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“First Person Shooter,” written by Drake & J. Cole, is a song released on the 6th of October, 2023. It is the sixth song from Drake’s 2023 album, For All The Dogs. The meaning of “First Person Shooter” lyrics by Drake and J. Cole is their dominance with confidence, wit, and camaraderie over a long time. This song is the third official collaboration between Drake and J. Cole. It is the first in over a decade, after June 2013. In the song, the rappers address the criticism and competition they have to face that comes with their success. You can listen to Drake J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter” below.
Drake appeared on a Table for One special episode on the 6th of October, 2023 only a few hours before For All the Dogs was released. Here, Drake confirmed that J. Cole would appear on the sixth track of the album while calling it “fourth-quarter magic.” Also, he revealed that both he and Cole had “just got out from the studio.” This means “First Person Shooter” is the final song that was recorded for the 2023 album by Drake, For All The Dogs.
Drake & J. Cole, First Person Shooter: The Lyrics & Their Meaning
The first verse of “First Person Shooter” lyrics by Drake & J. Cole mentions the title of the song. By the phrase “First person shooter mode,” J. Cole means to show the competition and ruthlessness in the music industry. Here, the rapper J. Cole implies that both Drake and J. Cole are turning their respective competition’s songs into funerals. This is because both rappers are at the top of their careers. The line, “To them n…s that say they wan’ off us, you better be talkin’ ’bout workin’ in cubicles,” means that their competition should focus on working a regular job because they can’t compete in the music industry. Furthermore, J. Cole claims to be number one by using the Spanish count “Numero U-N-O.” He compares his collaboration with Drake to the Super Bowl with millions of people waiting for their music to be released.
Drake in the second verse replies to J. Cole’s statements. He asks “Big as the what?” multiple times as a casual and friendly banter between the two artists. Drake acknowledges J. Cole’s “Super Bowl” comparison and points out a difference. The meaning of this in the second verse of “First Person Shooter” is that Drake says the Super Bowl is a massive event while their collaboration is simply two friends making music in their studio. Drake is known to collaborate with new artists and he says some new artists send him outdated and lazy work with terrible verses and calls them, “a two-year-old.” His status in the music world is the “Greatest of All Time”, or simply “G.O.A.T.” He tells people to name their favorite artists. Also, he compares himself to Muhammed Ali.
The third verse of “First Person Shooter” lyrics by Drake & J. Cole begins with the line “N…s so thirsty to put me in beef.” J. Cole addresses people using his name and his words in social media debates. However, he lets it slide as it’s a distraction. Since he wishes to expand his musical horizons, he expresses his will to collaborate with other artists. Then, he announces his upcoming album, The Fall Off. He promises his fans that his music does not lack quality. J. Cole also compares his success and growth to a father patiently waiting for his child’s arrival in this world. He mentions the comparison between Kendrick Lamar (K-Dot), Drake, and J. Cole. He raps all three rappers as the “big three” in rap music while says J. Cole himself feels like Muhammed Ali. Then, he acknowledges the competition but everyone is great in their ways.
In the second part of the song, Drake begins his verse with the line “bout to click out on this s…” The meaning of this lyric from “First Person Shooter” is that Drake is about to go all out and put in a hundred percent effort. He describes a scenario where he’s casually dismissing his critics and haters. This shows he is unbothered by anyone’s opinions about him. He mentions a “high beam” and “Bentley wheel whippin’ when I was nineteen” which reveal his lavish lifestyle and success. He receives messages from various women as many people know him because of his fame. However, he also understands that these interactions are fake and calls these talks “small things.” Also, he reveals he is one number-one hit away from Michael Jackson and mentions The Beatles in the lyrics as well.
Music Video of “First Person Shooter” by Drake & J. Cole
The music video for “First Person Shooter” is directed by Gibson Hazard. It shows how Drake and J. Cole engage in a clever and witty way while appeasing the Internet meme. The video begins with a parody scene of “The Office” featuring Brian Baumgartner, who is widely known as Kevin from the same TV series. He plays this song while immersed in a first-person shooter game at his own office. This gives a meaning that the music video of “First Person Shooter” by Drake & J. Cole is inspired by the TV Show, The Office. Meanwhile, the rappers are portrayed in a large conference room playing table tennis, transitioning from the scene of a busy office. Then, this scene changes into a tennis match at a big stadium, almost as big as the Super Bowl.
