XXL.Com Recaps & Reviews J.Coles Secret Show
Roc Nation signee and XXL Freshman, J. Cole, surprised fans on Wednesday night (June 16) with a secret performance at mentor Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club in New York City.
Cole, who celebrated the one-year anniversary of the release of his critically acclaimed mixtape, The Warm Up, the night before, thanked the audience for their support before beginning his brief set which included some of the tape’s most notable songs.
“When the beat drops I want to have this bourgeois 40/40 Club lookin’ like a Wu-Tang show,” he yelled before jumping into “Young Simba.” The Manhattan club was packed to capacity with industry insiders and a few fans that were lucky enough to learn about the location of the secret performance.
The North Carolina MC, who thrives off of audience participation, was thrown off by the mostly industry crowd’s unfamiliarity with his catalog. While everyone in attendance did their best to participate when called upon, Cole at times seemed to be the only person in the building making any noise— a fact he was clearly disappointed in. During the fan-favorite “Lights Please,” he looked to the audience to help him recover after forgetting his lyrics, only to learn he wasn’t the only one who didn’t know the song word for word.
Cole did not let the crowd discourage him, however. He humbly joked about the lack of participation then quickly moved on, focusing on connecting with the handful of die-hard fans he was able to spot singing along amongst the sea of camera’s and video recorders.
Between songs, Cole apologized to the audience for appearing distracted, explaining that he couldn’t help glancing at the large televisions that were broadcasting his performance throughout the club. “I keep lookin’ at myself on the screen,” he joked.
He was able to overcome the distractions and less-than enthusiastic crowd by the time he got to the show’s closer, his verse from Jay-Z’s “A Star Is Born,” sending those in attendance home with the feeling that they had just seen hip-hop’s next big thing.
Roc Nation’s 2010 Roster [Video]
Jay-Z released his 2010 roster on his label RocNation. Check out J.Cole’s fellow label signees’:
J. Cole
Bridget Kelly
Rita Ora
Range (Star Roc)
Alexis Jordan (Star Roc)
Hugo
Spotted | Nahright
Nas Speaks On Drake, J Cole, Jay Electronica | Hard Knock TV
via HardKnock TV:
Hard Knock TV caught up with Nas and Damian Marley behind the scenes of their music video for As We Enter. In this interview Nas responds to Drake comparing himself to Jay-Z and J Cole to Nas. The interview continues with Nas talking about the next generation of rappers and their ability to carry the torch for Hip Hop, collaborating with Jay Electronica and comparing what is going in the West Coast between new rappers and establish rappers to what is going on in the East Coast. This interview was conducted by Nick Huff Barili and Mark Anothony Jenkins.
J.Cole Hits Atlanta and Tickets Giveaway Contest!
J.Cole will be hitting the streets of ATL performing at The Loft on February 26. This will be an 18+ show with tickets priced at $20 each [buy tickets]. J.Cole Fans will be giving 2 lucky contestants 2 tickets each in a contest ticket giveaway. Check back very soon for the details on this contest!
Cassidy Raps Over J.Cole’s “Lights Please”
Cassidy released his Apply Pressure 2 mixtape on February 4th at midnight. Cassidy who is known to hop on other rappers beat went all out when he decided to spit over J.Cole’s self produced beat for Lights Please. Cassidy titles his version Mic Please and features rapper Jag.
Mic Please [Download]
Reflection Eternal Talk To MTV On The Making Of “Just Begun”
In this recent interview with MTV, Reflection Eternal (Hi Tek & Talib Kweli) tells MTV how Just Begun came to be. Kweli talks about texting J.Cole and trying to get him on the track.
Kweli explains:
“I was like, ‘You might need to get on this Reflection Eternal album.’ I was talking on text to J. Cole, trying to get some ideas. Then I was like, it might be crazy if I got Jay Electronica and J. Cole on the same record. Two new dudes on the record with me, they killing it, doing they thing. So I was like, ‘Nah.’ I had to go get some support. So I called my man Mos.”
