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…
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Left To Right: J. Cole, 50 Cent, Alicia Keys, Lupe Fiasco, Game
Each day Complex scours the music blogs for 5 fresh songs that you should listen to in our 5 O’Clock Shuffle post. Instead of going crazy trying to keep up with your RSS feeds everyday, just head over to Complex.com to stay up-to-date on important leaks and releases.
Today was a big day for new music on the blogs. J. Cole and Lupe dropped dope Internet-only songs. 50’s album leaked. Then Game and Alicia Keys came through with official singles. We know you’re not trying to read anything else, so hit the jump to start listening…
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Left To Right: J. Cole, Miike Snow, Madonna, Rich Boy, Lloyd Banks
Each day Complex scours the music blogs for 5 fresh songs that you should listen to in our 5 O’Clock Shuffle post. Instead of going crazy trying to keep up with your RSS feeds everyday, just head over to Complex.com to stay up-to-date on important leaks and releases.
Another day. Another Shuffle playlist. The mix of new music just doesn’t stop. Today we have tracks from Hov’s new artist, the Queen of Pop, and a few more noteworthy acts. Stop listening to that old stuff and check out these fresh cuts after the jump…
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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!
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ARTIST: J. Cole
ALBUM: The Warm Up
SOUNDS LIKE: Lupe Fiasco x Ghostface x Nas
FUN FACT: J. Cole graduated Magna Cum Laude from St. John’s University.
WHY COMPLEX IS CO-SIGNING IT: The last time a rapping producer was co-signed by Hov, he turned out to be one of the most important musical figures of our time. Not to lay such a heavy weight of expectation on the North Carolina born MC, but he is the only rapper signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation imprint to date. It’s far too early to tell if he’ll be the next Kanye or the next Neef—but if his sophomore mixtape, “The Warm Up” is any indication of his future, he’ll be cavorting around with former video models rather than… whatever the fuck it is Neef is doing these days.
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When Jay-Z makes moves, the entire world pays attention. That’s why the masses stopped wearing throwbacks, relaxed on the rims and bling and even started paying attention to a bespectacled kid from Chi-Town. So when word got out that Hov finally signed someone to his newly-minted Live Nation imprint Roc Nation whose last name wasn’t Bleek, we weren’t surprised when the entire rap world started scrambling to find out who Jay’s new mentee was. By now, we’re sure you’ve seen the newest member of the (new) Roc in a handful of online videos, but if not, allow us to introduce you to Jermaine Cole aka J. Cole.
Being the first artist signed to the best rapper alive’s label would be daunting to even the illest of rappers, but J. Cole, a dude who figures himself a mash up of his influences (’Pac, Canibus and Nas), doesn’t seem too worried—he’s been waiting for this kind of attention since he was 12. While putting the finishing touches on his next mixtape, “The Warm Up”—scheduled to drop at the end of May—and touring with Wale, we sat down with the 24-year-old Fayetteville, North Carolina native and St. John’s University graduate to talk about what got him into rap, meeting Jay-Z and where he sees himself in the rap game. It’s the Roc, you bastards. Pay attention!
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