiple times for gun possession and is currently serving a sentence being arrested in November 2018.

Lastly, Cole speaks to his fans. Cole’s 2018 album ‘KOD’ might not have lived up to its predecessor ‘2014 Forest Hills Drive‘ released in 2014. So J. Cole talks to the fans assuring that he has a plan and will come back with bigger and better music in the years to come.

J. Cole is on a journey to be ‘one of the greatest who did it (music).’

21 Savage and J. Cole together delivers us some motivation and sheds some light into their personal lives in ” a lot.”

Did you enjoy this collab by 21 and Cole? Let us hear what you think about this song, lyrics and what this song means to you in the comments below.