J. Cole Wonders If The Industry Is Ready For AI’s Influence On “cLOUDs”

J. Cole is taking a moment to reflect as he gets older. On Thursday (Feb. 20), the North Carolina rapper unveiled his first release of the year, “cLOUDs,” in which he touched on everything from Donald Trump’s assassination attempt to the growing conversation around artificial intelligence.

“Before long, all the songs the whole world sings’ll/ Be generated by latest of AI regimes/ As all of our favorite artists erased by it scream/ From the wayside, ‘Aye, whatever happened to human beings?’” Cole spat in the song’s second verse. Earlier in the DZL- and Omen-produced cut, available exclusively via The Algorithm, he name-dropped Spike Lee and called out “billionaires who don’t care the world’s gon’ break,” among other topics.

“Just wanted to share,” he wrote on his website. “Made this a few days ago, then I added a second verse and was like, ‘Man I got a blog now, I can put whatever I want up there.’”

The Bigger Conversation Around AI In Music

Cole obviously isn’t the first artist to question AI’s role in music, but his take certainly brings the conversation back to the forefront. Instead of calling for bans and regulations — as we’ve seen with Cardi B, Nicki Minaj and several others — the Dreamville Records founder instead reflected on the growing fear that artificial intelligence could replace human creativity much sooner than expected.

AI, much like in other industries, is a bit of a mixed bag at the moment. Some, like Drake and Ye, have embraced it, with “Taylor Made Freestyle” — which used the late Tupac Shakur’s likeness — and VULTURES 2, respectively. On the other hand, more than 200 artists, including Doechii, Metro Boomin, Ayra Starr and Hit-Boy, signed an open letter warning against the “predatory use of AI” in 2024.

What’s On The Bill For J. Cole In 2025?

In April, the “No Role Modelz” rapper is slated to headline the fifth and final Dreamville Fest from April 5 to April 6 at Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, North Carolina. Unfortunately, The Fall Off seemingly won’t be dropping before then. In a post on The Algorithm in January, Cole made it clear that his seventh studio album was “not exactly” on the way but reassured fans, “When it’s time for something, you will know.”