Alleged Kendrick Lamar Ghostwriter Denies Penning "N95," Says 'I Had Nothing to Do With That Song'

Rumors circulated over the weekend that CJ Francis recorded the song's original reference track.

April 15, 2024

Person on stage wearing a hoodie and cap, possibly performing or speaking at a music event — Astrida Valigorsky via Getty Images

CJ Francis IV has denied claims he ghostwrote Kendrick Lamar's "N95" after an alleged reference track surfaced online.

In a since-deleted post shared on his Instagram Stories, CJ Francis addressed the apparent leak of an "N95" reference track. "I had nothing to do with that song," he wrote. "Nor do I have anything to do with it being posted online." Francis is not credited on the song, but he's also indicated that he had nothing to do with it, anyway.

In a seperate post, he denied working with another wave of artist after further rumors circulated that he ghostwrote for other major rappers. "I never wrote for Bryson Tiller," he wrote. "I never wrote Roddy Rich. I never wrote for Kendrick. I never wrote for YBN Nahmir."

Over the weekend, amid the chaos of a leaked Drake song dissing Kendrick among other rappers, an alleged reference track for the Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers song surfaced online. Some alleged that the unverified song served as the basis for "N95," which was written by Kendrick Lamar, Sam Dew, Boi-1da, Baby Keem, Sounwave, and Jahaan Sweet.

The source of the alleged track was unverified, but some pointed to a tweet from @ItsNotHarold in 2022 as proof of CJ Francis' involvement. As pointed out by fans on Reddit, however, a leaked version of K Dot's verse on "N95" circulated in 2019, while the final version of the beat for the track didn't even exist until late 2021 at the earliest.

Amid all this, claims surfaced that Francis ghostwrote for Roddy Ricch, too. Akademiks said he had talked with the rapper, who called Francis a "fraud."

"Spoke with Roddy Ricch. According to him CJ FRANCIS a complete fraud," wrote Ak. "Roddy was open to collaborate with others for his Feed The Streets 3 project about 2 years ago and basically this dude he never met and no songs ever got put out that he collabed on. The voice note that got released was Roddy checking him 2 years ago for claiming he was writing for Roddy Ricch."

There's been a lot of chaos brewing on social media amid the beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar. Rick Ross, for one, has alleged that Drizzy didn't write his "Sicko Mode" verse, which will sound like a similar accusation to anyone familiar with the Toronto rapper's infamous 2015 beef with Meek Mill.

Meanwhile, Lil Yachty's alleged reference track for Drake's Her Loss solo cut "Jumbotron Shit Poppin" also made the rounds on social media. Of course, Yachty actually is credited as a songwriter on the song, which would mean he isn't a ghostwriter at all.