Reacting to a series of choice lines on J. Cole’s recent song “Fire Squad” in which he names Eminem alongside Justin Timberlake and Macklemore in the context of cultural appropriation, Royce Da 5’9 told VladTV that he didn’t necessarily consider the reference a diss.
On the song, Cole raps, “History repeats itself and that’s just how it goes / Same way that these rappers always bite each other’s flows/ Same thing that my nigga Elvis did with rock ‘n’ roll / Justin Timberlake, Eminem and then Macklemore.”
“I don’t really have a take,” Royce said when asked. “It got blown out of proportion before I could hear the record. You know what I mean? The fire-fuelers got a hold of it before I could actually hear it. So by the time I heard it, I actually read the line and Tweeted about it before I even heard the song. It sounded to me like an observation, an observation of an artist being vocal with something he’s observing. He may not have used the best words. One could say, ‘Why would you throw Em in a certain category?’ One could even say, ‘Yo, why would you put Em in the same category as Iggy?’ You know? Who knows what somebody’s gonna get offended by? Us as artists, sometimes we take that risk because what we wanna say we feel is so real. Or we feel like it’s something we wanna get off of our chest. Or it’s something maybe we wanna express. Sometimes you may do that at the risk of somebody getting offended, not to say Marshall was offended by anything J. Cole said. I haven’t spoke to Marshall about the song at all. If there was to be some offense taken, I could see why. Did I listen to it and get offended by it? No. Also, did I feel like he was trying to diss my guy? Absolutely not. If there was some offense taken or if there’s anything that leaves any kind of question or doubt as to what whether he meant something by it, then maybe an apology may be in order. But that’s not for me to decide.”
“Somebody that’s Cole’s age, from what I understand, just looking at the whole history of J. Cole, he’s always seemed to put Em on a pedestal,” he added. “So the one time where he did a little bit of a generalization, it got taken like that. I just think he needs to be careful with that. The last time that they seen each other I was there. I see the respect, I feel the respect. I feel that the respect was genuine. When you respect somebody like that, you gotta be careful.”
For additional J. Cole coverage, watch the following DX Daily:
Sounded to me like J.Cole just called a spade a spade.
White rappers and fake performers like Iggy infiltrate our rap game and create unnecessary division. They need to stay in their own culture and stop diluting ours, destroying our message.
Dude basketball was created but a white Canadian dude for high class white men. Look at it now… People like you cause your own division in culture when you cant accept there is someone of a different race doing the same thing better then people in your own. Ill admit the only dope white rappers are em and logic is dece too, the rest suck fat dong. But you can’t hold something like music to a certain culture just like you cant do the same to a sport.
Your message?
That it’s okay to womanize your women, destroy your communities and neglect education?
That blowing money on frivolous things makes you cool?
Great message you misguided idiot.
^ There’s other types of hip hop other than gangsta rap, you know that, right?
I dont know why people dont wanna accept the fact that that em is on of the GOAT’s. Yea he’s white but what the hell hes dope smh
Its overblown if ur black bc it doesnt offend u lol
Black ppl be like
Oh u got sports? i want in
Oh u got corporations? I want in
Oh u got cloths? I want in
Oh u got new tech? I want in
White ppl be like..
Ok u can join in on all of it how bout 1 better ill create the rooney rule so white people legally hae to interview u guys? Fair?
Black person- yeah fair thank you!
White person- np! Now that u hve all that and joined in everything we started for u id just wantone favor and join the only thing relevant in this world black ppl actually created..rap!!
Bp- woaaaah there white boy we need ur birth cerificate, social security, history and well have to have a meeting after to c if its ok u join bc ur white ur bot rly welcome in 2014
you know shit about history if you think “rap” is the only thing black created or invented in this world…
WHICH WAY IZ WEST ALBUM COVER ON EIHT’S TWITTER PAGE WITH DJ PREMIER AND BRENK SINATA . STREIHT UP MENACE AND IT’S THICKER THAN WATER BABY ME AND YOU GEAAAAAAAAH CMW IT’S A COMPTON THANG
I’ve already said the same thing this clown said it was blown out of proportion by YOU hiphopdx and the media for how you worded the article “Jay Cole takes a Shot at Eminem” Instigators you guys aint shit you Devils.