The recent allegations surrounding Kendrick Lamar’s use of a ghostwriter for his song “N95” have been quickly debunked following the surfacing of an alleged demo by CJ Francis IV. The controversy began when a user on X claimed that Francis had ghostwritten the track for Kendrick and was uncredited for his work. However, these claims have been swiftly denied by both Francis and other sources.
In a post on social media, the user shared a brief snippet of Francis rapping over the “N95” beat, showcasing a similar cadence and lyrics to Kendrick’s version. Additionally, a tweet from 2022 praised Francis for his work on the Kendrick project. Despite this, Francis took to his Instagram Stories to clarify that he had no involvement with the song and did not authorize it to be posted online.
Furthermore, a community note on the original post pointed out that Francis is known for rapping over instrumental remakes from YouTube and falsely claiming to have worked on popular songs. Additionally, a Reddit thread revealed that “N95” originated in 2019 as a collaboration between Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem, further disproving the ghostwriting claims.
This incident serves as a reminder of the dangers of spreading misinformation online and the importance of verifying sources before jumping to conclusions. As in this case, a simple Reddit thread was able to debunk the false claims and set the record straight. Kendrick Lamar has a long history of crafting his own thought-provoking lyrics, and it is clear that he continues to do so with “N95.” Ghostwriting claims may surface from time to time, but ultimately, Kendrick’s talent and authenticity shine through in his music.