“We had to go find Mos. I need some backup,” he added with a laugh. “My verse is bragging and boasting, but it’s also a lot of literary references, which people might know me for. Jay Electronica is talking about his journey from New Orleans to New York. J. Cole is trying to shine, talking about his connection to Roc Nation. He’s got the girls. He’s trying to shine, establish his place with these other lyricists. Mos’ verse is super, super scientific and intelligent. Mos got flow for days. But if you don’t know nothing about the world, you ain’t ready for Mos Def’s verse.”
Drake Talks About J.Cole To Complex Magazine
This edition of Complex Magazine which Drake will cover for the month of February/March features a full cover story and gallery with Drake. In this interview Drake has a few words about J.Cole and what he thinks of his talent and work.
Drake: J. Cole, who’s one of my favorite dudes rapping right now. I’ve happened to have had more success. I made the most money, I have number-one records, those guys [Wale, J.Cole, Kid Cudi] don’t have that shit. And it’s just facts, it’s not even my feelings or that I feel I’m more talented
Drake: When J. Cole gets it super-right, I think he’s gonna have a place as a Nas-type character who really stands for hip-hop, but still makes ill records that everybody fucks with.
Complex: If J. Cole is Nas, then who are you?
Drake: [Laughs.] I’m the young big homie!
Props: ATF
Up Incoming J.Cole Features
Im sure we got our quick J.Cole fix once Reflection Eternal dropped, a track featured J.Cole, Jay Electronica & Mos Def ,but be aware that theres more on the way. J.Cole is expected to feature on a couple of up incoming projects from other artist. Be on the look out for Elite’s “Groundwork” dropping January 4th & Omen’s “Afraid Of Heights” coming in March.- You know where you can get them first!
Kayne In Studio Making “A Star Is Born”
In this clip, Kayne, GLC, Really Doe, Don C, Shon Bonds and others preview the future “Blueprint 3″ track which J.Cole made his big debut on. The bass sounds crazy good!
Spotted: h.e.r
Mos Def ft Jay Electronica & J.Cole & Talib Kweli Track
Mos Def announced during a Dj Semtex interview that he is currently sitting on a track which will feature J.Cole, Jay Electronica, and Talib Kweli. Check the 6.55 mark for the details and stay posted for the release of it.
Props: Omen
J.Cole & Wale Perform At University Of North Carolina
On 12/09/09 J.Cole, Wale and Janelle Monae hit the stage for a performance at University of North Carolina. The clip above is of Wale and J.Cole performing the soulful hit, Beautiful Bliss from Wale’s debut album “Attention Deficit”.
Ay, tell them n*ggas at the stop we want your spot, we all for real!
Props: La Tysha
Elite’s Upcoming Mixtape Set To Feature J.Cole
Everyone’s favorite Producer Elite will soon drop the mixtape he has been working very hard on titled, Groundwork. For those who don’t know, Elite has produced hits such as Heartache by J.Cole, Why (rmx) by Jadakiss ft. Common, Nas, Anthony Hamilton and Styles, Fight Muzik by Joe Budden and the list literally goes on. Groundwork’s release date is currently set to drop Jan 4th and will consist of instrumentals from Elite along with unreleased tracks from DMX and J.Cole. Stay tuned for the release of this!
Vote Now! J.Cole Nominated For Yo! Raps Award
YO! Raps is hosting their second annual online award which fans everywhere can cast their votes on various categories. J.Cole was nominated for “Artist To Watch In 2010″ possibly making this his first nomination in any music awards. Others nominees for this category:
- *Nicki Minaj
- *OJ Da Juiceman
- *Gucci Mane
- *B.o.B.
- *Nipsey Hussle
To make sure the right person walks away with the title, vote J.Cole “Artist To Watch in 2010″ here.
A Fan Writes An Open Letter To J.Cole
Brittany, a huge fan of J.Cole, recently wrote an open letter to him via her blogspot. The thoughts Brittany expressed pretty much sums up the feelings J.Cole evokes in all his fans. If you like this letter, check out this Open Letter To Jay-Z talking about Cole spotted at, A Tribe Called Next.
