But that's about perception too... J.Cole ain't bringin' shyt new to the table, he's really no different from Big Sean when it comes to nondescript rappers whose sound is directly derivative of their favorite rappers. Only difference being Big Sean has had some big radio/club hits and J.Cole has failed at his attempts to make radio/club hits.
And honestly, I tend to feel at times that white people sometimes HAVE to embrace what's seen as the "real shyt", cause that's their only recourse. A lot of them didn't grow up with hip-hop, probably had their parents trying to deter them from it if anything, and they found a certain fascination with it. It's more imperative for them to cling to "the culture" because it's something they had to immerse themselves in, not something they naturally grew up in. I know white people who grew up in the burbs, and they've found it just as easy to hop out of hip-hop just like they hopped in it, as soon as it stopped being "cool" or it wasn't what they wanted it to be anymore. For us, it's kinda different if we grew up in the inner city or predominantly black areas, cause we didn't have that option. It was the sound of our neighborhoods, of our families, of our friends... not just some shyt we watched on TV at 4:00. That's why a 35 year old white guy will never understand why an 18 year old black kid likes 2 Chainz... not because he's some supreme artistic genius of a rapper, but because he's making the music that this generation is into. It's not for the 35 year old white guy to understand, especially not while he's hated hip-hop for the last 15 years and still listens to the GZA regularly.
