1985 (Intro to “The Fall Off”) - J. Cole

[00:00.00]1985, I arrived
[00:02.37]33 years, damn, I'm grateful I survived
[00:04.97]We wasn't s'posed to get past 25
[00:07.14]Jokes on you mother******, we alive
[00:10.21]All these ******s popping now is young
[00:12.35]Everybody say the music that they make is dumb
[00:15.47]I remember I was 18
[00:18.00]Money, ************, party, I was on the same thing
[00:20.78]You gotta give a boy a chance to grow some
[00:22.91]Everybody talkin' like they know somethin' these days
[00:25.92]******s actin' woke, but they broke, umm
[00:28.12]I respect the struggle but you all frontin' these days
[00:31.42]Man, they barely old enough to drive
[00:33.05]To tell them what they should do, who the ****** am I?
[00:36.33]I heard one of em' dissed me, I'm suprised
[00:38.32]I ain't trippin', listen good to my reply
[00:40.92]Come here lil' man, let me talk with ya'
[00:43.85]See if I can paint for you the larger picture
[00:46.56]Congrats 'cause you made it out your mama's house
[00:48.94]I hope you make enough to buy your mom a house
[00:51.62]I see your watch icy and your whip foreign
[00:54.21]I got some good advice, never quit tourin'
[00:56.92]'Cause that's the way we eat here in this rap game
[00:59.51]I'm ******' with your funky lil' rap name
[01:02.12]I hear your music and I know that rap's changed
[01:04.66]A bunch of folks would say that that's a bad thing
[01:07.47]'Cause everything's commercial and it's pop now
[01:09.91]Trap drums is the ************t that's hot now
[01:12.64]See, I've been on a quest for the next wave
[01:15.20]But never mind, that was just a segue
[01:17.76]I must say, by your songs I'm unimpressed, hey
[01:20.25]But I love to see a Black man get paid
[01:22.92]And plus, you havin' fun and I respect that
[01:25.55]But have you ever thought about your impact?
[01:28.30]These white kids love that you don't give a ******
[01:30.80]'Cause that's exactly what's expected when your skin's Black
[01:33.42]They wanna see you dab, they wanna see you pop a pill
[01:36.14]They wanna see you tatted from your face to your heels
[01:38.85]And somewhere deep down, ****** it, I gotta keep it real
[01:41.44]They wanna be Black and think your song is how it feels
[01:44.04]So when you turn up, you see them turnin' up too
[01:46.57]You hit the next city, collect your money when it's due
[01:49.28]You gettin' that paper, swimmin' in ************, I don't blame you
[01:52.03]You ain't thinkin' 'bout the people that's lookin' like me and you
[01:54.43]True, you got better ************t to do
[01:57.03]You coulda bought a crib with all that bread you done blew
[01:59.72]I know you think this type of revenue is never endin'
[02:02.30]But I wanna take a minute just to tell you that ain't true
[02:04.92]One day, them kids that's listening gon' grow up
[02:06.92]And get too old for that ************t that made you blow up
[02:09.63]Now your shows lookin' light cause they don't show up
[02:12.24]Which unfortunately means the money slow up
[02:14.95]Now you scramblin' and hopin' to get hot again
[02:17.54]But you forgot you only popped 'cause you was ridin' trends
[02:20.28]Now you old news and you goin' through regrets
[02:23.08]'Cause you never bought that house, but you got a Benz
[02:25.65]And a bunch of jewels and a bunch of shoes
[02:28.14]And a bunch of fake friends, I ain't judgin' you
[02:30.75]I'm just tellin' you what's probably gon' happen when you rappin'
[02:33.54]'Bout the type of ************t you rappin' 'bout
[02:35.18]It's a faster route to the bottom
[02:37.00]I wish you good luck
[02:38.07]I'm hoping for your sake that you ain't dumb as you look
[02:40.76]But if it's really true what people sayin'
[02:42.66]And you call yourself playin' with my name
[02:44.57]Then I really know you ******, trust
[02:46.56]I'll be around forever 'cause my skills is tip-top
[02:48.80]To any amateur ******s that wanna get rocked
[02:51.47]Just remember what I told you when your ************t flop
[02:54.19]In five years you gon' be on Love & Hip-Hop, ******