“Cuz’ these words go deep, from my soul when I speak. Then the flow hits the souls of all those that I reach” -Welcome
Will J.Cole Be On XXL’s Freshman List?
According to Wiz Khalifa, J.Cole will, check out what the Pittsburgh rapper had to say during his interview with The Smoking Section.
TSS: What other rappers would be on the cover with you?
Wiz Khalifa: Hmmm…well, I don’t know, because everyone…well, J. Cole would be on there. Drake would be on there, because he wasn’t on the other one…
TSS: Yeah, they blew it on that one.
Wiz Khalifa: Yeah, he went to a whole other level. Probably J. Cole, XV, that dude CurT@!n$, Mickey Factz was already on there…I don’t know if I have enough names. I don’t know everybody, man (Laughs).
Props: FWDF
J. Cole & Beyond Belief in NYC
Peep this video of Cole and rapper Beyond Belief hanging backstage after the Gramercy Theater show.
Spotted at: The Hip Hop Chronicle
Royce Da 5′9″ Speaks On J.Cole
Peep Slaughterhouse’s Royce share his thoughts on J.Cole. Elite nicely sums up Royce’s thoughts on J.Cole in the tweet below. (It starts around the 8:30 mark)
Props: Elite
Get “Lights Please” On iTunes
I’m sure you already have Lights Please in your iTunes with a play count of 100+, but now the only right thing to do is to support J.Cole and purchase it from the iTunes store. The hit single can be downloaded via iTunes for only $ .99 here. Check out J.Cole’s friend Dwayne and friend/Producer Elite already ahead of the game.
J.Cole On East Village Radio Tonight [Updated]
Tune into East Village Radio tonight at 8pm to hear music producer Mark Ronson and J.Cole talk it up. If you wont be near a radio, check out EVR’s website to stream the interview. Chances are this is going to be a very good radio session.
J.Cole will NOT Be On EVRradio Due to scheduling issues
J.Cole And Wale Freestyle While Waiting For Food
While waiting for food in a Denny’s Restaurant in Champaign, IL, Wale and J.Cole spit a quick freestyle off the dome. Good to see these guys have fun while on tour.
“She wanted Jay-Z, but this nigga will do!”
J.Cole’s Hard Work Pays Off On Tour With Hova [Article]
While on the road, J.Cole gets interviewed by Vanderbilt University’s student news source. J.Cole talks about what the Roc Nation support is like, the college scene, influences, basketball and what to expect on his upcoming album. He will be performing this friday, 11/13/09 at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.
“There’s a lot of soul in the album. There’s even some West Coast. How can I describe it? I think of the guitar on the Red Hot Chilli Pepper’s “Californication,” like guitar sprinkled in. That’s one of my favorite parts, just listening to the songs so far. That wasn’t my vision, but it just kind of happened.
J.Cole Attends Thi Chien Art Exhibit “Addiction” [Video]
Remeber that art exhibit J.Cole and Ibrahim attended a couple weeks back? Well this footage on the show entirely was recently released. Thi’s work is nothing short of brilliance.
Rare Footage Of J.Cole At “Fresh Produce”
“Fresh Produce” was an event held back in 2008 in which artists from every field came together for “an art experience”. In attendance were up and coming producers, rappers, singers as well as others . The great Producer, Elite was there as well as Dj On Point who hosted “The Come Up” mixtape. J.Cole performed at this event and also talked a little about his rap journey.
“Now that I graduated Im trynna go full force with this music thing. Like actually change, like kind of change Hip Hop in the way-you know not change anything drastically but change the way people look at Hip Hop. You know it can be creative and commercial at the same time”
Props: Elite
Upstart Emcee J.Cole Gets Boost From Jay-Z [Article]
J.Cole spoke in a recent interview which he talks about the tour, the state of Hip Hop, what he has learned from Jay-Z and more.
“So clap for him, then applaud Hov he gave him the platform” -A Star Is Born
