"Snow on Tha Bluff" was released in the midst of the George Floyd protests, which J. Cole participated in, in his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

[1] In late May 2020, prior to the song's release and five days after the murder of George Floyd, rapper Noname made a tweet widely panning wealthy rappers who discussed the struggles of black people in their music but had yet to publicly speak out via social media regarding the protests or Black Lives Matter in general.

[7] The song's title was derived from the 2012 drama film of the same name about real-life Atlanta-based drug dealer Curtis Snow.

According to Ben Kaye of Consequence of Sound, "The film was shot documentary-style, leaving some — including the Atlanta Police Department — convinced it was real.

[10] A "poem-esque" cut,[11] the song contains a nonstop verse about the political and racial unrest in America, notably the Black Lives Matter protests surrounding the murder of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor.

[13] In the first verse, he makes claims directed at a "young lady", (Noname) who, according to Cole, is alienating her people due to her "tone".

[15] Zoe Haylock of Vulture echoed a similar sentiment, writing, "J. Cole's idea of being 'gentle' with Noname is spending the majority of 'Snow on Tha Bluff' making assumptions about her and excuses for himself.

"[17] Many critics also took issue with the timing of the release of the song, with GQ's Julian Kimble writing that "[Cole] weaponizes male insecurity when there are literal lives at stake".

"[18] Lawrence Burney of The Fader called the track "poorly-timed" and said, "Cole isn't a monster for admitting that he knows he can do more and that he actually isn't qualified [...], but releasing a song that takes passive-aggressive jabs at a woman in the middle of a racial struggle and during a week in which Black women's abuse and forced silence has been a pressing topic, he has shown at the very least that his ego has been prioritized over a fight that is much bigger than him.

"[19] In a negative review, Miakel Wood of the Los Angeles Times found the song to be "paternalistic and tin-eared" and said it falls short of the moment.

Lars Brandle of Billboard called the song a "lyrical dynamite", and further noted how Cole "flows on social injustice, hardship and life in the ghettos, his words pouring over a dreamy production.