Rapper J. Cole might be doper than Drake

By Alexa Schlosser

Created:
09/01/09 10:30pm

Last updated:
09/01/09 10:31pm

11 comments

His flow is smooth, his wordplay is clever and his production is impressive. He’s a young, light-skinned black dude and he’s just signed to the label of a major rapper. But he’s not Drake. And it’s not Young Money. He’s Jermaine Cole, also known as J. Cole, and he’s the first rapper on the new label founded by — wait for it — Jay-Z.

Hardly a Drizzy imitation, J. Cole is from North Carolina, graduated from St. John’s University in New York City and never has been on a soap opera. But the comparisons are warranted; the two sound similar and the content is closely related. However, J. Cole’s grittier and a little more humble. And his lyrics are bolstered with messages that ooze sincerity. Blowup wise, J. Cole hasn’t quite made it to Drake’s level. I only watched half of “106 & Park” Monday and ol’ Jimmy Brooks made an appearance in two of five songs.

But this isn’t a blog about Drake; we all know how many of those the Internet is supporting right now. J. Cole is talented. And I’m gonna say it right now: I think he’s more talented than Drake. Fresh Detective readers (all five of you) know I love Drake, so this isn’t me hating on someone’s success. I might even prefer Drake when it comes down to bumpability and (at least for now) mixtape strength. But I think J. Cole only is going to sharpen his already impeccable style during the next year or so. For now, we know what Drake’s got: braggadocio and sunglasses.

J. Cole has two mixtapes — “The Come Up” and “The Warm Up” — and both are solid. His most recent, “The Warm Up,” features the track he played Jay-Z that got him signed, “Lights Please.” And let me just say: Oh man! It’s so genuine and hard-hitting. It’s mellow — J. Cole doesn’t try for bangers — but it’s heavy with passion. His ability to tell a story is reminiscent of one of his cited influences, Nas. And that’s not an exaggeration. Just play “Dreams” and try not to listen intently and laugh at its progression.

He doesn’t seem like he wants to host the MTV Video Music Awards. I doubt he’s looking to be a sex symbol and the paparazzi might never follow him around. Dude raps, and raps well, and that’s what he wants to be known for. Drake is a persona. J. Cole is a real guy. Both are sweet artists, but they’re playing different roles.

Having said that, though, you’re going to start seeing J. Cole soon if you haven’t already. “The Blueprint 3,” Jay-Z’s album coming out Sept. 11, features J. Cole on an already leaked track “A Star is Born.” And he’s also touring with fellow Roc Nation artist Wale after an impressive appearance on Wale’s most recent mixtape “Back to the Feature.”

I don’t think J. Cole’s going to get as big as Drake, but I also never thought Wale would do a song with Lady Gaga and have his music played in American Eagle. The game is changing and J. Cole really is warming up.

Listen to “Lights Please”.

Download “The Warm Up”.

Follow J. Cole on Twitter @JCOLEnc

Commentary

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Matt Flint

(09/01/09 11:14pm)
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Oooohhhh!!!! Glad to see that Fresh D. blogging again. Keeping me up on that new ish.

Jay

(09/02/09 12:09am)
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This dude is crazy. I heard him today while listenin to Dj skee. I almost thought it was Drake, but its not that close. I think he’ll be big, in a Mos Def kinda way. Anyways, he good and I wouldn’t mind seein a J Cole, drake battle… wayne vs jayz?? Hmm

why?

(09/02/09 12:26am)
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what’s the point of you mentioning that he’s a light skinned black dude?

i’d appreciate an answer, thanks.

JR

(09/02/09 11:02am)
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hes definitely dope, but nowhere near drakes level. good way to catch readers eye but come on

Aaron Foley

(09/02/09 12:03pm)
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Like the person who posted as “why?”, I also wonder why it was necessary to describe J. Cole as a “light-skinned black dude.” If you wanted to draw a comparison to Drake, you could have left it with the signed-to-a-rapper’s-label similarity. Hate to sound all NAACP here, but why describe a black male in a music blog the same way a police officer would when describing a crime suspect?

A person’s complexion has little to do with his rapping ability. There are plenty of light-skinned rappers out there, but do you ever see it mentioned in a review? No, because it’s not relevant.

Nothing but love for the features desk, but what’s going on here?

With hugs and kisses,
Aaron Foley
TSN alum/former MS&U editor/medium-skinned black dude

Liz Kersjes

(09/02/09 1:34pm)
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Also, J Cole is pretty smooth. I dig it.

JBlaze RSP

(09/02/09 5:17pm)
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“im sumthin like a light skinned vesrion of the the very same baby that the virgin mary raised” j. cole on simba

so whats the problem with describing him as light skinned?

musichild

(09/02/09 8:14pm)
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liz and aaron lets get to the important point here, j cole is dope, hes a talented artist that just happens to be black, jay z calls eminem a ‘white boy’ in his new song ‘a star is born’ , hes dont mean nothing offensive, just stating a physical attribute that helps define a visual picture, get over it!

Aaron Foley

(09/02/09 9:07pm)
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Again, the point is lost. There’s a comparison made between two rappers that has nothing to do with their musical output.

Aaron Foley

(09/02/09 9:12pm)
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Again, the point is lost. There’s a comparison made between two rappers that has nothing to do with their musical output.

Pari

(09/02/09 11:58pm)
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Pleasantly surprised by this young man. Thanks, schlo!

ps chill a foley no one cares

About Fresh Detective

Copy chief Alexa Schlosser writes about what’s new and interesting in the world of music, movies, fashion and pop culture in her blog Fresh Detective.

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