1985
J. Cole Lyrics

19-motherfuckin' 1985, I arrived
J. Cole is reflecting on his age and how he's made it this far.

33 years, damn, I'm grateful I survived
He's expressing gratitude for making it to the age of 33.

We wasn't s'posed to get past 25
J. Cole acknowledges that many people in his position aren't meant to live this long.

Jokes on you motherfucker, we alive
He's glad that he, and others like him, have lived long enough to prove the haters wrong.

All these niggas popping now is young
He's acknowledging that many popular rappers are young and inexperienced.

Everybody say the music that they make is dumb
People often criticize the young rappers' music.

I remember I was 18
J. Cole is reminiscing about his own youth.

Money, pussy, parties, I was on the same thing
He admits to being caught up in the same things that many young rappers are caught up in now.

You gotta give a boy a chance to grow some
Young rappers should be given a chance to learn and grow.

Everybody talkin' like they know somethin' these days
People are acting like they have all the answers nowadays.

Niggas actin' woke, but they broke, umm
People who claim to be socially aware are often not financially successful.

I respect the struggle but you all frontin' these days
J. Cole respects the struggles of others, but feels that many people are putting on a front.

Man, they barely old enough to drive
Young rappers are often very young and inexperienced.

To tell them what they should do, who the fuck am I?
J. Cole feels that he cannot give young rappers advice, as he doesn't know everything.

I heard one of em' diss me, I'm surprised
J. Cole was surprised to hear that one of the young rappers dissed him.

I ain't trippin', listen good to my reply
He's not bothered by the diss, and wants to respond.

Come here lil' man, let me talk with ya
J. Cole wants to talk to the young rapper who dissed him.

See if I can paint for you the large picture
He wants to give the young rapper a bigger perspective on the industry.

Congrats 'cause you made it out your mama's house
J. Cole congratulates the young rapper on his success thus far.

I hope you make enough to buy your mom a house
He hopes that the young rapper will become successful enough to buy his mom a house.

I see your watch icy and your whip foreign
He acknowledges the young rapper's materialistic success.

I got some good advice, never quit tourin'
J. Cole advises the young rapper to continue touring for financial gain.

'Cause that's the way we eat here in this rap game
Touring is necessary for financial success in the rap industry.

I'm fuckin' with your funky lil' rap name
J. Cole likes the young rapper's stage name.

I hear your music and I know that rap's changed
J. Cole acknowledges the changes in rap music.

A bunch of folks would say that that's a bad thing
Many people criticize the changes in rap music.

'Cause everything's commercial and it's pop now
J. Cole is criticizing the commercialization of rap music.

Trap drums is the shit that's hot now
J. Cole is acknowledging the popularity of trap music.

See, I've been on a quest for the next wave
J. Cole has been searching for the next big thing in rap music.

But never mind, that was just a segue
He's moving on from that thought.

I must say, by your songs I'm unimpressed, hey
J. Cole isn't impressed by the young rapper's music.

But I love to see a Black man get paid
Despite his criticism, J. Cole wants the young rapper to succeed.

And plus, you havin' fun and I respect that
J. Cole respects the young rapper's enthusiasm and love for making music.

But have you ever thought about your impact?
He's asking the young rapper to consider how his music affects listeners.

These white kids love that you don't give a fuck
White audiences enjoy young rappers' disregard for societal norms.

'Cause that's exactly what's expected when your skin black
J. Cole feels that society expects black people to act recklessly.

They wanna see you dab, they wanna see you pop a pill
White audiences want to see young rappers engage in reckless behavior.

They wanna see you tatted from your face to your heels
White audiences want young rappers to be heavily tattooed, even on their faces.

And somewhere deep down, fuck it, I gotta keep it real
J. Cole admits that he himself is fed up with societal expectations of black people.

They wanna be black and think your song is how it feels
White audiences believe that they can understand the black experience through listening to rap music.

So when you turn up, you see them turnin' up too
White audiences turn up just as much as young rappers do in their concerts.

You hit the next city, collect your money when it's due
Young rappers tour aggressively to make money.

You gettin' that paper, swimmin' in bitches, I don't blame you
J. Cole acknowledges that making money and enjoying women is part of being a successful rapper.

You ain't thinkin' 'bout the people that's lookin' like me and you
Young rappers aren't thinking about the impact their music has on other black people.

True, you got better shit to do
J. Cole acknowledges that young rappers have other things to worry about than the black community at large.

You coulda bought a crib with all that bread that you done blew
The young rapper could have invested his money in something long-lasting like a home.

I know you think this type of revenue is never endin'
Young rappers might believe that the money will never stop coming in.

But I wanna take a minute just to tell you that ain't true
J. Cole wants the young rapper to know that his success might not last forever.

One day, them kids that's listening gon' grow up
J. Cole is predicting that young audiences will eventually mature and move on from this style of music.

And get too old for that shit that made you blow up
Young audiences will eventually move on from the type of music that is currently popular.

Now your show's lookin' light cause they don't show up
Young rappers might have trouble getting audiences in the future, leading to smaller shows.

Which unfortunately means the money slow up
Less ticket sales means less money for the young rapper.

Now you scramblin' and hopin' to get hot again
Young rappers will try to stay relevant and popular even as audiences grow up and move on.

But you forgot you only popped 'cause you was ridin' trends
J. Cole is pointing out that young rappers are only popular due to current trends.

Now you old news and you goin' through regrets
Young rappers will feel regret when their popularity fades away.

'Cause you never bought that house, but you got a Benz
The young rapper didn't invest his money wisely and now has regrets.

And a bunch of jewels and a bunch of shoes
The young rapper spent his money on material possessions instead of investing it wisely.

And a bunch of fake friends, I ain't judgin' you
He's not judging the young rapper for his choices, but warning him of the consequences.

I'm just tellin' you what's probably gon' happen when you rappin'
J. Cole is predicting what might happen in the future.

'Bout the type of shit you rappin' 'bout
The type of music a rapper makes will impact their career longevity.

It's a faster route to the bottom
Making shallow music will lead to an artist's decline in popularity.

I wish you good luck
J. Cole wishes the young rapper well.

I'm hoping for your sake that you ain't dumb as you look
J. Cole hopes that the young rapper isn't making unwise decisions.

But if it's really true what people sayin'
J. Cole has heard rumors about the young rapper.

And you call yourself playin' with my name
The young rapper has been disrespecting J. Cole.

Then I really know you fucked, trust
J. Cole is warning the young rapper that he is making a big mistake by disrespecting him.

I'll be around forever 'cause my skills is tip-top
J. Cole knows that he will be successful forever because of his talent.

To any amateur niggas that wanna get rocked
J. Cole is challenging amateur rappers who want to compete with him.

Just remember what I told you when your shit flop
J. Cole is reminding the young rapper of the advice he gave earlier in the song.

In five years you gon' be on Love & Hip-Hop
J. Cole is predicting that the young rapper will be on a reality show in five years.

Listen to my niggas so-so you can wake up
J. Cole is advising the young rapper to listen to his peers and wise up.

The-the way I play the rap game, call it prophecy
J. Cole compares his insights on the rap game to prophecy.

Or understand the intelligence that Jay has, 1985
J. Cole wants people to understand the intelligence he has about the rap industry.