I Am Tired of the J. Cole Slander

On August 11, 2017, I went to J. Cole's 4 Your Eyez Only tour. It was absolutely one of the best experiences I have had lately. Cole is so down to earth and genuine that the whole concert was just filled with positive vibes. I attended the concert with my boyfriend and one of my best friends (she's a HUGE Cole fan and this was her first concert so it was exciting). As I'm standing there enjoying the moment, I'm thinking about how underrated this man is. I go on Twitter and there are so many trolls calling him trash. How?! I know everyone has varying taste in music but J. Cole, trash?! Nah, no way.

This man has some of THE slickest bars I have ever heard from any rapper as of late. I know he isn't new to the game but I do know that he is considered a "new age" rapper. And yes, this post may be biased but I can honestly say that Cole is my favorite rapper right now. No debate. He makes the type of music you can vibe to, or you can get hype to but at the end of the day it all has a message somewhere in there. His latest album, 4 Your Eyez Only had CRAZY meanings behind it. I mean for weeks, even to this day I'm still finally realizing what some of his lyrics meant. It is clear that Cole is telling the story of his friend "James" throughout some parts of the song, but some believe that the ENTIRE album is about "James" and his family. Personally, I think it's a mix of many people that Cole grew up with including himself. While Cole kind of stays quiet about him having a daughter, we do know that he is married to his long time love, Melissa (shout out to Ryan Coogler for getting Cole to confirm that). So with songs like "She's Mine Pt.1" and "She's Mine Pt. 2" it's believed that he is talking about his life with Melissa and their daughter.

Besides musical content, this man is just so humble and private that it's dope to see someone of his caliber be so down to earth. I'm currently watching his 4YEO documentary for the second time and just the way he is walking around and interacting with the people is just so real. You can tell his interactions aren't forced and his intentions are genuine. He's not acting all Hollywood and you can tell he's there to really get their viewpoint on issues in their hoods. He's out there relating to these issues that people face every single day. He's visiting the memorial for Mike Brown, the innocent teenager who was slain by a cop in St. Louis, MO, he's out there protesting with the crowd and not just posting a picture on Instagram. J. Cole is out there putting his beliefs before his career, he doesn't care about any backlash that he could receive in order to open the eyes of other to really see the problems that are going on in this world.

I remember the first song I ever heard by J. Cole. I don't remember how old I was but I remember seeing my cousin from New York post a link to "Who Dat", and from what he said it was already crazy popular up there but me living in the south, I never heard any of his stuff. So I'm bumping this song everyday. "So if you're selling crack, or if you're selling rap/Make sure it's mean so them fiends keep on coming back", when I first heard that line I knew that this was somebody that was gonna bring something new to the rap game. Shortly after hearing "Who Dat", I heard the first single from Cole World: The Sideline Story "Work Out." It was a different sound from what I heard with "Who Dat" but I still rocked with it heavy. But I wanted more, I listened to the Friday Night Lights mixtape (then ended up listening to The Warm Up and The Come Up in reverse order) and have been a true fan ever since. I think it was "Premeditated Murder" that got me on that one. But this post isn't about my experiences I just want y'all to know that this man has been putting out quality since day one.

All I'm saying is that if you do not see all that this man does, you're not trying to see. He's not out here doing stunts for publicity and recognition. He's not out here stunting on social media and flexing for women. This man is out here giving his all to his craft and his people all from the kindness of his heart. All because this is what he TRULY believes in. This man is really there for the betterment of his people. Like how can you not see that? How can you not at least respect that? It just sucks to see the way people talk down on him like he's not out here spitting fire and trying to make a change in the world. I will forever be a fan. J. Cole was the very first concert I have ever attended and to this day I will make an effort to go to every concert he has. I will forever support. J. Cole is one of, if not the ONLY rapper that has gone platinum with NO features, back to back. Jermaine Lamarr Cole is one of THE best rappers of this time and he deserves his recognition. His artistry and his philosophy is just so honest, raw, and true, and that needs to be recognized. Plus we share a love for Pac so he's always good in my book. So if no one else sees it or says it, I appreciate you Cole. Thanks for everything you do and that you stand for. To my fellow fans, what are some of y'all's favorite Cole verses? Comment down below!

Here's a look on my night at the concert!