Throughout the video, there are references to many Internet memes edited with big-budget CGI effects. One of the most memorable meme additions in this song is the including of the recreation of popular memes like Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man and iconic moments such as Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo playing chess from their Louis Vuitton campaign that broke the Internet.
Also, Drake remembers Michael Jackson and gives him a shoutout by referencing the iconic image of Jackson wearing a white glove. This is Drake’s way of celebrating the achievement of “First Person Shooter” debuting at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. This milestone ties Drake with Michael Jackson for the most No. 1 singles among solo males on the Hot 100 chart. In the music video, both Drake and J. Cole go hand in hand while showing amazing chemistry between the artists while producing a record together. Also, Drake’s social media post featured a photoshopped picture of Jackson in OVO merchandise with the caption “Mooooooooood,” tagging J. Cole.
The success of “First Person Shooter” extends beyond the music video. All 23 songs from Drake’s 2023 album, For All The Dogs, appeared in the top 50 of the Hot 100 chart during its first tracking week. At this point, Drake is too big to fail.
Drake’s 50-carat Diamond Dog Leash Chain and 2 KG of 18K White Gold in the “First Person Shooter” Music Video
Drake has revealed a notable jewelry piece crafted by jeweler Nadine Ghosn in the music video for “First Person Shooter,” featuring J. Cole. It is an eye-catching piece, a canine-themed chain, that incorporates 50 carats of diamonds and 2 kilograms of 18K white gold. According to HYPEBEAST, Ghosn shared a detailed image of the chain on Instagram which reveals its total weight of over 4 pounds. The chain is named “Unleashed” and is a tribute to his 2023 album, For All The Dogs. In the music video, Drake raps the lyric, “You n…s is still takin’ pictures on a dog stream.” Also, Ghosn expressed gratitude for the opportunity to create something unique as Drake commissioned Ghosn for an 18K dog bone chain to celebrate the release of “For All the Dogs.”
Why Is Drake Lying About His Height in “First Person Shooter” Lyrics?
Despite how iconic the music video of “First Person Shooter” is, everyone raised their eyebrows when Drake revealed a big statue of himself in the video while claiming he is 6 feet and 2 inches tall. According to UPROXX, a quick Google search can tell anyone that he is only 6 feet tall, which is still a good level of height. This apparent contradiction is now a topic for discussion about why Drake would clearly lie about his height.
Fans say that he is simply insecure about his height despite being a six-foot-tall person. But he contradicts himself in this song for the second time. The contradiction in “First Person Shooter” about his height is that Drake gives a new meaning to his song, Sneakin’, which also features 21 Savage, where he rapped the lyric, “6’1″, man, a n… need some leg room.” It is also ironic how the 2024 tour of Drake and J. Cole is titled, It’s All A Blur Tour — Big As The What?
Critical Reviews of “First Person Shooter”
In the first judgment of the album, Billboard’s Kyle Denis ranked the song “First Person Shooter” as the ninth best. He says, “Now a decade-plus into their respective reigns, both Cole and Drake adopt an attitude of elder statesmen, but they still have some skin in the game.” Also, Denis characterized the attitude of the rappers as “braggadocious.” However, he assessed that both artists seemed to hold back a bit. Rolling Stone’s Mosi Reeves contrasted Drake and J Cole on the song. He says that Drake was “thoroughly outclassed.” Also, he criticized Drake’s basic lyrics, particularly those discussing women. Clash Music’s Shahzaib Hussain says that “First Person Shooter” showcases Drake as someone with “s…-talking pomp and posturing.”
What Are the Lyrics of “First Person Shooter” by Drake & J. Cole?
These are the lyrics of Drake & J. Col’s “First Person Shooter” via Genius:
First Person Shooter Lyrics
Part I
[Verse 1: J. Cole]
(Pew, pew-pew)
First person shooter mode, we turnin’ your song to a funeral
To them n…s that say they wan’ off us, you better be talkin’ ’bout workin’ in cubicles
Yeah, them boys had it locked, but I knew the code
Lot of n…s debatin’ my numeral
Not the three, not the two, I’m the U-N-O
Yeah
Numero U-N-O
Me and Drizzy, this s… like the Super Bowl
Man, this s… damn near big as the—[Verse 2: Drake]
Big as the what? Big as the what? Big as the what?
