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1985 (J. Cole song)

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"1985"
Song by J. Cole
from the album KOD
ReleasedApril 20, 2018 (2018-04-20)
Recorded2018
GenreHip hop
Length3:10
Label
Songwriter(s)Jermaine Cole
Producer(s)J. Cole

"1985" (also referred to as "1985 (Intro to The Fall Off)") is a song by American rapper J. Cole, released on April 20, 2018, from his studio album, KOD.[1]

Critical reception

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Alexis Petridis of The Guardian said "KOD's best track may be its closer, 1985, which is billed as a taster of his forthcoming project The Fall Off. It delivers hip-hop's new generations of artists (by whom Cole is "unimpressed") a wise, warm but firm talking-to that switches from practical advice, warnings about the fleeting nature of fame and the inadvisability of jumping on trends to a stark and impressively incisive suggestion they should think hard about the nature of their appeal: "These white kids love that you don't give a fuck, 'cause that's exactly what's expected when your skin black… They wanna be black and think your song is how it feels"."[2]

Reactions

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In April 2017 Lil Pump teased a song titled "Fuck J. Cole" produced by Florida rapper Smokepurpp.[3] Media outlets and rappers speculated that "1985" is a response to the rapper, while J. Cole said in a Vulture.com interview that "It's really a 'shoe fits' situation—several people can wear that shoe."[4] The verse concludes as follows:[5]

Lil Pump reacted to the song hours after the album's release via Instagram saying, "Wow, you get so much props. You dissed a 17 year old, lame ass jit."[6] Later that day during a concert in Atlanta, Smokepurpp, along with his fans erupted in a chant of "Fuck J. Cole."[7] According to Cole, the target of the song is more general. He said it takes aim at what he sees as the cartoon version of hip-hop, he explained: "If you exclude the top three rappers in the game, the most popping rappers all are exaggerated versions of black stereotypes. Extremely tatted up. Colorful hair. Flamboyant. Brand names. It's caricatures, and still the dominant representation of black people, on the most popular entertainment format for black people, period".[8] On May 4, 2018, as Cole was performing at JMBLYA festival in Dallas, he performed "1985", cutting off the backing track so he could rap his verse a cappella. The crowd erupted in chants of "Fuck Lil Pump" and "Fuck 6ix9ine." Cole immediately shut down the chants telling the crowd, "Don't do that."[9] Cole performed "1985" during his Rolling Loud Festival performance on May 11, 2018, in Miami. During the performance Lil Pump was seen dancing to the song near the stage.[10]

On May 25, after Rolling Loud, J. Cole and Lil Pump sat down for an hour-long interview indicating that a supposed beef between the two is over. Cole asked Pump about his "Fuck J. Cole" comments in his music and social media. Pump responded by claiming he had seen his fans commenting it on social media and didn't know why. "But now I kinda get it", he said. "We make different types of music, so people, like... People just like doing that shit." He continued, "It wasn't even serious it was just a song and u dissing me... I fuck with your shit. It's hard".[11]

Rapper Cordae released a response song in May 2018 titled "Old N*ggas", where he advocates unity among more traditional rappers and newer rappers.[12]

Chart performance

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Upon its first week of release, "1985" debuted at number 20 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[13]

Charts

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Chart (2018) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[14] 32
Ireland (IRMA)[15] 41
New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[16] 2
Portugal (AFP)[17] 50
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[18] 12
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 20
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] 14

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[21] Gold 35,000‡
United States (RIAA)[22] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "KOD by J. Cole on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  2. ^ Petridis, Alexis (April 20, 2018). "J Cole: KOD review – a brilliantly brooding antidote to hip-hop excess". The Guardian. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  3. ^ Mansell, Henry. "Is J. Cole Dissing Lil Pump On "1985"? Twitter Thinks So". HipHopDX. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  4. ^ Cantor, Paul. "J. Cole Profile". Vulture. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  5. ^ J. Cole – 1985 (Intro to "The Fall Off"), retrieved April 29, 2018
  6. ^ A., Aron (April 20, 2018). "Lil Pump Brushes Off J. Cole's Alleged Diss To Him On "K.O.D"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  7. ^ Ch, Devin (April 22, 2018). "Smokepurpp Fans Erupt In "F--- J. Cole" Chant During Show". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  8. ^ Cantor, Paul (April 25, 2018). "J. Cole Just Wants to Be Himself". Vulture. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  9. ^ Parizot, Matthew (May 7, 2018). "J. Cole Shuts Down "F*ck Lil Pump" Chant During Live Performance". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 7, 2018.
  10. ^ Parizot, Matthew (May 12, 2018). "Lil Pump Dances To J. Cole's "1985" During Rolling Loud Performance". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  11. ^ Minsker, Evan. "J. Cole Interviews Lil Pump in Hour-Long Video: Watch". Pitchfork. Retrieved 9 July 2018.
  12. ^ Destefano, Mike (May 16, 2018). "YBN Cordae Is the Latest Rapper to Respond to J. Cole's "1985"". Complex. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  13. ^ Zellner, Xander. "J. Cole Is First Act to Debut 3 Songs in Hot 100's Top 10, As All 12 'KOD' Tracks Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  14. ^ "J Cole Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  15. ^ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  16. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 30, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  17. ^ "J. Cole – 1985". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 11, 2018.
  18. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker – Vecka 17, 27 april 2018". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  19. ^ "J Cole Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  20. ^ "J Cole Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
  21. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2023 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  22. ^ "American single certifications – J. Cole – 1985". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 29, 2020.
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