However, on March 18th, 2016 a SWAT team raided the ‘sheltuh’ after Cole’s neighbors suspected he was dealing dope. “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”‘Ĭole’s last project, 2014 Forrest Hills Drive, is affectionately named after the home. “I been buildin’ me a house // back home in the South, ma // won’t believe what it’s costin’ // and it’s fit for a king, right? // or a nigga that could sing” Cole’s repurchased childhood home in Forrest Hills, North Carolina, nicknamed the ‘sheltuh.’ Cole boasts of his refurbished sanctuary, dropping five bars: The chorus of the song, echoing “I guess the neighbors think I’m selling dope,” refers to an incident that occurred at J. Cole, the modern black artist, questioning the so-called “integration” of Black America, instead grimly endorsing a return of his people’s culture.īuilt on an transcending, addictive electric playground, opposing looming bass beats, the track showcases Dreamville at it’s best production value. Cole’s nostalgic album “4 Your Eyez Only,” Neighbors is an unmistakable realization - one that leaves J.
Du Bois’ concept of double-consciousness. Neighbors, an unforgettable testament to the prizes and perils of a black man’s success, struggles explicitly in its’ subconscious effort to capture the dichotomy of W.E. For Rhetoric and Civic Life II, I plan to write rap song reviews for my passion blog.