Released: June 15, 2009

Songwriter: J. Cole

Producer: J. Cole

[Intro]
Yeah, yeah
Yeah
Ugh

[Verse 1]
Now, I was dreaming 'bout a deal at the age of thirteen
I was fiending for the mills, I ain't talking Burger King
Some of my niggas in the 'Ville, all they did was serve fiends
Fuck scales, I had skills, all day rehearsing
Them pretty boys had them gals, spent they time flirting
All they wanted was some waves like they fucking surfing
Hold up, now, don’t get it twisted, I ain't hating, do your thing
I was like a young Simba; couldn’t wait to be the king
Now, a nigga is the prince
Hopped over the fence where the grass way greener
Look at shawty ass, way meaner
Something like Serena mixed with Trina—have you seen her?
She fine enough to be Ms. Howard, word to Adina
My money like a senior, watch it graduate
Now, it's time to eat, I’m letting all my niggas grab a plate
Gravitate to real shit, stay away from phonies
These niggas heard about me, now they acting like they know me

[Chorus]
Keep on saying, “Where you going, nigga?”
Shit, it ain't no telling, huh, yeah
“Ayy, where you going, nigga?”
Hey, it ain't no telling, yeah
They keep on saying “Where you going, nigga?” Going, nigga
Ayy, it ain't no telling (Yeah)
Can’t tell you where I’m going, just know I won't stop
Goodbye to the bottom, hello to the top, ugh

[Verse 2]
Pardon the interruption, a proper introduction is necessary
When your shit is legendary, man
Greedy niggas wouldn’t let me in the cafeteria'n
'Cause they ain't believe, suddenly they Presbyterian
The hoes is librarians; they looking me up
She got to Jones like Marion, she licking me up
Then we cut, look how she say my name
I got her moaning, "J. Cole", they used to say "Jermaine"
I never change, I'm like a corpse in a coffin; six feet, shit's deep
I was low, just a dollar and some hope fixed me
'Cause I was broke, plus the weed that I would smoke would make it worser
Lord, please let my problems disappear like Ron Mercer
I’m a star; Converses
Conversing with them girls with them curves like cursive
They open like curtains
'Cause my shit is unheard of like curses on the radio
Same bitches used to play me though

[Chorus]
Now, they yelling, “Where you going, nigga?”
Shit, it ain't no telling, huh, yeah
“Ay, where you going, nigga?”
Shit, it ain't no telling, yeah
They keep on saying “Where you going, nigga?” Going, nigga
It ain't no telling, yeah
I can’t tell you where I’m going, just know I won't stop
Goodbye to the bottom (Yeah), hello to the top, yeah

[Verse 3]
I left the city for a minute, but it's still on my back
Told my niggas "Ay, I'm finna put the Ville on the map
I'll be back, and I'm coming with a deal and a plaque."
'Cause I'm ill, bitch, they couldn’t make a pill for the rap
Pouring liquor for my niggas that was killed, send 'em back
Came home, shit is real, niggas still in the trap
Hold up, now, don’t get it twisted, if you slang, do your thing
Me, I'm like a young Simba; I can't wait to be the king—
Witness the dream
Straight out that Carolina water, I was brought up
In the city where the skinny niggas tryna be the ballers
Ain't no fathers, but the skinny niggas tryna hit they daughters
Sneaking in her crib, but her momma never caught us
What they taught us?
Man, them bad bitches only want the ballers, the starters
We hooping, now the hoes wanna guard us
Ugh, okay, so play D—know what I mean?
And I, I, I'll put you on the team
Man, this life is but a dream, and I need a fast car
Bad broads, fast forward; passport, I'm a fucking rap star

[Outro]
“Ayy, where you going, nigga?”
Shit, it ain't no telling, yeah
They say this life is but a dream, well, I need a fast car
Bad broads, fast forward; passport, I'm a fucking rap star
“Ayy, where you going, nigga?"
Yeah, it ain't no telling

J. Cole

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.