[center][size=16pt]Stepping From Jay-Z’s Shadow Into Spotlight[/size][/center]

A few years ago, when Jermaine Cole was a freshman at St. John’s University, he came to the downtown nightclub S.O.B.’s to check out a performance by a young rapper just beginning to make a name for himself. The show was packed tight, and Mr. Cole, an aspiring rapper himself, and new to New York, stood in the audience and tried to imagine the night as a glimpse into his own future.

The rapper J. Cole performed songs from his mixtape “The Warm-Up”at S.O.B.’s on Tuesday.

Tuesday night at S.O.B.’s it was Mr. Cole’s turn to be onstage, staring out into a sold-out crowd. He pointed to the spot in the audience where he’d stood at that show — Kanye West’s first major New York concert, as it happens — as an enthusiastic fan. “I don’t know if that’s how you’re feeling about me,” Mr. Cole said, “but that’s how I’m feeling about this show.”

Mr. West would go on to become one of the most important figures in American pop music. Without Mr. West’s success and the structural changes to hip-hop that came with it, maybe Mr. Cole — who performs as J. Cole — would still be in the crowd: no widely acclaimed mixtapes, no magazine covers, no record deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation empire.

But a young rapper in 2010 has far different barriers to cross than he would have just five years ago. Mr. West allowed for a new hip-hop paradigm, less aggressive and more emotionally nuanced. Mr. Cole, technically impressive but a little tender — unlike Mr. West he stuck it out in college and graduated — is a model of modern rap success.

That means, among other things, less emphasis on ostentation and more on online chatter. “Shout-out to the bloggers that’s in the building!” barked the warm-up D.J., who may well have been talking about everyone in the room. Videos, photos, Twitter and blog posts: by Wednesday morning you could almost experience this concert play by play just by scanning the Internet.

What those clips show is a rapper growing into his talent. Mr. Cole, originally from Fayetteville, N.C., performed “Dead Presidents II,” a furious technical exercise over the old Jay-Z song of the same name. That was one of the highlights of his mixtape from last year, “The Warm-Up,” from which Mr. Cole drew much of his material for this show, and which revealed him as a rapper impressed with his own knack for punch lines and clever metaphors, and less concerned with song construction.

But he’s learning: a new song, “Who Dat,” was fully formed, and he put his stamp on “A Star Is Born,” his coming-out party from Jay-Z’s last album, “The Blueprint 3.” Rather than just rap over that song’s original beat, reinforcing his guest role, he slowed it down, with just a keyboardist backing him, making the moment his own.

Jay-Z wasn’t there to distract from it, but Mr. Cole was happy to share the stage. He brought out Talib Kweli, the socially-minded New York rap star, to perform “Get By,” and their new collaboration “Just Begun.” And later he was joined by Young Chris, once one of the secret weapons of Jay-Z’s old label, Roc-A-Fella, to perform “Still the Hottest.”

Of Roc-A-Fella rappers Young Chris was always among the least flashy, but he was still wearing a version of his old Roc-A-Fella chain here. “I’m blessed to share the same name,” Mr. Cole said, making a link between Jay-Z’s old label and his new one, but then, looking down at his black T-shirt, weighed down with sweat but not jewelry, he joked, “We don’t got the same chain.” That’s for the best.

J.Cole in my opinion is pretty cool. He is definitely in drake's league. Dude held a knife to Jay-Z in 'A Star Is Born'

dipo2much:
He is definitely in drake's league.

And that's meant to be a compliment?

J.cole vs drake has been a great dispute,lyrically n delivery j.cole is better dan drake,i cant say dat abt making his ability of making music
Wordplay
Metaphors
Punchlines
Story telling

He beats drake hands down,he rides all beats,be it alternatives or hardcore,underground or pop

He is d new guy dubbed to bring lyricism back n probably influence d nxt generation

He kinda reminds me of Lupe bt his flow is more aggressive

I want a collabo wit lupe fiasco n nas,n anoda one wit talib,nt d crowded 'just begun'

Rhymstein:

He kinda reminds me of Lupe

And you think this one is a complement too??

at least lupe came b4 dat *male duck* that sings/raps

Ok, he reminds me of D.Julien!

oNe

DBR:

Ok, he reminds me of D.Julien!

oNe

I found D.Julien's flaw . . . storytelling.
That's where J.Cole kills him.

