On “Lion King on Ice,” J. Cole reverts to his alter ego, Young Simba, but now in a much colder and darker tone. He raps about his come-up and his experience growing up in Fayetteville, where he wasn’t always certain that he would see the next day. He furthers this by reflecting on the challenges he...
[Intro]
Your every kiss, your every touch
[Chorus]
I got blood on my hands, I ain't gon' lie
I got mud on my shoes, I ain't gon' lie
I got real, real big plans, I ain't gon' lie
Got a whole lot to prove, I ain't gon' lie
I got blood on my hands, I ain't gon' lie
I got mud on my shoes, I ain't gon' lie
I got real, real big plans, I ain't gon' lie
Got a whole lot to prove, uh
[Verse 1]
Sip from the bottle for shit that we bottlin' in
Goin' live, but we not on the 'Gram
This the land of supply and demand
Where my young niggas choppin' up grams
And them choppers won't pry from they hands
Packin' lead like they got a exam
If it's beef, my niggas look just like homewreckers
They got they eye on your mans
I pray to God that it jam
Too many done died in these parts
So we gotta be smart if we tryna see August
Some niggas won't make it past summer regardless
I'm tryin' my hardest to stack my deposits
These niggas be lookin' at me like I got it
Deep down inside, though, I still feel as broke
As that nigga who just graduated from college
Scrapin' up change that got left in my pockets
I'm tryna make nickels turn into a dollar
Ridin' the train, way too shy to go holler
Just watched her get off at her stop, I'm a coward
Fuck it, though, you got a way bigger target
I'ma do it so big, they won't know what to call it
Sound like a whole Lambo' truck in my stomach
Bitch, I ain't hungry, this feeling is starving
Gotta move mama from out them apartments
Gotta put 'Ville on the map, we forgotten
Gotta hit hoes you hang up in your locker
Gotta get rich, 'cause my granny picked cotton
Gotta make hits, 'cause if not, then I'm floppin'
Gotta stay me in the process
Niggas dissed me, it was nonsense
I sat 'em down like his father
My nigga asked, "Why you bother?
We should've caught him and mobbed him"
I said, "We gotta move smarter"
Don't wan' be the reason for one more sad song
I tried to warn niggas they wouldn't last long
I hope that you see how they came and they went
They shots never hit, but they made they attempts
May have a good year like that name on the blimp
But you know what it takes to be poppin' this long?
Dedication on another level niggas never seen in they life
Celebratin' all your first downs like they touchdowns bring a price
Young Simba had the bustdown, yeah, the Lion King on ice
Niggas wanted me to look the part, had to stop takin' advice
Put the jewelry to the side, had to find me, had to find God
Half the time, we be pacifyin', what they expect from us?
But that's treacherous, that shows less of us
I need y'all to see every part of me
Every scar and every artery
Every story that I can recall, then I can fall
[Chorus]
I got blood on my hands, I ain't gon' lie
I got mud on my shoes, I ain't gon' lie
I got real, real big plans, I ain't gon' lie
Got a whole lot to prove, I ain't gon' lie
I got blood on my hands, I ain't gon' lie
I got mud on my shoes, I ain't gon' lie
I got real, real big plans, I ain't gon' lie
Got a whole lot to prove, I ain't gon' lie (Uh)
[Verse 2]
Lately, I reflect on the times a nigga was low
I got it up off the floor, I'm stronger than ever before
I'm stronger than ever before just like I planned to be
They wanna see me fold, it ain't no thang to me
Thoughts when I was broke, if only I could be
Pockets holdin' hope, it ain't no thang to me
At night, I hit my knees, I prayed for better days
Then found a better me, I got my head on straight
[Outro]
Up, up, and away, just ridin' my wave, I ain't never gon' say nothin'
Nigga throw a shot my way, I just jot down names, ain't never gon' say nothin'
Know you be stressin', hate only block your blessin', I'm never gon' say nothin'
Quit all that flexin', niggas live check to check, I'm never gon' say nothin'
Know that it's destined
Lion King on Ice was written by J. Cole & T-Minus & jetsonmade.
Lion King on Ice was produced by J. Cole & T-Minus & jetsonmade.
J. Cole released Lion King on Ice on Wed Jul 22 2020.
Yes, in the early stages of his career, Young Simba was one of Cole’s alter egos. It began with his May 2007 song, “Simba,” and he continued it with both “Grown Simba” in June 2009 and “Return of Simba” in May 2011. Cole has also used the alter ego in the following songs:
“The Autograph” (Nov. 2010...
“Lion King on Ice” failed to debut on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week of August 1, 2020. Its absence can be attributed to the song being released on a Wednesday night; chart weeks end on Thursdays at midnight, so the song only had 26 hours of tracking. In the August 8 tracking week, the song debut...
On the day before the song’s release, jetsonmade tweeted:
y’all really bout to get Cole on jetson 808s 😭 shit different— jetsonmade✨ (@jetsonmade) July 21, 2020
Yes, this marks their fifth collaboration, following these tracks:
Cole, “Kevin’s Heart” (Apr. 2018)
6LACK, “Pretty Little Fears” (Sep. 2018)
Cole, “MIDDLE CHILD” (Jan. 2019)
Young Thug, “The London” (May 2019)
“Lion King on Ice” was certified gold by the RIAA on March 8, 2022.