YBN Cordae, affiliate of fellow up-and-comers YBN Nahmir and YBN Almighty Jay, is the latest rapper to give his response to J. Cole's track "1985" off of his latest project KOD.
The roughly three minute response track titled "Old N*ggas" is accompanied with a music video that starts out with Cordae hovering over his computer screen peeping some of the headlines that were initially sparked by the J. Cole record that essentially calls out the new generation of rappers before transitioning to a barbershop setting debating with some of the older clients.
While some might have expected a clapback from the younger rapper, Cordae's message is actually a rather sound one as he tries to bridge the gap that continues to grow between the styles of the new and old generations of the genre. He spits over the "1985" boom bap style instrumental, "I understand both sides, let me break it in half," and says how when rap first started to blossom back in the day, it was met with the same criticism that this newer style is met with today.
The young rapper's message is more constructive than what has come from Lil Pump and Smokepurpp as a response to Cole's bars. Pump ended up sarcastically thanking Cole "for all the clout" from his alleged diss, while Smokepurrp decided to lead fans at one of his show's in a "Fuck J.Cole" chant following the release of the record. However, it is worth noting that Cole has since addressed the responses from both artists saying that "1985" was not aimed at anyone in particular.
Cordae also references the polarizing Kanye West, saying he failed him for his open support of Donald Trump, along with other so-called "idols" from past generations that are "catching sexual assaults and felonies."
He closes out his message saying the hate will not stop him from living how he wants to while patterning his rhymes the same way Cole does towards the end of the track. "Imma still wear all my Gucci flip flops/and the fuckin' diamond chain with the big rocks/and I'll be the greatest ever n*gga just watch/Cardi B got rich from Love and Hip Hop."
The final product is a rather lyrical cut from the young rapper that addresses J. Cole's message with a call for solidarity instead of further separation. Check out the track for yourself in the video player above.
