J.cole album review - Paper about hip hop and what it is about. J. cole is the main focus PDF

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Paper about hip hop and what it is about. J. cole is the main focus...

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Kadijah Massoud Professor Colman Hip Hop and Society April 6th, 2021 Jermaine Lamarr Cole, better known by his stage name J. Cole, was born in Frankfurt, West Germany, on January 28, 1985, at a US Army base. When Cole was an infant, his father, an African American soldier, abandoned his mother, a white German postal worker. She moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina, with him and his older brother, Zach, where they lived in trailer parks as she struggled to survive and make ends meet. Cole's mother later remarried, and the family was able to move to a better house since his stepfather was in the Army. However, just as Cole was about to leave for college, the marriage fell apart, and the family lost their home. Cole's stepfather had become violent, particularly against Zack, and after the marriage ended, Cole's mother developed a crack addiction while in the company of a new boyfriend. Cole's love for music found an early outlet when he joined the Terry Sanford Orchestra as a violinist in Fayetteville. He also started teaching himself rapping and production, and was known first as "Blaza", then as "Therapist". Cole moved to New York after graduating from high school and attended St John's University, where he received magna cum laude degree in communications in 2007. Cole rose to fame as a rapper after his debut mixtape, The Come Up, was released in early 2007. After signing to Jay Z's Roc Nation label in 2009, he went on to release two more mixtapes, indicating his desire to pursue a solo career as a rapper. J. Cole shot to the top of the so-called "new age" rappers by the time he released his third studio album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, which quickly became one of the most influential albums

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of the 21st century. The track list touch on social, political, and cultural significances as well as leaving a timeless impact. The thirteen songs touch on relationships, growth, money, class and race. The MC starts with an upbeat note, reminding his audience of the hidden challenges of the fast life that are only revealed in retrospect, and emphasizes the discovery that love and gratitude have always been the answer to true satisfaction rather than success. Tracks such as” Love Yourz” and “Apparently” is something that is relatable and insightful to all groups. There's a sense of humility blended with optimism and self-assessment that makes you feel like you really need him to find peace by the end of the album, because in many ways the album is relatable and insightful. J.Cole’s song “Fire Squad” discusses white privilege in Hollywood and how he is trying to restore the balance by calling out the white appropriation going on. Throughout the song, J. Cole wants his audience to notice how black culture is being stolen and profited off by white people. There is a power relation between white superiority and black oppression. An example he gives in his third verse is “same way that these rappers always bite each other’s flows. Same thing that my nigga Elvis did with Rock ‘n Roll, Justin Timberlake, Eminem, and then Macklemore.” This refers to Elvis Presley being known for “The King of Rock ‘n Roll” which dismisses paying homage to African American artist Chuck Berry who invented Rock ‘n Roll. In the same verse J. Cole notably mentions Eminem who was signed by Dr. Dre and Macklemore who won a Grammy award in 2013 over rapper Kendrick Lamar. Even though this was Macklemore’s first album and didn’t have an established platform yet, he was still able to win over Kendrick, despite being new to the rap game and Kendrick selling more records than him. The same verse continues to exploit the conversation of white appropriation and privilege by saying “While silly niggas argue over who gon’ snatch the crown. Look around, my niggas,

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white people have snatched the sound.” This further explains that white people have stolen many African American music genres and made money off a sound that was never theirs to use, when music has been one of the only ways to make it out of the hood. Cole caps off this song by saying every poet wants to be appreciated for what they have contributed to the world, not exploited and forgotten. The third track on 2014 Forest Hill Drive, “03 Adolescence”, starts off with a perspective of dissatisfaction and lack of get and ends with a realization leaving him feeling shameful for his desires mentioned in the beginning of the track and ends with a sense of appreciation and a new discovery of self-worth. The song discusses the allure of a certain lifestyle and the inability to see that there is no such thing as a better life than yours. It details his own loss of faith, discusses absent fathers, and he finds himself questioning “Who am I”. He says in the beginning “I wish I wasn’t so shy; I wish I was a bit more fly. I wish I could tell her how I really feel inside. That I’m the perfect nigga for her, but then maybe that’s a lie. She like a certain type of nigga, and it’s clear I’m not that guy. Ball player, star player, I’m just watchin’ from the side” This verse highlights his longing for more than what he has, demonstrating his lack of appreciation for what he does have. He believes if he had the money, clothes and career of someone famous he’d be enough for the girl he had his eyes on. Since he lacks these material possessions, his shallow values prohibit him from perusing the girl. Towards the end of the song, he has a conversation with one of his friends, that quickly changes Cole’s prior perspective. Cole has no shame in his interests and shares his admiration towards his friend’s ability to talk to women and gain a fast income through selling drugs. The song quickly takes a turn when J. Cole asks what it takes to have what his friend has. His friend responds with the lines “Listen, you everything I wanna be, that’s why I fucks with you, so how you looking up to me when I look up to you? You ‘bout to

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go get a degree, I’ma be stuck with two choices: Either graduate to weight or selling number two.” His friend continues to point out in the second verse that J. Cole should be grateful that he gets the opportunity to get a degree in comparison to the friend’s options to sell drugs or work a minimum wage job. The end of the conversation, J. Cole feels ashamed to have ever complained about what he didn't have and now learns that we all want what we don't have and never look at what we actually have. He then proceeds to list what he is thankful for such as, a mother and brother who loves him and a chance to break free from the shackles of poverty or jail by graduating college and getting his degree. By the twelfth track it shows his lesson put to use in “Love Yourz”. J. Cole returns to his argument that, despite common belief, achievement and prosperity do not guarantee happiness. The pursuit of happiness fundamental elements are gratitude and love. The teachable moment reveals itself when Cole says “It's beauty in the struggle nigga, ugliness in the success” It shows what his mindset has evolved into and what he learned in the “03 Adolescence” song that you must appreciate what you already have instead of lusting over what you don’t have. He ends the song by saying “but you aint never gon’ be happy ‘til you love yours”. Cole's third studio album is diverse not only in terms of lessons and stories, but also in terms of production. Throughout the album he has touched on genres such as jazz, soul, hip-hop and RnB. The first song “Intro” starts with the roots of blues and ragtime by utilizing a jazz orchestra, the smooth rhythm of saxophones, trumpets, trombones, piano, bass, guitar, and drums that create the New Orleans sound. Whereas as track number eight uses soul music to make point of Coles search of identity by using his ancestor’s music. “G.O.M.D” samples 1992 Branford Marsali’s “Berta Berta” which is a song where an African American inmate in a prison work farm telling his sweetheart Berta not to wait for him. Track 9 “No Role Modlez” samples Project

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Pat’s “Don’t save her”, throughout the course which contains a dominate stylized rhythm. The album also incorporates hip-hop components, through MCing, and DJing. As for RnB track “Wet dreams” heavily uses the combination of rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul and funk creating a soulful moment with a strong backbeat. J. Cole’s range has touched many of his cultural music backgrounds and reminded the 21st century the different genres and styles of music throughout the entire album. 2014 Forest Hills Drive is an album that is solely built on the bedrock of love. It's a coherent body of work that's tied together not just by sound and production, but also by lyrical material. It has a distinct plot and is philosophical and thematic. He admits that he is still a work in progress and that this album is not the end of his career. He also understands that happiness is an ephemeral and elusive feeling. Success and tangible items will always make you crave more, but love and gratitude will always satisfy you....