J. Cole 'Interlude' lyrics meaning explained
7 May 2021, 11:39
The track is set to feature on the rapper's new album, The Off-Season.
In the build-up to his new album The Off-Season, J. Cole gave fans a glimpse of what they can expect to hear on the record with his new single 'Interlude' (stylised 'i n t e r l u d e').
The song features a single verse, and hears the Dreamville rapper spit about his come-up and his presence in the rap game.
J. Cole new album 'The Off-Season' 2021: release date, songs, tracklist, features & more
"Told myself I would drop the album all at once. Sometimes you gotta say f**k it tho," he wrote on Instagram as he announced the release of the track.
So, what do the lyrics to 'Interlude' really mean?
J. Cole - i n t e r l u d e (Official Audio)
We came a long way, man, we done came a long way / And we sittin' on top of this shit - Cole reflects on the success of his stellar hip-hop career and looks back on the progress he's made in his life.
This Southern heat make unbearable summers / Just last week, seen your mama weep / Crying 'cause she don't wan' bury your brother - The rapper's impeccable wordplay comes into full effect here with the use of a double entendre. 'Southern heat' references the warm temperatures in the southern areas of the United States, while also nodding to the face that these States have some of the highest rates of gun deaths in the country. He mentions a mother crying at the death of her son as a result.
The blood leaks while thе EMTs / Gotta carry her baby like surrogate mothеrs - A surrogate mother is a women who agrees to carry and deliver someone else's child, a practice often chosen due to pregnancy complications. Cole compares the use of stretchers and ambulances used by medical professionals to the carrying of a child.
My homie' homie got out on parole / He sold more Coca-Cola than the soda industry - When Coca-Cola - which is often shortened to 'Coke' - was first invented, the drink contained cocaine before it was removed in 1903. Here, Cole is rapping about his friend dealing drugs.
Christ went to Heaven aged thirty-three / And so did Pimp C and so did Nipsey - Here, Cole references the death of Jesus Christ, who is said to have died at the age of 33. Texas rapper Pimp C died in December 2007 aged 33 from an accidental codeine overdose. Nipsey Hussle died in March 2019, also aged 33, after being shot in the parking lot of his store, Marathon Clothing, in Los Angeles.
Check out the full lyrics to 'Interlude' by J. Cole below.
[Intro]
I'm a livin' little good thing
It's like you never lived for me
Mama said you was a good thing, uh
Good, good, good
Yeah
We came a long way, man, we done came a long way
And we sittin' on top of this s**t
This s**t can go one or two ways
This s**t can go up, it can go down
Either way, n***a, I'm prepared
Feel me? Yeah
[Verse]
I be comin' in peace, but f**k me
Best beware of the others
This s**t deep, undercovers creep
This Southern heat make unbearable summers
Just last week, seen your mama weep
Crying 'cause she don't wan' bury your brother
The blood leaks while thе EMTs
Gotta carry her baby like surrogate mothеrs
Woah, thank God we survived around where the terrorists hovered
Though traumatized, wouldn't trade it for nothin'
Through hard times, it was there I discovered a hustle
And makin' the best out the struggle
I kept grindin' 'til this day, up a level
Respect mine, gotta stay out of trouble
'Cause TEC-9's like the AR rebuttals
Cole World, n***as knowin' what it is
Just in case they don't, I show 'em what it is
Then in summer, I do real numbers
Couldn't dare touch it if they sold the double disc
Block hot, n***as burnin' up the street
Shots poppin' and we heard it up the street
It's a war, n***as runnin' up the score
Jesus said that you should turn the other cheek
Voiceless n***as gettin' murdered every week
Dead bodies, smell the odor in the street
My homie' homie got out on parole
He sold more Coca-Cola than the soda industry
Summertime bring the coldest winter breeze
Hella blues like the Rollin' 60's
Christ went to Heaven aged thirty-three
And so did Pimp C and so did Nipsey
[Outro]
I told you, I told you
This s**t can go up, it can go down, I don't give a f**k
N***a, I done seen the highest heights
I done seen it twice
And I've seen them lowest of the lows
And still I rose
Now I'm at your neck, n***a, yeah
