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A conspiracy theory about J Cole’s hit 2013 song She Knows has been circulating online in the wake of Diddy’s arrest on sex crime charges. The analysis supposedly went viral on TikTok after the Bad Boy Records founder’s apprehension on September 16.
Disclaimer: This article only aims to elucidate the viral theory. It does not reflect any subjective view or personal opinion of the author.
According to the theory, the title of Cole’s song was a play on Beyonce’s last name, 'Knowles'. It reportedly further accuses the Cowboy Carter crooner of being complicit in the alleged crimes Diddy and her husband Jay-Z supposedly committed over the years.
There is a reference to Aaliyah, Left Eye, and Jackson in the first bridge of the song, which is now being interpreted by some as an insinuation that Beyonce, Diddy, and Jay-Z schemed and caused the other three artists' deaths:
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"Only bad thing 'bout a star is they burn up/ Rest in peace to Aaliyah/ Rest in peace to Left Eye/ Michael Jackson, I'll see ya/ Just as soon as I die"
On September 29, DJ Akademiks wrote on X that Roc Nation, Jay-Z's record label that signed J Cole as its first artist in 2009, has now allegedly issued a DMCA notice to get She Knows removed. Akademiks added this move was allegedly made after the hearsay went viral on TikTok. Netizens took to the comments to share their thoughts on the whole.
"doing this just makes them look guilty, who on their team approved this lmao," wrote one X user.
"its getting spooky," joked one person.
Supposedly referring to J Cole's partial involvement in the inception of the famed Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef, another person commented on X.
"Damn j Cole can’t catch a break," the person wrote.
"Oh hell nawh don’t tell me they killed MJ now I don’t think I’m ready for all that just yet," expressed one.
One person implied that Roc Nation's intent to remove Cole's song somewhat proved Jay-Z, Beyonce, and Diddy were guilty of the crimes they were being accused of:
"So they just confirmed it was true," said the social media user.
However, a few others did not believe the theory and claimed it could simply be an issue on YouTube's part that viewers from some parts of the world could not view Cole's She Knows music video on the platform.
"You guys are stupid asf this is a YouTube isssue lol," commented one.
"This isn’t true, @youtubemusic failed to renew their license with the SESAC & several artists music has been blocked in the U.S. afaik," reasoned another.
"i dont think u guys are really reading what ur typing. cuz what im reading is pure delusion," commented one X user.
J Cole's song's supposed removal and YouTube's SESAC dispute
It is to be noted that there is no concrete evidence to back the TikTok conspiracy theory over J Cole's She Knows, and thus, the claim remains unfounded.
The DMCA stands for Digital Millennium Copyright Act, which aims to protect copyrighted content, including music, film, and similar material from being distributed across the internet without the creator's permission.
However, there are no official reports of Roc Nation issuing a DMCA takedown notice for J Cole's song. Rather, several people pointed out that the music video's unavailability could be attributed to YouTube's legal dispute with SESAC, a performance-rights organization.
The establishment protects the copyright of artists in exchange for royalties. According to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesperson for the platform explained the current situation:
"We have held good faith negotiations with SESAC to renew our existing deal. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, we were unable to reach an equitable agreement before its expiration."
SESAC-protected music or any other artistic content is currently not available on YouTube, but only for the US audience. The contract dispute affected songs by several artists, including Rihanna, Adele, Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, Jack Harlow, and Bob Dylan.
