Forbidden Fruit (feat. Kendrick Lamar)

In the bible, Book Genesis, Adam and Eve are led into temptation by the serpent (the devil) and taste from the fruit that God had forbidden them to eat. This act, the fall of man, is the foundation of the Christian belief of original sin and the idea that all humans are born sinners—the concept of J. Cole’s 2013 album on which this song is the eleventh track.

J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar use the biblical narrative of Adam and Eve taking a bite out of the forbidden fruit as an analogy to modern day temptations, talking about the things we do knowing we shouldn’t.

This song samples Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew.” A Tribe Called Quest used this instrumental in “Electric Relaxation,” and Kendrick Lamar used the same sample on his song with Jay Rock, “Enjoy Life.”