By Hardcore Critic
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
A large and devoted fan base waited diligently on J. Cole to release his Cole World debut album. For two years, the fans of J. Cole waited for him to release his long-awaited album which came via Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. J. Cole was a special type of artist and there were several reasons his debut was so anticipated.
Coming into 2011, it was put up or shut up for J. Cole where his album was concerned. Him bringing a different element to the perception of what Southern hip hop is. With J. Cole coming from Fayetteville, North Carolina, most would expect trap music, as opposed to what his music is comprised of.
Inspired by his boss and mentor, Jay-Z, J. Cole promised to deliver an album a year once he finally released Cole World: The Sideline Story. The words were heard, but for the most part, everyone was caught up in the moment. In 2010, J. Cole came close to capturing the moment with his “Who Dat” single, using the Fayetteville State University band in the video.
But, in 2011, J. Cole truly captured the essence of hip hop and he had the whole game behind him once he began releasing the singles off his album. During this period of time, J. Cole also received much praise for his “Mr. Nice Watch” track with Jay-Z, which was a promotional single for Cole World. But, J. Cole closed the summer with “Work Out” and held the fall down with “Can’t Get Enough,” amassing a bigger audience for each single.
The hip hop world, especially the North Carolina hip hop scene firmly was behind him. When fans thought it was over for J. Cole until the next album, he came back for one more single. J. Cole was praised for getting Missy Elliott to contribute to his album on arguably the best song off the album, “Nobody’s Perfect.” Once J. Cole released his final single in the spring of 2012, he was absent from the game with the exception of an occasional guest appearance and interview.
A year later, J. Cole is back and he has a fan favorite on his hands with the Miguel-assisted “Power Trip” single. Born Sinner is the name of the next album from J. Cole and an EP, Truly Yours, was released in promotion of the album. “Power Trip” is going strong, but has yet to have the type of impact as the Cole World songs had on the hip hop world. Though J. Cole will likely do well on his upcoming album, will he manage to have the same, or a bigger, impact with Born Sinner than he had with Cole World?
After all, this is the same man who brought Fayetteville to The Barbados.
Watch music videos from J. Cole below:
“Who Dat”
Work Out”
“Can’t Get Enough” ft. Trey Songz
“Nobody’s Perfect” ft. Missy Elliott
