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The Appeal Of J. Cole
“And could I be a star / Does fame in this game have to change who you are / Or could I be the same one who came from a far away life / Just to make it in these Broadway lights…” –J. Cole, “A Star Is Born” by Jay-Z.
Lakeia: I think J. Cole is refreshing. In a landscape full of extremes (Louis Vuitton shopping, counting blood money or spouting political rhetoric), he steers clear away from gimmicks on his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story and latches on to something most rappers have forgotten about, reality. While reality is relative, there are a few common themes that we all contemplate and struggle with when left alone with our thoughts. Cole takes us to those places, and he does it without being corny.
J. Cole is not the first to do this. Most recently, there was Drake, who had the “feelings game” on lock but then went too far—sometimes losing the male (and even female, sheesh) audience with an overkill of emotions. Before him, Kanye shared pillow talk on wax. But somewhere along the road, probably on his way to the Hermes store in Beverly Hills, Kanye went a little left. His vulnerability is now often sandwiched between arrogance and superiority. He’ll give fans a little candor and take it right back, sort of like saying, “I’m vulnerable and conflicted, but dammit I’m rich so I’m still better than you.”
In the past two weeks, I’ve listened to Cole World: The Sideline Story countless times from top to bottom. On occasion, I skip a track (i.e. “Mr. Nice Watch” ) or play a few on repeat (“Rise and Shine” and “Sideline Story” are favorites). But I understand where Cole is coming from on each song. On each song he’s perfectly human. Perfectly flawed. Perfectly brilliant. I guess sometimes being on the sidelines ain’t so bad. You get to see the big picture.
Omar: In my opinion, some of his skills were showcased much better on his mixtapes than his album. In terms of raw talent, he possesses everything you look for in a superior emcee. I agree that Cole has managed to connect to a lot of his fans on a very personal level, which is much easier said than done. Would you agree or disagree that a lot of core members of Lauryn Hill’s, Lupe Fiasco’s and Kanye West’s audience felt just as emotionally connected before turning on those artists? I can see the same thing potentially happening with J. Cole.
“And could I be a star / Does fame in this game have to change who you are / Or could I be the same one who came from a far away life / Just to make it in these Broadway lights…” –J. Cole, “A Star Is Born” by Jay-Z.
Lakeia: I think J. Cole is refreshing. In a landscape full of extremes (Louis Vuitton shopping, counting blood money or spouting political rhetoric), he steers clear away from gimmicks on his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story and latches on to something most rappers have forgotten about, reality. While reality is relative, there are a few common themes that we all contemplate and struggle with when left alone with our thoughts. Cole takes us to those places, and he does it without being corny.
J. Cole is not the first to do this. Most recently, there was Drake, who had the “feelings game” on lock but then went too far—sometimes losing the male (and even female, sheesh) audience with an overkill of emotions. Before him, Kanye shared pillow talk on wax. But somewhere along the road, probably on his way to the Hermes store in Beverly Hills, Kanye went a little left. His vulnerability is now often sandwiched between arrogance and superiority. He’ll give fans a little candor and take it right back, sort of like saying, “I’m vulnerable and conflicted, but dammit I’m rich so I’m still better than you.”
In the past two weeks, I’ve listened to Cole World: The Sideline Story countless times from top to bottom. On occasion, I skip a track (i.e. “Mr. Nice Watch” ) or play a few on repeat (“Rise and Shine” and “Sideline Story” are favorites). But I understand where Cole is coming from on each song. On each song he’s perfectly human. Perfectly flawed. Perfectly brilliant. I guess sometimes being on the sidelines ain’t so bad. You get to see the big picture.
Omar: In my opinion, some of his skills were showcased much better on his mixtapes than his album. In terms of raw talent, he possesses everything you look for in a superior emcee. I agree that Cole has managed to connect to a lot of his fans on a very personal level, which is much easier said than done. Would you agree or disagree that a lot of core members of Lauryn Hill’s, Lupe Fiasco’s and Kanye West’s audience felt just as emotionally connected before turning on those artists? I can see the same thing potentially happening with J. Cole.
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