J. Cole

Released: December 8, 2016

Songwriter: Yuli Elite Ron Gilmore Jasmin Easterly Theo Croker J. Cole

Producer: Elite Ron Gilmore

[Hook]
How long can I survive with this mentality?
How long can I survive with this mentality?
Things fall down, but don’t stop now
Oh, can’t stop now
Oh, won’t stop now

[Verse]
Trials and tribulations I'm facing
In this age of information, I hate this shit
Cause niggas hit my phone when they want some shit
Bitches hit my phone when they want some dick
Damn it, won't be long 'fore I disappear
Damn it, won't be long 'fore I disappear
Damn it, won't be long 'fore I disappear
Damn it, won't be long 'fore I disappear
You call it runnin', I call it escapin'
Start a new life in a foreign location
Similar to my niggas duckin' cases
Can't take the possible time that he faces

[Hook]
How long can I survive with this mentality?
How long can I survive with this mentality?
Things fall down, but don’t stop now
Oh, can’t stop now
Oh, won’t stop now

[Interlude]
My dad, he died—he got shot 'cause his friend set him up. And I didn't go to his funeral—and sometimes when I'm in my room, I get mad at my momma when she mean to me. And she—
And she say, "clean up"—I say—

[Bridge]
Nigga play me, never, give up my chain, never
Give up my pride, never, show 'em my pain, never
Dirt on my name, never, dirt on my name, never
Dirt on my name, never, dirt on my name, never
Nigga play me, never, give up my chain, never
Give up my pride, never, show 'em my pain, never
Dirt on my name, never, dirt on my name, never
Dirt on my name, never, dirt on my name, never

[Hook]
How long can I survive with this mentality?
How long can I survive with this mentality?
Things fall down, but don’t stop now
Oh, can’t stop now
Oh, won’t stop now

[Outro]
I get mad and I slam my door and go in my room—
And then, I get mad and I say, "I wish my dad was here"

Jermaine Lamarr Cole (b. January 28th, 1985), better known as J. Cole, is a rapper and producer who was born in Frankfurt, Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He gained a passion for rap at a young age and first went by the names Blaza and Therapist (the latter was given to him by Bomb Sheltah, a respected rap group from Fayetteville) before settling on his own name.

He first started getting recognition in 2007 with the release of his debut mixtape The Come Up. First, after a failed attempt to share a CD of his with Jay-Z, it would later be Hov, that would come to his attention after he heard Cole’s song “Lights Please”, Jay-Z would go on to make J. Cole his first signing to his then newly formed record label, Roc Nation, in 2009.

Since then he has become one of the biggest names of the “new school” era, with the release of five platinum certified albums. His debut release Cole The Sideline Story defied industry expectations by selling over 200,000 copies in its first week without a top 40 hit single at the time and his sophomore Born Sinner, saw him go head-to-head with Kanye West in a now iconic sales battle in Hip-Hop. Before this, Cole released two projects that would eventually become his Truly Yourz series, the third project debuted on the deluxe edition of Born Sinner.

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