Music Video

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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
Josh Lloyd Watson
Josh 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 were skippin' church, but my eyes was on the sparrows
**** flippin' pies, spendin' thousands on apparel
Shit, I wanna shine too, I want dimes too
Jealous **** 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, when 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)
Then 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 **** ain't stoppin' me
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me
Y'all **** 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 **** 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 **** 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 **** 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 ****"
They stripped me of my spot, and now I'm finally free, my ****
They say I'm pickin' sides, ay, don't you lie on me, my ****
Then start another war, ay, Drake, you'll always be my ****
I ain't ashamed to say you did a lot for me, my ****
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 ****
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me (yeah, know)
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me (y'all ****, ooh, that you are loved)
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me (oh-oh)
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me (even)
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me (if you)
Y'all **** ain't stoppin' me (don't love yourself)
Y'all **** ain't
Written by: Cleopatra Nikolic, Dean Cover, J. Cole, Joshua James Lloyd-Watson, Michael Holmes, Ronnie Liston-Smith
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