Big as the Super Bowl
But the difference is it’s just two guys playin’ s.. that they did in the studio
N…s usually send they verses back to me and they be terrible, just like a two-year old
I love a dinner with some fine women
When they start debatin’ about who the G.O.A.T
I’m like “Go ‘head, say it then, who the G.O.A.T.?
“Who the G.O.A.T.? Who the G.O.A.T.? Who the G.O.A.T.?”
“Who you b…es really rootin’ for?”
Like a kid that act bad from January to November, n…, it’s just you and Cole
Big as the what? Big as the what? Big as the what?(Ayy)
Big as the Super Bowl[Verse 3: J. Cole]
N…s so thirsty to put me in beef
Dissectin’ my words and start lookin’ too deep
I look at the tweets and start suckin’ my teeth
I’m lettin’ it rock ’cause I love the mystique
I still wanna get me a song with YB
Can’t trust everything that you saw on IG
Just know if I diss you, I’d make sure you know that I hit you like I’m on your caller ID
I’m namin’ the album The Fall Off, it’s pretty ironic ’cause it ain’t no fall off for me
Still in this b… gettin’ bigger, they waitin’ on the kid to come drop like a father to be
Love when they argue the hardest MC
Is it K-Dot? Is it Aubrey? Or me?
We the big three like we started a league, but right now, I feel like Muhammed Ali
Huh, yeah, yeah, huh-huh, yeah, Muhammed Ali
The one that they call when they s… ain’t connectin’ no more, feel like I got a job in IT
Rhymin’ with me is the biggest mistake
The Spider-Man meme is me lookin’ at Drake
It’s like we recruited your homies to beat demon deacons, we got ’em attending a wake
Hate how the gang gotta wait for the boss, man, this s… like a prison escape
Everybody steppers, well f… it, then everybody breakfast and I’m ’bout to clear up my plate (Huh, huh, huh)
When I show up, it’s motion picture blockbuster
The G.O.A.T. with the golden pin, the top toucher
The spot rusher, sprayed his whole s… up, the crop duster
Not Russia, but apply pressure
To your cranium, Cole’s automatic when aimin’ ’em
With The Boy in the status, a stadium
N…Part II
[Intro: Drake]
Ayy, I’m ’bout to—, I’m bout to—
I’m ’bout to—, yeah
Yeah[Verse: Drake]
I’m ’bout to click out on this s…
I’m ’bout to click, woah
I’m ’bout to click out on this s…
I’m ’bout to click, woah
I’m down to click down you h…s and make a crime scene
I click the trigger on the stick like a high beam
Man, I was Bentley wheel whippin’ when I was nineteen
She call my number, leave her hangin’, she got dry-cleaned
She got a Android, her messages is lime green
I search one name, and end up seein’ twenty tings
Nadine, Christine, Justine, Kathleen, Charlene, Pauline, Claudine
Man, I pack ’em in this phone like some sardines
And they send me naked pictures, it’s the small things
You n…s is still takin’ pictures on a dog stream
My youngers richer than you rappers and they all stream
I really hate that you been sellin’ them some false dreams
Man, if your pub was up for sale, I buy the whole thing
Will they ever give me flowers? Well, of course not
They don’t wanna have that talk, ’cause it’s a sore spot
They know The Boy the one they gotta boycott
I told Jim and Jammer I use a GRAMMY as a door stop
Girl gave me some head because I need it
And if I f… with you, then after I might eat it, wait
N…s talkin’ ’bout when this gon’ be repeated
What the f… bro? I’m one away from Michael
N…, beat it, n…, beat it, what?[Outro]
Drake & J. Cole’s “First Person Shooter” Lyrics
Beat it, what? Beat it, what? Beat it, what? Beat it, what?
Beat it, what? Beat it, what? Beat it, what? Beat it, what?
Beat it, what? Beat it, what? Beat it, what? Beat it, what?
Don’t even pay me back on none them favors, I don’t need it
Comment on the meaning behind the song “First Person Shooter” lyrics by Drake and J. Cole below or on the Twitter handle “@laviasco”. We have also analyzed “Virginia Beach” by Drake and “Snow On Tha Bluff” by J. Cole.
