J. Cole Reveals Regret for Cutting Off a Friend Who Came Out as Gay Before He Died from AIDS

Rapper J .Cole has finally released his long-awaited project The Fall-Off. On the ambitious 24-track, double album, Cole guides listeners through two distinct periods of his life, ages 29 and 39, offering his typical brand of self-interrogation and reflection.

One standout track on the album is “SAFETY”, where Cole recalls distancing himself from a friend named Quay, because of their sexuality, a regretful decision that still lingers with him after he learned Quay later died from AIDS complications.

In the song, he says:

Yo, Quay passed last night from medical conditions that were too advanced
For doctors to intervene, they couldn’t do a thing
They say he dwindled away until his size was that of a figurine
It seemed just like a mystery
Some say it was Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome
We been known what team he acknowledged
Since we was kids, he lived in a closet
But that changed soon as he went to college
Up there wilin’ in the A&T
Runnin’ with fruity types, dick in the booty types
Tight pants, switchin’ their hips, paintin’ their nails
So niggas from the ‘Ville had to distance ourselves

J. Cole, continued:

He felt a way, remember, he was beefin’ with me
That’s when he moved to the A, I guess, so he could be free
But years later, I heard they seen him walkin’ on Bragg (Oh-oh-oh-oh)
At 2 a.m. with a lace front, dressin’ in drag
I shook my head, but still, I began to feel bad (Oh-oh)
It’s like his lifestyle was blockin’ all the love that we had
We turned our backs on him, some of us called him a fa— (Oh-oh-oh-oh)
Nah, time’s changed, I know that’s wrong
Now that we grown, I wish I could apologize, ’cause we did him wrong (Oh-oh)

“SAFETY” plays as a raw apology not only to Quay but towards friends and loved ones, who may have been pushed away because of their queerness.

Hearing this honesty from a straight identifying male superstar like Cole is a compelling revelation. One that hits harder within the context of the rap world, where homophobia and transphobia is regularly normalized.

Listen to “SAFETY” below: