J cole immortal lyrics meaning series#

J cole immortal lyrics meaning series#

ColeвЂ™s вЂњSimbaвЂќ series comes across as either trite or prophetic there is no in-between. вЂњGrown SimbaвЂќДepending on how cynical you are, J. As usual, he does, all while addressing the violence in his hometown and the strugglesпјЌ his strugglesпјЌof the people there. Cole took listeners to church on вЂњBefore IвЂ™m Gone.вЂќ As soon as you hear the wailing choir accompanied by snare drums, you know heвЂ™s about to rap his face off. In the final verse, he touches on black lives lost and references JAY-ZвЂ™s вЂњCan I Live,вЂќ pondering his own demise while asking God the very question his idol repeated on his iconic debut.ДЄfter leading off the biggest project of his career with the laid-back вЂњToo Deep for the Intro,вЂќ J. This time, though, the beat is original and finds Cole detailing his come-up while oscillating between hope and fear. вЂњCan I LiveвЂќДЄs if it wasnвЂ™t bold enough to rap over вЂњDead Presidents II,вЂќ Cole doubled-down and jacked the title of one of JAY-ZвЂ™s greatest hits for the standout track from his star-making second mixtape The Warm Up. Assisted by synth flourishes, the rapperвЂ™s delivery is mesmerizing in a way that it distracts you from listening to the lyrics only upon playing it back do you notice each and every punch Cole packs inside his bars. Aside from DiploвЂ™s dazzling production, the highlight of the song is ColeвЂ™s second verse. Arriving at a time when electronic music had recently bled over into hip-hop, Cole struck gold with a gorgeous beat courtesy of Major Lazer. Cole dropped this gem in September 2012, to celebrate the one-year anniversary of his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story. If it had, вЂњFarewellвЂќ might be remembered differently: a fitting curtain-call to the first chapter in J. Cole delivers two stream-of-consciousness verses while reflecting on how heвЂ™ll be remembered when heвЂ™s gone, rapping, вЂњ Will they say I was a sinner or pretend I was a saint?вЂќ ColeвЂ™s deep-thinking questions force the listener to get lost in a fascinating alternate reality, one where Friday Nights LightsпјЌas initially intendedпјЌserves as his official debut album. Having spent nearly all of 2015 operating in the shadows while peers Drake and Kendrick released career-altering projects, the song felt like ColeвЂ™s return address, a public service announcement of sorts for fools still sleeping on him.Д«acked by a haunting instrumental that spells impending doom, J. One year removed from going Platinum with no features, Cole reminded doubters that success hadnвЂ™t diminished hunger with вЂњFolgers Crystals,вЂќ the opener from DreamvilleвЂ™s second compilation mixtape Revenge of the Dreamers II. Project: Revenge of the Dreamers II (2015) In hindsight, the track is a prelude of sorts for вЂњ1985вЂќ and вЂњMiddle Child,вЂќ both of which find Cole playing big brother to the SoundCloud rappers he allegedly attacked on вЂњEverybody Dies.вЂќ 18. Cole shared a pair of promo singles with the masses: вЂњFalse ProphetsвЂќ and вЂњEverybody Dies.вЂќ While the former grabbed headlines for its not-so-subliminal shots at Kanye, the latter was a warning shot to the entire rap game. In the week leading up to the release of his fourth studio album 4 Your Eyez Only, J. Centered around a topic that every twentysomething is familiar withпјЌreturning home after an extended period of timeпјЌlisteners canвЂ™t help but sing along as Cole effortlessly delivers his verses with a catchy cadence. ColeвЂ™s skill as a storyteller, we have a habit of focusing strictly on heart-wrenching tracks such as вЂњLost Ones,вЂќ вЂњBreakdown,вЂќ and вЂњ4 Your Eyez Only.вЂќ However, coming-of-age songs like вЂњWet DreamzвЂќ and вЂњвЂ03 AdolescenceвЂќ are equally as good from a storytelling perspective, though neither is as catchy as вЂњHome for the Holidays,вЂќ the most underrated song on Friday Night Lights. In hindsight, вЂњKenny LoftonвЂќ is essentially a prelude to вЂњNo Role Modelz,вЂќ as Cole raps about how people only care about black people if theyвЂ™re successful athletes or rappers. Backed by a flip of The ManhattansвЂ™ вЂ70s R&B hit вЂњHurt,вЂќ Cole gets contemplative and delivers social commentary, while still flexing lyrically, of course. If his guest spot on 21 SavageвЂ™s вЂњalotвЂќ reminded you that no one sounds better rapping over soulful beats than Cole, do yourself a favor and revisit вЂњKenny Lofton,вЂќ a cut from his 2013 EP Truly Yours 2.