Noname released her new album, Sundial, last Friday, and though it has been generally well-received, there have been criticisms of Jay Electronica’s verse on “Balloons.” Noname previously defended Jay Electronica’s inclusion on the album back when the tracklist was revealed, after some raised concerns about the rapper’s history of anti-semitism by way of his affiliation with the Nation Of Islam and Louis Farrakhan.
Jay Electronica uses his verse on “Balloons” to talk about his beliefs, with lines like “I run with the might ‘Khan as we expose the liars” and “Some fuckboy 85er come run up and press me/ It’s all a hoax, quite simple, a joke like Zelenskyy.” It ends with: “If anybody asks, tell ’em Farrakhan sent me/ It’s the war of armageddon and I’m beggin’ the listener/ If you ain’t fighting that mean you either dead or a prisoner.”
Noname addressed the criticism again in a statement posted to her Instagram story on Sunday afternoon. “here’s the truth. no, i’m not antisemitic. i don’t hate groups of people,” Noname wrote. “i am against white supremacy which is a global system that privleges people who identify as white. i’ve been clear about this for years.”
“i’m not going to apologize for a verse i didn’t write,” she continued. “i’m not going to apologize for including it on my album. if you feel i’m wrong for including that’s fair. don’t listen. unfollow and support all the other amazing rappers putting out dope music. your disappointment truly means absolutely nothing to me and i say that with love.”