J Cole Be Free Song Analysis

J. Cole has always written songs with powerful messages. From the “Lost Ones” to “Crooked Smile”, for the younger audience and grown audience to examine their own lives. There has not been an artist to write like Cole since Tupac. To understand J. Cole you would have to know his background. Born in Frankfurt, Germany and relocated to Fayetteville, North Carolina. His father served in the army and his mother German. At the age of twelve Cole started rapping and at fifteen he took more seriously till he was later signed to Jay Z’s label Roc-Nation. Since being signed to Roc-Nation Cole has dropped two Mixtapes and released three successful albums that have gone platinum. The song “Be free” was released in Mid-August of 2014. “Be free” was

Cole rarely sings, this is why it makes this song emotional. Usually rap songs don’t take much time say a verse. This line was should have been short and quick. However for him this makes the song, singing is to really express the pain. His second line of the verse “and it don’t take no x-ray to see through my smile” He tries to tie it in with a single off his pervious album, songs called “Crooked smile”. This, however, establishes more credibility on the fact that he actually truly means what he feels. Tying it to a song that also had a powerful message to its audience.

The allusion was also a strategy that Cole used in this second verse “Can you tell me why, every time I step outside, I see my niggas die” Cole says that every time he goes anywhere that there’s always acts of police brutally towards African American. Usually ends in a death of African American. He uses this allusion in a form of question. Directly toward his audience. Summary of his verse would be; why every single time we go on a journey outside we see on the news, another death of a young black male? Harsh, to think that Cole will never get the actual