Jordan Huggins

Professor Witherspoon
English 102
7 November 2014
Coles Cold World
Hip Hop is a culture that began as a genre of music in the 1970s. The rap genre
has stirred up plenty controversies and started many careers. Most of all, is has told the
stories or individuals. Unfortunately, the true essence of what Hip Hop really is has been
lost within the values people place of money, cars, sex, and other forms of vanity. Artists
that make this music express the importance of these things and brainwash the fans of
their music. Those who still hold on to the true values of the culture suffer from the
criticism of the public that has twisted ideals of Hip Hop Music. J. Cole is one artist that
endures a great deal of this judgment.
J. Cole, born Jermaine Cole, was born January 28, 1985, on an Army base in West
Germany. After about eight months, Cole and his mother moved to Fayetteville, North
Carolina, where he would spend most of his early life. His father left the family when he
was still young, leaving his mother to raise two young boys on her own. Though he was
brought up in a poverty-stricken household, young Jermaine was always academically
gifted. He was always at the top of his class throughout school. His behavior did not
match his grades, however. Jermaine would always stay out in the streets past curfew and
get into trouble. It was in these streets where he developed a love for basketball. Cole had
dreams of playing college basketball for the University of North Carolina. As he grew, he
still had deep hopes of a career in sports, but Jermaine began to grow a passion for
rhyming. At the age of fifteen, Jermaine Cole made the decision that he would become a
rapper. He grew up listening to artists such as Tupac, Canibus, Eminem, and Nas. Cole

also learned to produce his own records, as he did not know anyone else who could do it
for him. He took this new path so serious that he even removed all of the basketball
posters from his walls and replaced them with The Source magazines and rap lyrics. Cole
studied the most influential artists of the genre in an effort to perfect his craft.
Jermaine Cole developed a style of rhyming and rhythm that is often compared to
the style of Tupac and Nas, who are arguably the greatest Hip Hop artists of all time.
During Coles teen years, rap was more about materialistic vanity and less about
storytelling. Most rappers around that time, such as Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and T.I. would
only rap about money, drugs, women, and violence. The true essence of what Hip Hop
really is was beginning to be forgotten. Yes, those material things are a part of life, but
these rappers placed too much value in these things that would not last. Rappers during
that time only made music for the profit and not for the love of the art. This lead to the
music industry being more business oriented. This also sprouted various controversies
about rappers promoting the use of drugs and objectifying women. Cole planned to
introduce his raw style in an effort to remind the public of the roots of Hip Hop. His first
official mixtape, The Come Up, grabbed the attention of plenty music lovers in the New
York area, but did not give him the buzz that he wanted. He took the feedback from his
first body of work and used it to create his next project, The Warm Up. Before finishing
the mixtape, he released the song, Light Please, which reached the ears of Hip Hop
mogul Shawn Carter, better known as Jay-Z. Upon finishing his mixtape, Jermaine Cole
was signed to Roc Nation under Jay-Z. However, he did not gain the benefits any other
rapper would get after being signed. Though Jay-Z saw something different in him that
he did not see in other rappers, Jermaine still had to prove himself. This led Cole to

compose his critically acclaimed mixtape, Friday Night Lights. This body of work
propelled his career and got the attention of many other artists in the industry. Fans and
critics alike started to compare his style and raps to that of Nas. He earned the title one of
the best new lyricists and a breath of fresh air. These comparisons gave Cole
motivation to create more music, but it did not grant him the key he needed to put that
music out.
Before Cole could release his album, he needed a single that could be played on
the radio to promote that album. Unfortunately, none of his songs fit that criteria. This is
when his lyrical style began to suffer. Although his music and art of storytelling is
exactly what Hip Hop needed, it is not what the people wanted. Although he had a strong
fan base, he still did not have the popularity he needed to successfully sell records. His
music was felt and relatable, but the public was drawn more to songs about vanity. Along
with other lyricists like Wale and Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole was extremely underrated.
Songs that told stories of life of uplifted the people were not praised as well as they used
to be. The music industry gradually became more concerned about what would sell, not
what was right. Accordingly, Jermaine Cole had to succumb to the business and step out
of his character to make a radio-friendly song. This song turned out to be one of his most
successful, but at the same time it disappointed those who had faith in him. Among those
was someone whom he looked up to, Nas. Nas was disgusted that J. Cole had fell victim
to the industry in order to put out his music. Jermaine used that discouragement and
criticism from listeners to fuel his next album, Born Sinner. During his work on this
album, J. Cole refused to abandon his true nature as an artist to appeal to the radio. His
two radio singles, Power Trip and Crooked Smile, both reached platinum status. He

also apologized to Nas and other Hip Hop legends on his track, Let Nas Down. Born
Sinner was a successful album, reaching gold status. J. Cole was fruitful in his efforts to
produce entrancing music without having to sacrifice his art.
Though J. Cole has a prosperous career as a Hip Hop Artist, he is still exceedingly
undervalued. His fan base remains as strong and supportive as ever, but it could always
be bigger. Most current rappers attain immense acclamation for their praise of a flashy
yet wasteful lifestyle. These vain artists claim all the accolades that lyricist deserve. J.
Coles love for the Hip Hop culture runs deeper than the music. He has given back to the
public and supported communities such as Ferguson during its time of peril. Although J.
Cole does not obtain the recognition he deserves, he continues his deeds by virtue of his
love for the people, not to be seen, which truly matters.