The Warm Up...

:: Listening to J. Cole - Grown Simba ::

Readers, allow me to introduce to you J Cole. Hailing from Fayetteville, NC, he's the first signing to imperial MC Jay-Z's Roc Nation label. Since signing, the eyes of the hip-hop nation have been on Cole. Is he Hov's next Beanie Sigel or Aztek? Hip-hop fans want to know if Jay found a true diamond in the rough or a lump of coal he'll squeeze hoping to make a diamond.

Well, Mr. Cole sophomore mixtape, The Warm Up, shows why Mr. Carter took a liking to young Jermaine. His freestyles over such beats as "Dead Presidents II" and "Drive Slow" shows how hungry the young man is. He aggressively attacks each beat with witty punchlines, an overt braggadocio, mixed with a thoughtfulness that has some calling him the Rookie of the Year.



But anyone can spit a "hot" 16 over a gutter beat, right? Well, those same "artists" can't put together a dope, thought driven songs like "Grown Simba," "Dreams," or "Lights Please." These are certified album quality cuts on a mixtape!

At the end of the tape cd, I was VERY impressed with J.Cole's effort on every track. He never let his lyrical flow fall off, attacking the mic with clever rhymes, intriguing lyrics, and thoughtful content. While he still needs to improve his hooks and use less "I'm the shit" metaphors, J.Cole is definitely on the right track to hip-hop royalty.

Key Bars: “Heaven or hell? You choose/freedom or jail? You lose/I can’t stop I’m as hot as the Devil’s shoes/overcame a low life status to blow like Gladys/ahead of my time like I live my whole life backwards/I’m nothing like these hoe like rappers/my whole life practiced to be the one/what it’s like to be Lebron? They callin’ you the savior, so much pressure but you deal with it/the weight of the world on your shoulders but you still lift it.” -Dead Presidents II