J. Cole- Neighbors

First off, J Cole went double platinum with no features with his album 4 Your Eyez Only. Double platinum… With no one helping him… But this isn't about that. This is about his song “Neighbors” off of the same album. The song is riddled with many examples of oppression of black people and his life story. Here’s the basic rundown.

That's why I moved away, I needed privacy
Surrounded by the trees and Ivy League
Students that's recruited highly
Thinkin' "You do you and I do me"
Crib has got a big 'ol back 'ol yard

In the Middle of the first verse, he begins his story by telling the audience that he lives in a beautiful suburb. He is surrounded by people who come from Ivy League schools and kids that are getting recruited schools. We can tell that the area is very affluent because of the last line “crib has got a big ‘ol back ‘ol yard.” When read aloud you can hear the iambic pentameter. It fits perfectly with his quick voice when said. We also learn that Cole has specific thoughts about the area. He hopes that he can live in peace without the neighbors bothering him. But the title of the song is about them, so they did something wrong. And you can see it on the next lines of the songs.

Welcome to the Sheltuh, this is pure
We'll help you if you've felt too insecure
To be the star you always knew you were
Wait, I think police is at the door

    As the story develops, we learn that Cole has opened his newfound home as a place to where people can come and work on their craft. This is a shelter in one of the safest places in North Carolina. But for his crew, It didn't work out that way. On March 18th of 2016, roughly around 14-15 FBI agents entered his house with M16s and thoughts that he was a drug dealer. In the chorus it says:

Okay, the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope
Hm, I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope sellin' dope
The neighbors think I'm—neighbors think I'm—
(Don't follow me, don't follow me...)
I think the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope

    This is poetry not because of the rhyme scheme, the sing-songy ness of it, but of the story. It is a ballad of the miscommunication and the pain that some African Americans feel in a heavily white society. It's really sad to see that this has happened to a guy that was just trying to do right. In the end, he decides to move back to the south side, which is exactly what the neighbors want.