Much like the reactive strategy used for Cole World: The Sideline Story, J. Cole and his team responded quickly to the leak of his sophomore album Born Sinner with the launch of an official stream of the project. At the end of the day, whether you grab the leaked version or not, this is just one of those albums that you should purchase based on sheer quality alone. June 18, 2013.
Stream Born Sinner below, and hit the jump to take your listen to the next level with Rap Genius!
For every "Feds Watchin," there should be a "Crooked Smile." J. Cole, never one to shy away from substance, tackles deep subject matter while cracking a few jokes on himself in the process.
I know you (and clearly Cole himself) have seen the Cole World eyebrow and dental slander, and to make a single that superficially references his aesthetic flaws is genius. Let's not forget that J. Cole tapped T-Boz and Chili, R&B artists cemented in history, to contribute their vocals to the inspirational "Crooked Smile."
Cole's Born Sinner will battle Kanye's Yeezus on June 18th. With "Power Trip," "Niggas Know" and now this on the tracklist, my money's on NC's finest....
J. Cole put the internet on pause Monday when he dropped off the freebie "Cole Summer," and to keep the momentum leading up to the June 25th release of Born Sinner high, Cole presents the second installment of his Truly YoursEP series for his fans.
On TY2 J. Cole surprisingly hands off the production duties on a few songs-- Canei Finch ("Westside Right On Time," "The Jig Is Up (Dump'n)" and the highly accomplished Jake One each lent their talents. Stream the project below, which features Young Jeezy, 2 Chainz and Bas, and hit the jump to to get deeper into the lyrics with Rap Genius.
A J. Cole freebie to kick off the week? Yes please.
Although his sophomore album isn't set to hit stores until June 25, Cole was generous enough to let loose the "Nothing Even Matters" sampled vent "Cole Summer" last night. Listen below as the Roc Nation golden child follows in the footsteps of the boss as he pens a letter to the upcoming season he's bound to dominate.
J. Cole is one of those artists you can always depend on. Even if he's dropping a record made for radio or the club, there will always be a deeper meaning or feel to the track than your average hit.
J. Cole takes his new single "Power Trip" a step further with the Nabil and Mike Piscitelli directed visuals. Watch below as he and Miguel meet under unfortunate circumstances back in Cole's hometown of Fayetteville, NC. Born Sinner is currently slated to hit stores on June 25!
As a bonus, hit the jump to see J. Cole and Miguel perform "Power Trip" together for the first time during Miguel's latest show at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
French Montana's been busy promoting his upcoming debut album, but he showcases the standout from his mixtape Mac & Cheese 3 as J. Cole and Rick Ross join him in the visuals to "Diamonds."
"Miss America" was a nice introduction to Born Sinner, but J. Cole's finally put out the single that he'll hopefully be riding comfortably with through radio waves for quite some time.
Check out his new single "Power Trip" featuring Miguel, which serves as retribution for Cole's assistance on Miguel's debut "All I Want Is You."
J. Cole's been pretty lowkey regarding his next moves musically, but today he took to his blog DreamVillian to release the EP Truly Yours. Peep the letter to his fans after the jump!
J. Cole gave us a first listen of "I'm A Fool" at Rock The Bells, and he utilized a creative release strategy by allowing a fan to premiere the track on Twitter. Cole's been on a tear lately, murdering guest features for Big Sean, Lil Wayne and DJ Khaled, and I'm so glad to have some new solo J. Cole to ride to.
Stream the Cee-Lo and Melanie Fiona sampled "I'm A Fool" below, and hit the comments with your thoughts! I'm back Gangstas!!!
Big Sean stopped the Internet last night when he dropped his new mixtape Detroit, and it was for good reason. With features from J. Cole, Common, Juicy J, French Montana, Chris Brown, Royce Da 5'9'', Jhene Aiko, and more, Big Sean may have overshadowed Weezy with the hottest mixtape of the week. Stream and download the project below, and let me know what you think about this G.O.O.D. Music soldier reppin' his city.
After A LOT of pushbacks, Lil Wayne finally delivers the 4th installment to his Gangsta Grillzmixtape series Dedication. With a gang of features including J. Cole, Nicki Minaj, Young Jeezy, and Birdman, this is sure to be the most talked about tape of the day.
Rita Ora's debut album ORA hits the UK in just a matter of days, and she spreads love the Roc Nation way by releasing the J. Cole featured "Love & War." I'm not sure if I'm a fan of this track, but I'm interested to know what you think. Hit the comments and let me know!
My The Well Versed family has been grinding hard at Rock The Bells this weekend, and Christian FGY was right there to capture J. Cole as he debuted a new record. Watch below as he premieres "I'm A Fool," a track sampling Cee-Lo and Melanie Fiona's single of the same name. No idea where this will land but who cares? It's new Cole!
I've been waiting to hear Big K.R.I.T. and Kendrick Lamar on a track, and it looks like DJ Khaled made that happen and then some. Check out the Kiss My Ring track "They Ready" which features a mean intro verse from J. Cole below, and get ready for the album to drop on August 21st.
J. Cole helped close out Lollapalooza 2012 in Chicago last Saturday and he did so with a bang. Check out a short compilation of Cole and his live band performing "Who Dat" and "Higher" below as the HUUUUGE crowd sings along.
It'd been a while since J. Cole dropped off some new music, but it was certainly worth the wait. Mr. Cole World serves up "The Cure," a lengthy freestyle over Jay & 'Ye's "Lift Off" where he vents and addresses everything from being snubbed on MTV's 10 Hottest MC's list to being compared to Memphis Bleek.
Don't be fooled when you press play on this remix. Canadian producer OVERWERK has completely transformed J. Cole's hit "Work Out" into a pretty dope dance track for all my EDM gangstas to enjoy. If you're feeling OVERWERK's remix, be sure to check out his debut EP The Nth ° on Bandcamp now!
While the rest of the Roc Nation crew was in London for Hackney Weekend, J. Cole held it down in the states as he took the stage at L.A.'s Powerhouse 2012. Watch his full 30 minute set below, which includes performances of my favorites "Higher," "Nobody's Perfect," and more!
Melanie Fiona premiered the visuals to her latest single "This Time" featuring J. Cole last Friday on 106 & Park. I'm loving the looks Melanie's wearing in this video and of course the hourglass. What do you think about the visuals?