Neighbors
J. Cole * Track #7 On 4 Your Eyez Only
Download "Neighbors"
Neighbors by J. Cole
Release Date
Performed by
J. ColeAbout
“Neighbors” draws inspiration from an incident on March 18th, 2016 involving the house Cole rented (nicknamed “Sheltuh”) in North Carolina to use as a studio. The house was raided by SWAT team members after complaints from neighbors who assumed the house was being used to produce and sell drugs. No...
Neighbors Lyrics
[Intro]
I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope
Okay, the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope
Sellin' dope, sellin' dope, sellin' dope
[Verse 1]
Yeah, I don't want no picture with the president
I just wanna talk to the man
Speak for the boys in the bando
And my nigga never walkin' again
'pologize if I'm harpin' again
I know these things happen often
But I'm back on the scene
I was lost in a dream
As I write this, the team down in Austin
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
And explain all the pain that it cost him
My sixteen should've came with a coffin
Fuck the fame and the fortune
Well, maybe not the fortune
But one thing is for sure though
The fame is exhaustin'
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"
Crib has got a big 'ol back 'ol yard
My niggas stand outside and pass cigars
Filled with marijuana, laughin' hard
Thankful that they friend's a platinum star
In the driveway there's no rapper cars
Just some shit to get from back and forth
Just some shit to get from back and forth
Welcome to the Sheltuh, this is pure
We'll help you if you've felt too insecure
To be the star you always knew you were
Wait, I think police is at the door
[Chorus]
Okay, the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope
Hm, I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope
The neighbors think I'm—neighbors think I'm—
(Don't follow me, don't follow me...)
I think the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope
(Don't follow me, don't follow me...)
I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope
Sellin' dope, sellin' dope, sellin' dope
Well, motherfucker, I am
[Verse 2]
Some things you can't escape:
Death, taxes, and a ra-
-cist society that make
Every nigga feel like a candidate
For a Trayvon kinda fate
Even when your crib sit on a lake
Even when your plaques hang on a wall
Even when the president jam your tape
Took a little break just to annotate
How I feel, damn, it's late
I can't sleep cause I'm paranoid
Black in a white man territory
Cops bust in with the army guns
No evidence of the harm we done
Just a couple neighbors that assume we slang
Only time they see us we be on the news, in chains, damn
[Bridge]
Don't follow me
Don't follow me
Don't follow me
Don't follow me
[Chorus]
Okay, the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope
Hm, I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope
The neighbors think I'm...neighbors think I'm—
(Don't follow me, don't follow me...)
I think the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope
(Don't follow me, don't follow me...)
I guess the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope, sellin' dope
Sellin' dope, sellin' dope, sellin' dope
Well motherfucker, I am
[Outro]
I am, I am, I am, I am
Well, motherfucker, I am
I think the neighbors think I'm sellin' dope
I am, I am, I am
Well, motherfucker, I am
So much for integration
Don't know what I was thinkin'
I'm movin' back to south side
So much for integration
Don't know what I was thinkin'
I'm movin' back to south side
Neighbors Q&A
Who wrote Neighbors's ?
Neighbors was written by Elite & Ronnie Foster & J. Cole.
Where can I listen to this song and the rest of the album?
You can find it on iTunes and on Tidal.
What is the Sheltuh?
The “Sheltuh”, or shelter is a house in NC that Cole rented. It’s not for him; it’s a safe haven for all the Dreamville artists and producers with a studio in a basement, in the woods. The majority of 4 Your Eyez Only was recorded there.
Where did Cole get the name "Sheltuh" from?
Growing up, fellow-Fayetteville artist Nervous Reck was one of Cole’s teenage hip-hop idols. Nervous Reck and FilthE Ritch made up the rap duo Bomm Sheltuh, they mentored Cole when he first began rap and they’ve kept in touch ever since.
What did J. Cole say about "Neighbors"?
In a conversation with The NY Times, during the promotion for his HBO special titled J. Cole: 4 Your Eyez Only, Cole talked about the inspiration behind the song:
That lack of representation [of black people in the medias can lead to potentially catastrophic misunderstandings.
Cole went on to note...
Where can I see the footage of the raid?
A footage of the raid, captured by a security camera of his studio, can be seen in 4 Your Eyez Only: A Dreamville Film documentary, aired on HBO April 15, 2017.
Has this track received any certifications?
“Neighbors” was certified 3x platinum by the RIAA on March 8, 2022.