J. Cole on the Come Up

Firstly, I apologize for taking forever to put up this post, but it's also a post close to my heart. This year, I attended the Yale Black Solidarity Conference for a second time, and it was just as amazing as last year. (I strongly encourage every college student to go, it's great for networking). Anyway, J. Cole performed and it was ultimately amazing. Now maybe it's because I'm in love with hip hop or maybe it's the fact that I'm in love with J. Cole, but either way there was something about that concert that made me feel like my purpose in life was beyond just wanting to be involved in music; it's about inspiring others.



Anyway, I was able to meet J. Cole after the performance, and granted he hasn't dropped an album yet, but he's definitely one of the most humble cats out. Dude's mixtape is raw, (both of them, if you don't have The Come Up or The Warm Up I suggest you cop them now) and his flow is ridiculous if you didn't already know. He understands that there's still so much for him to accomplish, regardless of the fact that 90% of his audience can recite his verses back to him. Not to diss other cats that are out there right now with their Sprite commercials, I respect their hustle, but there's something bout J. Cole that has you begging for more. He comes with a different story every time. He's lyrically strong, diverse, and clever. And he doesn't come in a box. You can't market J. Cole in one aspect of hip hop. He's not trying to be the backpacker, the gangsta, the poet, the hustler, he's just him, J. Cole. I respect this dude's grind. If his mixtape didn't already confirm it, his performance, and my meeting him definitely did. J. Cole's on the come up, and though it may be a slow rise, he's gonna be on top for a LONG time.