Noname Reflects On "Song 33": "My Ego Got The Best Of Me"

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Noname apologizes to her fans for "any further distraction this caused" after issuing a response to J. Cole's "Snow On Tha Bluff."

In the midst of a revolution, J. Cole popped out on Tuesday night. Though it was in response to the state of America, he predominantly used the moment to respond to an apparent subtweet from Noname criticizing the many mainstream rappers who had yet to even make a comment in the wake of George Floyd's death. 

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As Cole took out his frustrations to wax, Noname fired back with "Song 33" where, in under 70-seconds, she ate J. Cole's food over Madlib production. "Little did I know my reading would be a bother/ It's trans women being murdered and this is all he can offer?" She raps on the record. Though Cole did seemingly share the song's link in support of Noname, it seems like the Chicago poet has some regrets about releasing the track.

"i’ve been thinking a lot about it and i am not proud of myself for responding with song 33. i tried to use it as a moment to draw attention back to the issues i care about but i didn’t have to respond. my ego got the best of me. i apologize for any further distraction this caused," she tweeted. She did, however, find a way to use this moment for good. She revealed that she'll be leaving the song up on streaming services with the song's proceeds going towards "various mutual aid funds."

"madlib killed that beat and i see there’s a lot of people that resonate with the words so i’m leaving it up but i’ll be donating my portion of the songs earnings to various mutual aid funds. black radical unity," she continued.

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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