Music Video

Featured In

Credits

PERFORMING ARTISTS
J. Cole
J. Cole
Vocals
COMPOSITION & LYRICS
J. Cole
J. Cole
Songwriter
Cleopatra Nikolic
Cleopatra Nikolic
Songwriter
Dean Cover
Dean Cover
Songwriter
Ronnie Liston-Smith
Ronnie Liston-Smith
Songwriter
Joshua Lloyd-Watson
Joshua Lloyd-Watson
Songwriter
PRODUCTION & ENGINEERING
J. Cole
J. Cole
Producer
DZL
DZL
Producer
Omen
Omen
Producer
Juro "Mez" Davis
Juro "Mez" Davis
Mixing Engineer
Kuldeep Chudasama
Kuldeep Chudasama
Recording Engineer
Timothy 'Quik Keyz' Kahwa
Timothy 'Quik Keyz' Kahwa
Additional Engineer

Lyrics

Know that you are loved (oh-oh) Even if you don't love yourself Ride to it, ride to it (know) Ride to it, ride to it (that you are loved) Ride to it, ride to it (oh-oh) Ride to it, ride to it, uh Ride to it, ride to it (even) Ride to it, ride to it (if you don't love yourself) Ride to it, ride to it Ride to it (uh) Young Jermaine walked the straight and narrow Minimum-wage jobs for dinero, but still, my mind was on the zeros I fiend for the perks that was seen flippin' birds, so We was skippin' church, but my eyes was on the sparrows Niggas flippin' pies, spendin' thousands on apparel Shit, I wanna shine too, I want dimes too Jealous niggas wanna know just how my rhymes blew Mano y mano, I'm Bono, I'm you times two Now I'm bougie, I done outgrew the fountain blue But never forgot the spot where I developed my plot To dwell at the top, the Ville, where all my skeletons locked If I could do it all over, then I never would swap I've seen good, I've seen bad, had my melanin mocked I've seen lifelong friends turn to devilish opps I was Mike in red leather, tryna tell him to stop You better beat it 'fore you see the heavy-metal get popped He was a mean-ass wing with a hell of a shot But if no team DraftKing, he gon' bet on the block He wanna ball 'til he fall or 'til the federals knock And sit his ass on a bench for movin' careless with rock You can't relate, 'less yo' father was not around And yo' mother went out and found someone else and then brought them 'round And they salaries then combine, when they married, it brought you out Of that poverty, then you moved to a soft little part of town So that when you back in the hood (know) You feel awkward about it now (damn, that) And your confidence start to drown (you are loved) But the rappin' gave you some positive thoughts So you jot 'em down, you jot 'em down (oh-oh) Ride to it, ride to it (even) Ride to it, ride to it (if you don't love yourself) Ride to it, ride to it, uh Ride to it, ride to it, uh Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me Yeah, uh Benjamin Button, Cole flows reverse time To find deliveries good as mine, you gotta search primes I'm scalin' heights higher than birds can perch Tryna be somethin', hopin' that peace comes to my cursed mind One thing's for sure, that I've matured from my first rhyme I learned long ago, you can't please 'em all, and it hurts tryin' In this game, where all you've got is yo' name Like Durk, I'm smirkin' at niggas tryna besmirch mine Absurd times, where the fake get toted as wise I can see hate in both of yo' eyes, but the third's blind So you search lines, but you struggle Which explains the puzzled look on the dull face as the word finds I hate what rap's become, but like do-not-disturb signs Can't knock it if I see it's 'bout the dough They instigate the fuckery because it's profitable But singin', "Stop the violence" tunes when dudes in hospitals I pulled the plug because I've seen where that was 'bout to go They wanted blood, they wanted clicks to make they pockets grow They see this fire in my pen and think I'm dodgin' smoke I wouldn't've lost a battle, dawg, I woulda lost a bro I woulda gained a foe, and all for what? Just to attain some mo' Props from strangers that don't got a clue what I been aimin' for? Since the age of 14, Jermaine is no king If that means I gotta dig up dirt and pay the whole team Of algorithm-bot niggas just to sway the whole thing On social media, competin' for your favorable memes To be considered best or live and rest? The weight of both things I understand the thirst of bein' first that made 'em both swing Protectin' legacies, so lines got crossed, perhaps regrettably My friends went to war, I walked away with all they blood on me Now some will discredit me, try wipe away my pedigree But please, find a nigga out that's rappin' this incredibly, uh My dawg texted me, I'll share the words he said to me "If you refuse to shoot the gun, don't mean the gun ain't deadly," uh I guess in that metaphor, hypothetically, the gun is me I text him back like, "Guess a gun ain't what I'm tryna be, my nigga" They strip me of my spot, and now I'm finally free, my nigga They say I'm pickin' sides, ay, don't you lie on me, my nigga Then start another war, ay, Drake, you'll always be my nigga I ain't ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my nigga Fuck all the narratives Tappin' back into yo' magic pen is what's imperative Remindin' these folks why we do it, it's not for beefin' It's for speakin' our thoughts, pushin' ourselves, reachin' the charts Reachin' yo' minds, keepin' yo' hearts, creepin' to find Emotions to touch, somethin' inside to open you up Help you cope with the rough times and shit I'm sendin' love 'cause we ain't promised shit, my nigga Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me (yeah, know) Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me (y'all niggas, ooh, that you are loved) Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me (oh-oh) Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me (even) Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me (if you) Y'all niggas ain't stoppin' me (don't love yourself) Y'all niggas ain't
Writer(s): Cleopatra Nikolic, Dean Cover, J. Cole, Joshua James Lloyd-watson, Ronnie Liston-smith Lyrics powered by www.musixmatch.com
instagramSharePathic_arrow_out