J. Cole performs after party at the Bottom Lounge Chicago

J. Cole — Rebel with the Lyricist Coup
The Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL, USA - August 6, 2010
by Sommer Thornton, photo by Dan Locke

J. Cole is one of the most anticipated new comers in hip-hop. Following in the footsteps of successful sophomores Wale and Drake, J. Cole, who hails from North Carolina, offers what hip-hop has been missing for quite some time. That's why his loyal fans packed Chicago's Bottom Lounge for what was supposed to be a brief after party for Lollapalooza. Instead, J. Cole performed nearly 20 tracks from his mix tapes The Come Up (2007), The Warm Up (2009), and from studio sessions for his upcoming album, Cole World(2010), which includes his first single, "Who Dat."

J. Cole's rap style is a lyrical gumbo of the greats -Jay Z, Tupac, Kanye West, Eminem, and Common - some of which happen to be J. Cole's inspirations. But Cole brings something authentic to the game. The Roc-Nation artist speaks from the perspective of a bi-racial kid from the south who graduated from a big-city university with honors, yet endured the same hardships as the foster kid, the kid from the projects, the kid with the parent on drugs, the kid who dreams of going to college. J. Cole infuses passionate metaphors and inspiring messages in his verses, all while flaunting his intelligence. It's clear that J. Cole refuses to dumb down his lyrics. And his fans appreciate that. The multi-ethnic crowd rapped every line with J. Cole as he performed tracks that had never been released. At one point, he took the mic and put it to the audience. When the fans sang his lyrics on point, J. Cole blushed in gratitude.

-Read the full story at UnRatedMagazine.com