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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The wait(s) is over! In the last 2 days, the hip-hop world has been overwhelmingly preoccupied with leaked versions of the year’s most anticipated albums, Jay-Z’s The Blueprint 3 (which leaked Monday) and Raekwon’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Pt. II (which leaked Tuesday). Both are sequels to undisputed NYC rap classics, and both hit retail stores next week. Naturally, the argument is on: which sequel album is better? Listen to samples from each below (you’ll have to find your own leak downloads…it’s not very hard), then vote for which album you think reigns supreme. The winning LP will be featured as Complex’s Album of The Week next Tuesday, so choose wisely!
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“I thought you was buyin’ me a Mai Tai…?”
Without so much as breathing on the mic, the man known as “Ty Ty” (a.k.a. Tyran Smith) has become a household name in hip-hop. How? By being the best buddy of Jay-Z, of course. But the role Ty Ty plays as Hov’s real right-hand man (sorry, Bleek) isn’t without its downsides. You know, he might have to mace a child abuser and take a charge. Or he might end up (allegedly) taking a beatdown on behalf of the big homie (but live to Twitter about it!). See, this shit ain’t all courtside seats and weekends in St. Barts.
But aside from the obvious perks, undying loyalty to hip-hop’s biggest icon has another advantage—no, not an imdb page, but immortality in rap lyrics. Yep, Jay has been shouting out Ty Ty since Reasonable Doubt all the way up to The Blueprint 3, which leaked yesterday (you might have heard?). So we combed through Hov’s discography to uncover the top 8 lyrical references to Ty Ty. Best Friends Forever!….
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