J Cole Research Paper

For years i’ve always been inspired by lyrical artists and their passion for telling stories. There are so many different genres of music but my favorite is hip hop. My favorite artist is J.Cole, Jermaine Lamarr Cole, an American Hip Hop artist from Fayetteville, North Carolina. J. Cole has been active in the music industry since 2007 when his first mixtape was released. He soon signed to Roc Nation with successful entrepreneur, rapper, and producer, Jay Z in 2009. Cole has three mixtapes and three albums in his music career along with many features and singles.
His music is very genuine and original, he tells stories through his lyrics. His songs revolve around love stories, police brutality, social media, and motivation. Growing up African American he understands the struggles and the economic disparities we go against everyday. His positivity toward imperfections amazes me. All the money that he has he spends it wisely he doesn't believe in fixing certain physical traits that makes him feel like him. In his song “Crooked Smile” he mentions he wont fix his teeth just because he has money.
“ They tell me I should fix my grill cause I got money now
I ain't gon' sit around and front like I ain't thought about it
A perfect smile is more appealing but it's funny how
My shit is crooked look at how far I done got without it
I keep my twisted

grill, just to show the kids it's real
We ain't picture perfect but we worth the picture still“. -J.Cole Crooked Smile Verse
Im working on being humble to see change in myself and he's teaching me that through his songs.

In a world where people are so selfish he is selfless, doing what he can to change the world day by day. The house he grew up in was foreclosed because his mother couldn't afford it then, a few years back he bought the house and is renting to mothers and their children if they have nowhere to live, rent free. All he wants to do is spread love. We live in a world full of demons he gives me some comfort because he doesn't only care for himself but others. He's a role model and a mentor, teaching me that the world is mine if i own

it.
My favorite song by J.Cole from his last album “Forest Hills Drive” is the song “Love Yourz”. The meaning behind that song is basically appreciate what you have because things could be much worse, embrace the people around you and take advantage of all opportunities. “The artist Captain says that the song is a reflection of him realizing that material things would not bring him true happiness, which is he thought was possible in his younger years.” -Tanay Hudson AllHipHop.Com. Cole also has many influences: Nas, Tupac, and Eminem, he feels as though he wouldn't be successful without following in the footsteps of those other artists.
I’m not into music that degrades females I love music that uplifts people of cultural diversity because i feel like everything else we stand for in today’s society is negative. Black on black crime needs to be stopped and in a musical world J.Cole delivers that. If he were an activist of our rights and not a rapper of rights he’d be another martin luther king. I see change coming soon along with people who support him. Sometimes i sit and listen to his music and it makes me wanna cry. He changes lives one day at a time his song “lost ones” he prevented a suicide. We need more hip hop artists like him in this world today.