Rhymstein:

at least lupe came b4 dat *male duck* that sings/raps

When last did Mr Cool drop sumn worth listening to??

eldee:

I found D.Julien's flaw . . . storytelling.
That's where J.Cole kills him.

When last did Mr Cool drop sumn worth listening to??

Havent heard his Haiti song,Resurrection?

eldee:

I found D.Julien's flaw . . . storytelling.
That's where J.Cole kills him.

oh really?!
Which D.julien story tellin tracks did u hear and which J.cole's did u compare it with?
Cos i doubt J.cole edges him on any criteria~~well except gettin signed

oNe

DBR:

oh really?!
Which D.julien story tellin tracks did u hear and which J.cole's did u compare it with?
Cos i doubt J.cole edges him on any criteria~~well except gettin signed

oNe

Come on . . . J.Cole has improved massively since getting signed.
Under tutelage from Jay-Z and other rap legends.

Even before he got signed, his mixtape The Come Up was already critically acclaimed.

I listened to that D. Julien story bout the David kid - David's Revenge. . . that was not good enough man.

Rhymstein:


Havent heard his Haiti song,Resurrection?

I no go yab that song . . . it's for charity.
But the thing sounded like a Social Studies lesson.

Right up out your worrying
Right into the wondrous
Right up off the ground
Right to where the thunder is
And it's where your sisters
And your mothers and your brothers is
Aunties and your friends
and your fathers and your husbads is

Just imagine how weak that is . . . there was another part where he went all . . .'the love, the courage, the history, the passion' . . . which kind nonsense be that??
He's weak abeg . . . even The Coolest was a weak album.

eldee:

Come on . . . J.Cole has improved massively since getting signed.
Under tutelage from Jay-Z and other rap legends.

Even before he got signed, his mixtape The Come Up was already critically acclaimed.

I listened to that D. Julien story bout the David kid - David's Revenge. . . that was not good enough man.

Jay only gon' make J.cole dump down, really!
He'll get big, but be less deep under Jay's tutelage.
Plus, havent heard any material of his since the sign up.
Not sure if the one he ft or vice versa Still The Hottest is after the sign up.
if it is, i think it's stll d same J.cole nuffin changed yet.
Just begun ft Talib Kweli, & Mos Def, an di think Electronica was dope as Bleep tho.
J.cole stood his ground on it. Dunno if it's after d sign up too.

Listen to D.julien's Omars story off The Experiment and The Draft off Let me introduce myself.
I think they much better than David's revenge.

oNe

DBR:

Jay only gon' make J.cole dump down, really!
He'll get big, but be less deep under Jay's tutelage.
Plus, havent heard any material of his since the sign up.
Not sure if the one he ft or vice versa Still The Hottest is after the sign up.
if it is, i think it's stll d same J.cole nuffin changed yet.
Just begun ft Talib Kweli, & Mos Def, an di think Electronica was dope as bleep tho.
J.cole stood his ground on it. Dunno if it's after d sign up too.

Listen to D.julien's Omars story off The Experiment and The Draft off Let me introduce myself.
I think they much better than David's revenge.

oNe

Nah . . . both songs are after being with Jay-Z.
Are you going to tell me you didn't see those improvements?? Isn't it after this that he killed Wale on Beautiful Bliss??
His charisma since signing to Jay-Z has helped him hold his ground against the best.

I don't see D. Julien killing anyone on a track. . . I see J.Cole holding his ground on an Eminem track.

eldee:

Nah . . . both songs are after being with Jay-Z.
Are you going to tell me you didn't see those improvements?? Isn't it after this that he killed Wale on Beautiful Bliss??
His charisma since signing to Jay-Z has helped him hold his ground against the best.

I don't see D. Julien killing anyone on a track. . . I see J.Cole holding his ground on an Eminem track.

Okk true, i guess signin under Jay is hormone booster for him.
Yep, there's improvement.
But hey, i'll need to see D.julien ft before i write him off as not capable of holdin his own.


oNe