J. Cole World: The Sideline Story

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ENC 1101 J. Cole Cole World: The Sideline Story J. Cole the kind of rapper who worries aloud, and frequently, if he's getting too deep for his own songs. A St. John's University magna cum laude graduate raised in poverty by a single mother, Cole distinguished himself in his early career as much through effort as talent. Over a string of fiercely earnest, frequently impressive mixtapes, he raps in a way which the semicolons and embedded clauses are audible, and he produced all his own tracks. You feel as if you were watching a movie when J.Cole tells his stories. He has become a leading light of the conscious-rap crowd. The resulting major-label debut, Cole World: The Sideline Story, which was released in late September has shaped up to…show more content…
Cole has dropped a three solid mixtapes better than a lot of artists actual albums, has had a few magazine covers, and showstealing guest appearances along with people like Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, and Kanye West. Cole has still spent much of the last few years since his Roc Nation signing on the sidelines, compared to other rap newcomers. With his debut album Cole World: The Sideline Story, he uses his intelligent metaphors of him as a high school basketball player strapping up his sneakers to share his “come-up” and show why he deserves a starting position. Like J. Cole said in his song “Back To The Topic” from the “Friday Night Lights” mixtape, “Far from an overnight achiever, Cole is like the leader of the new niggas”. I’d have to say that I agree with that statement. Cole is a breath of air in the hip-hop community. He strays away from the maintstream/generic topics, but at the same time he seems to be putting out material that appeals to the masses. He is returning to the roots, maybe this is why he’s been compared to many of the greats like Nas, Tupac,…show more content…
Cole is my favorite rapper at the moment, he just has a different appeal to him compared to all the new rappers. What I particularly enjoy about the album is the rawness and openness of it. The combination of Cole's transparency and charisma will have you dancing in the club, sympathizing with the starving artist, and cheering for the dreamer by the time you reach the end of the disc. Through his own life story he also touches on important issues within our communities today such as abortion, single parent homes, and the responsibilities it takes to be a man. If you're a fan of J. Cole then the album is everything you'd expect, just with a more personal and retail demeanor. Sequence wise, The Sideline Story revolves around three main themes. It flows fairly well in and out of celebration and reflection of Cole's grind to success, his confidence in him rapping and pulling girls, and the obstacles he faced growing up with an absent father and struggling mother.

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