CJ Francis IV is one of the names that have trended amid the ongoing multiple feuds in the rap music genre. The rap game was thrown into a heated state on Mar. 22, 2024, following the release of Future and Metro Boomin's album, We Don't Trust You. One of the hit songs on the album is "Like That," featuring Kendrick Lamar, also known as K. Dot. In the song, K. Dot took aim and landed some hard jabs at Drake and J. Cole. After the song's release, J. Cole responded to K. Dot via a song but immediately apologized to him and said he wanted peace.
However, Drake is not one to run away from a fight. He unleashed mayhem on K. Dot and several others, including Future, The Weeknd, Rick Ross, and Metro Boomin on "Push Ups." Rick Ross also fired back at Drake, as they went back and forth with each other via social media. Amid the chaos, the ever-present claim that Drake uses ghostwriters came up, again. However, the 6 God's fans dug deep and found something that showed that K. Dot could also have used ghostwriters. Some online evidence claimed that a ghostwriter, CJ Francis IV, wrote the song "N95" on K. Dot's album, Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. However, that was quickly debunked by online sleuths and Francis himself. Since then, CJ Francis IV has gained popularity, with many fans eager to know who he is.
Early Life & Musical Beginnings
CJ's full name is Charles Jewell Francis IV. He was born in Richmond but raised in North Atlanta. CJ is an emerging rapper, songwriter, and producer. Through his music, he enjoys giving "a unique view of everyday life," according to his Spotify bio, and sharing his life's stories. His first album, Blue Slushi, was also released in October 2012 via Bandcamp.
CJ Francis IV & Quentin Miller Collaborations
CJ seems to have a close relationship with Atlanta rapper Quentin Miller. Quentin is famous for being Drake's former songwriter. He notably contributed to four songs on Drake's 2015 mixtape, If You're Reading This It's Too Late. Quentin and CJ have collaborated on multiple songs. The duo have a great connection, which is evident in some of their tracks. Some of their popular collaborations include "Explosive," "So Much," "Worth It," "4 Real," and "Eclipse."
The Ghostwriting Allegations On "N95"
In mid-April, rumors spread that Kendrick Lamar secretly used a ghostwriter for his song "N95." An X user shared an alleged demo of the track. The user claimed the demo was a reference for K. Dot and added that CJ didn't get credit for his contribution to the song. Also accompanying the post was a snippet of CJ rapping over K. Dot's "N95" beat. From the snippet, which many initially suspected was a reference track, it was obvious that K. Dot and CJ had similar cadence and lyrics. The post's caption read, "Quentin Miller associate CJ Francis IV ghostwriting for Kendrick Lamar. This is his demo of N95 (2022). I’d say this is a collab, but his name isn’t on the credits."
Also, a 2022 post from X user, @ItsNotHarold, emerged. In the post, Harold hailed CJ for writing on K. Dot's project. The post read, "My boy CJ Francis IV wrote on the Kendrick project man I'm so F***in gassed for my boy!!!! He one of the most talented people in the world bro this S**t is so next level!!!"
CJ Francis IV Allegedly Wrote for Roddy Ricch
In addition to claims that CJ wrote "N95," there were more allegations that he wrote songs for other artists, including Roddy Ricch. "The Box" crooner's name got into the mix after a leaked voice note from Roddy emerged. In the voice note, which was from 2022, Roddy was checking CJ for claiming he was writing songs for him.
Kendrick Lamar Fans Discredit Ghostwriter Claims
The allegations that CJ wrote for Kendrick caused a stir on social media. Unsurprisingly, K. Dot's fans weren't pleased with such stories, and one of them took the time to explain the situation on Reddit. In the post, the Redditor, aeolowl, claimed CJ never wrote for Kendrick and was never involved in making his album. The Redditor further wrote, "2019: Kendrick’s first 'version' of N95 was on his scrapped feature of 'vent' with Baby Keem. After scrapping that original verse, he worked on two separate songs and likely incorporated parts of that feature, Outta Pocket and Take Off. Metadata for Morale sessions have no hint of CJ."
Going further, the Redditor explained that Kendrick combined parts of Outta Pocket and Take Off to create the song Pocket Off in 2020 -- another demo that would plant the seeds for "N95." After going through the mixing and mastering stages on May 5th, 2020, Kendrick re-recorded a few lines. Afterward, he began filming the official music video for the song without any indication of CJ's involvement.
The Reddit user then concluded, "2022: The final beat of N95 is made sometime in late 2021-early 2022. Kendrick starts working on the final version of the song around March 2022. No hint of CJ. The tweet claims in replies that CJ’s demo was from 2019, but that would literally be impossible given when the instrumental was made, sent, and worked on. CJ is a known liar and does this shit very often, don’t be fooled."
CJ Francis IV Comes Clean About Writing For Kendrick Lamar
Soon after, CJ Francis IV cleared the air about his involvement in K. Dot's "N95." Taking to his Instagram Story, the songwriter wrote, "I had nothing to do with that song. Nor do I have anything to do with it being posted online." In another post, CJ denied writing for Roddy Ricch, Kendrick, Bryson Tiller, and YBN Nahmir.
Meanwhile, DJ Akademiks shared a post on X in which he shared that he spoke with Roddy Ricch, who claimed CJ was a complete fraud. Akademiks also shared, "Roddy was open to collaborate with others for his Feed The Streets 3 about 2 years ago project and basically this dude he never met and no songs ever got put out that he collabed on." Akademiks concluded, "The Voice note that got released was Roddy checking him 2 years ago for claiming he was writing for Roddy Ricch."
CJ Francis IV Social Media Infuence
Despite dominating news headlines over claims he wrote for Kendrick and Roddy, CJ doesn't necessarily have a massive social following. On Instagram, he boasts over 5.9k followers. He usually shares snippets of his work on his Instagram Stories.
CJ Francis IV's decision to come out and say he never worked for K. Dot is laudable. Though he could've allowed the rumors to circulate further, his decision indicates that he wanted to ensure the truth came out or it may mean he never wanted the smoke amid the Drake vs. Kendrick beef. Some fans may like to think higher powers forced him to come out with those statements. Hence, it might take more than a few social media posts to convince the public about what really happened. Whatever the case is CJ Francis IV may be the biggest winner, as there will be much more interest in him in the near future.
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