NEW J Cole via his blog: Clouds

[Piff Perkins]

Cole doesn't "need" a hit. The man can drop an album full of acoustic ballads and still sell out an arena tour. He's in a perfect position to simply do whatever the fukk he wants. A position I'm not sure either Drake or Kendrick are in right now. Drake has to get a big album this summer. He has to reassert himself. And with Kendrick doing a stadium tour it's safe to say he won't be taking a TPAB style risk again anytime soon. They're both on the hamster wheel of music commerce. Now obviously I think Kendrick is an artist whereas Drake is little more than a product but at this particular moment they're both dealing with demands that require radio, sales, etc.

I think...or at least I hope that last year proved to Cole that he's not "that guy." He said himself he felt he was running in third place and viewed Drake/Kendrick as superstars. His words. There's freedom in that though. Now he can explore all the Canibus flows he wants. And I'm gonna enjoy the music most likely so I'm not hating.

 

[904]

Don't know if it's been said but both this song and Port Antonio are on tidal

 

[JYoung24]

Cole is 40. He’s never gonna have the mainstream so he tapped into the one skill he could exhibit over his peers.

He has the mainstream or he did depending what his next album does

 

[JYoung24]

You still think Nas is the best rapper in the world. Shut up goofy

He is

 

[H@LLOW]

Heat.

 

[Ike omad]

The flow is nice and cole is good at rhyming words with other words but like others have said he’s not saying anything worth listening to. The concepts in the song are basic and unimaginative.

 

[JYoung24]

Never said shyt about that though, I do agree Drake at his best is also a better lyricist than Cole.

fukk no

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

Cole doesn't "need" a hit. The man can drop an album full of acoustic ballads and still sell out an arena tour. He's in a perfect position to simply do whatever the fukk he wants. A position I'm not sure either Drake or Kendrick are in right now. Drake has to get a big album this summer. He has to reassert himself. And with Kendrick doing a stadium tour it's safe to say he won't be taking a TPAB style risk again anytime soon. They're both on the hamster wheel of music commerce. Now obviously I think Kendrick is an artist whereas Drake is little more than a product but at this particular moment they're both dealing with demands that require radio, sales, etc.

I think...or at least I hope that last year proved to Cole that he's not "that guy." He said himself he felt he was running in third place and viewed Drake/Kendrick as superstars. His words. There's freedom in that though. Now he can explore all the Canibus flows he wants. And I'm gonna enjoy the music most likely so I'm not hating.

Nah bro. Cole needs a hit.

It’s more than a fanbase at this moment. Cole needs a “oh I’m outside” moment. He can’t do that with these “staring at my feet” raps.

Even Nas was still chasing a smash hit after solidifying himself as a project-window conscious rapper. Again, there are artists in their 40s winning Grammys and trying to compete. Cole isn’t immune from that. An artist of Cole’s stature can still get dropped. Dont act like Cole going independent wouldn’t be weird for him at this moment. Look at Jim Jones…you can’t be “in the mix” and not present in the game at the highest level.

WALE is coming. KRIT is coming…Even Big Sean knows he gotta pop back out. Wiz Khalifa is tuning up right now too. The entire West Coast is tooling up… Pay attention. Cole is trying to buy time and I think people are cool with him treading water but… they wont be patient forever.

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

He has the mainstream or he did depending what his next album does

Cole does not have the mainstream this second. Cole has a core fan base, but Cole is not moving needles right now. He’s respected but he missed his chance to drive the ship.

 

[JYoung24]

why dont cole rap like this on his albums

He does

 

[KingDanz]

He does

what recent album? i would of remembered it if he did..

 

[JYoung24]

Shooting Cole the TINIEST bit of bail here, i don’t think he was “scared” and in quaking in his boots at the thought of battling Kendrick. I think he truly overestimated one thing.

1). His “friendship” with Kendrick

And underestimated one thing

2). The amount of ambition Kendrick had to be the best and his loathing of Drake.


Cole don’t have no hate in his heart for either Drake or Kendrick. He sees Drake as a kindred spirit as they have similar backgrounds. Both are biracial, with white mothers who raised them and black fathers who they only saw during the summers. Both got on by dropping mixtapes, both got mentored by superstar legends, both struggled with the pressure of living up to being the “next up”. They helped each other at crucial points during that come up.

Cole sees Kendrick as an artistic soulmate. They share the same hunger for rap. The same love for the artform. The same desire to be respected amongst their peers. I truly think if someone offered to ghostwrite a single bar for either of them, they’d probably murder that individual. They spent time on the road together. Cole probably thought there was a solid brotherhood between them. And Cole does strike me as the type to hold friendships dear.


When Cole spit that “Big three” line. I do think he meant it with his whole heart. He’s said that he’s close to retirement and The Fall Off is supposed to be his last album. So that would mean he’s content with his place in Hip Hop and is content with being part of the top three where each had a claim to being the best. Drake because of his monumental commercial success. Kendrick because of his prodigious critical/commercial acclaim. And Cole because of his incredible skill. Kendrick said “F U C K That. Its time to go to war and PROVE whose number 1”

Not skirmish
Not battle
WAR

And thats wherein the problem lies for Cole. He ain’t scared of a skirmish. He ain’t scared of a battle. He don’t want to go to WAR. Kendrick had an entire WAR strategy planned out. Including the inevitability of things getting dirty. Cole’s deadly mistake was thinking this was going to be a battle. 7 Minute Drill is a BATTLE record. He should’ve checked the temperature with Kendrick or his camp before he put out that song. Or he should have said “fukk friendship. This is what Hip Hop IS” and prepared for WAR.


Either way he should have NEVER put himself in a position where he’s apologizing on stage in front of thousands of his OWN fans. That was egregious as fukk. fukk being friends with the man who said “Muthafukk a big three, its just big ME!”.

Cole misread the entire situation from top to bottom and if anything, should be being clowned for being blind to the situation. That might be worse than simply being afraid to engage.

I agree on that i don't think he was scared either

 

[Yehuda]

Knock you out like nyquil I'll kill you quick

 

[MeachTheMonster]

Nobody rappin like Jermaine Cole.

Don’t care about the stan wars, this nikka SPITS

 

[Peak]