On “False Prophets,” Cole addresses the trials and tribulations of being a star. Though he refrains from name-dropping, Cole uses this track to fire shots at a few people, particularly Kanye West. In a May 2018 interview with Power 105’s Angie Martinez, Cole confirmed that part of the first verse did, in fact, apply to Kanye.

The instrumental for “False Prophets” was composed by Freddie Joachim. The instrumental has been used by multiple artists, most notably by Joey Bada$$ on his song “Waves.” Cole made sure to get Joey’s blessing before releasing this song.

The track did not appear on Cole’s fourth studio album 4 Your Eyez Only because it disrupted the narrative.

In the aforementioned interview with Angie Martinez, Cole also stated that this song was originally meant to be a part of his sixth studio album, The Fall Off.