Joyner Lucas has always been a thoughtful artist, whether it be reflecting on the state of America with viral hit “I’m Not Racist” or second guessing who he surrounds himself with on “I Love.” Now, he connects with one of the archetypes for that style of rap in J. Cole, as they share a little brother-big brother dynamic in the song and video for “Your Heart,” released on Sept. 24.
“Your Heart” sees Joyner open the track with a condescending hook and first verse about how he did his partner wrong. Turning around the insults she used on him, Joyner’s emotional portion of the track shows the heartbroken pettiness we may all indulge when things don’t go our way.
You say that you hate me and we not involved (Yeah)
But you still checkin’ on me tryna find info, I know (Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah)
I broke your heart, huh? (Woah)
You knew I was a fuck n**** from the start, huh?
You should’ve listened when they said I was a dawg, huh?
You should’ve listened to your head when you had thoughts, huh?
That’s what you thought, huh? I left you scarred, huh?
“Your Heart” — Joyner Lucas, J. Cole
J. Cole then intervenes in the back half of the track, holding up a mirror to the one who was at fault in the relationship. Cole’s wisdom comes from experience, as he demonstrates that you only deserve your girl if you treat her right, and that there are always guys looking to be in your position.
I hate a fuck n****, used to be a fuck n****
Couldn’t even blame her if she did fuck n****s
You run your bitch through the mud, you deserve that
So you can feel it for yourself where it hurt at
What goes around comes around, I know you heard that
While you was creepin’, tell me, did it not occur that
There’s n****s slidin’ in the DMs every AM, every PM
“Your Heart” — Joyner Lucas, J. Cole
The video, which came out the morning after the song’s release, portrays this dynamic perfectly. As Joyner watches his ex go through heartbreak and eventually move on to somebody new, Cole is there to show him his missteps.
While J. Cole now holds this veteran status and his legacy is cemented, he still appears motivated, putting out high quality work recently with “Your Heart” and his single “Heaven’s EP” from earlier this week. Perhaps he is getting the wheels turning to continue releasing music in the near future, coming off his sixth studio album The Off-Season in May.
Whether or not that happens, Cole still established excellent chemistry on this track with Joyner, both employing introspective lyricism while inserting melodic passages throughout the song.
Stream “Your Heart” by Joyner Lucas and J. Cole below!
