Time and time again, J. Cole has proven that his buzz is well-deserved. He grabbed our attention with one of the best mixtapes of the summer and followed it up with a career-defining guest appearance on The Blueprint 3. Since then, Roc Nation’s flagship artist has been occupying himself in the studio with No ID and on the road with Jay-Z.
Late last week, we caught up with the promising young artist on The Blueprint 3 Tour’s second-to-last stop in college town, Champaign, Illinois. We documented the entire night and captured everything from run-ins with Wale and Pharrell to Cole’s thoughts on fashion, groupies, and peer competition. Keep reading to check out a gang of photos and quotes that take you into BP3 Tour experience from a Complex perspective…
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST…
Unlike when Rell and Young Steff were signed to Roc-a-Fella, we feel pretty safe in assuming that when Jay-Z signed J. Cole as the first artist to this Roc Nation imprint, he wanted him to be a star. Our assumptions were verified when we learned the North Carolina-born rapper was going to be featured along side Hov on his much anticipated album The Blueprint 3 on a song called “A Star is Born.” It seemed pretty fitting, given the buzz Cole has been generating for himself, first with his “The Warm Up” mixtape, then with various features and freestyles. And to think, only a couple years ago, he was rockin’ a t-shirt saying “Produce for Jay-Z or Die Trying” hoping to get Mr. Carter to notice him.
Suffice to say, being featured on a Jay-Z album is more than a big deal. Besides the world knowing your name, being deemed worthy enough to share some track time with Hova is an honor in of itself. To find out what he’s been up to and how it really feels to appear on a Jay album, Complex caught up with J. Cole while he was in Manhattan beginning work on his Roc Nation debut. Clap for him!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST…
With Blueprint 3 hitting stores in less than two weeks, it’s time to get used to seeing Jay-Z everywhere. One of this weekend’s promotional stops included a sit-down on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher, a program that doesn’t play host to rappers very often. But of course, Hov isn’t your average emcee and Maher further proves that he isn’t some out-of-touch white guy, instead coming across as someone familiar with Jay’s work prior to this interview assignment. Watch the video above to hear Mr. Carter speak about his writing process and his rank in rap music, amongst other topics. Then check part two after the jump to see Mr. Maher asking for clarification on some of his favorite Jay lyrics.
Tune in to Complex.com every morning at 8 AM for your daily “Wake N’ Watch” video.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST…
Rihanna walked the streets of NYC showing plenty of skin. [Moe Jackson]
Another day. Another song from Blueprint 3 leaks. Sorry Hov. [Nah Right]
Getting your girl knocked up might not be so bad after all. [Holy Taco]
Lindsay Lohan needs all the help she can get. Try identifying the people who robbed her crib. [PopCrunch]
Word is Megan Fox is playing Catwoman in the next Batman flick. We’re copping advance tickets now. [Coed Mag]
Hard day? These pics of hotties in the wild should cheer you up. [Double Viking]
Maybe these Bape ties will encourage some of you to clean up your look. [Daily Drop]
Seriously, dude. How do you rack up 22 DWIs? [Flisted]
A black bikini x Carla Bruni makes for an automatic win. [Moe Jackson]
Another record from Jay-Z’s upcoming Blueprint 3 leaked. [Nah Right]
Megan Fox is complaining about her sex symbol status. Come on now. [PopCrunch]
There’s a lot to choose from, but these are 12 dumbest convicted athletes. [Coed Mag]
Whoa. Yesterday was National Go Topless Day?! [Flisted]
If you’re part of the “$200 hoodie” crowd these BBC joints should suffice. [Daily Drop]
Mothers like Nicole Richie are what the MILF term is all about. [Holy Taco]
Finally a site where easy girls and angry ex-boyfriends can submit pics together. [Double Viking]
Rappers have always been quick to put Kanye West on a song. Early on some probably did it as a means to getting one of his beats. Later, maybe ’cause he was a nice guy. Then, obviously, it was because he was a superstar and selling point. But we always secretly thought a part of it was that these rappers, competitive as they are, just didn’t feel threatened by ‘Ye, lyrically. Take Jay-Z, for example, who just threw out “Run This Town”, the new single off Blueprint 3 featuring none other than Kanye West. Well guess what, Big Homie? Lil bro here fucked around and murdered you on your own shit!
But then, really, should Jay be surprised? We started thinking about all the other times rappers invited Yeezy onto their songs, and we noticed a trend. Every time ‘Ye has a chance to shine next to your favorite rapper he goes in and goes in hard! (Pause) Whether you’re in agreement or disbelief, keep reading to check out Kanye’s 10 Best Scene-Stealing Guest Verses (rap songs only) complete with audio clips and our favorite lines. Apologies to those who got laid out, but stop sleeping on the kid!
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST…
When Jay-Z quipped, “I don’t wear jerseys, I’m 30 plus”, the landscape of urban fashion changed before he finished the verse. But you knew that already. Hov’s latest revelation? “I will never have a ‘record deal’ again”, he Twittered last week after news broke about his plan for releasing Blueprint 3. After Friday’s debut of the album’s street single, “Death Of Autotune”, Jay-Z further explained himself in an interview with Hot 97. “I just wanted to be totally independent and free in what I want to do,” he stated. Coming from a guy who prides himself on setting trends, we’re expecting to see every rapper following in his footsteps in the coming months. Or at least trying to.
See, deciding you don’t need a record deal anymore isn’t as easy as storing away your throwbacks in the attic. But luckily, there are some other big names who have decided to go the “independent” route whose struggle we can learn from. Take a moment to look back at some of the independent superstars who paved the way for Jay-Z…
CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST…
