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The Warm Up Over ColeWorld

Ok, so @StreetkodeCEO is a pretty J.Cole > kinda guy. So, when I submitted this article originally, before the album dropped, he sent me back and told me to wait til the album dropped and give it a fair chance. Since then, the album debuted at #1 and has grown on me somewhat. But, has it grown on me enough to change my overall opinion..? Hmm - Atleast, let me tell you why I'm this way. #JiggaVoice

Back in the days of Myspace, I ran across a musician profile under the name of J. Cole. The page's headline said something like, "Jay-Z's newest artist signed to RocNation," or something like that. But, c'mon, it's Myspace, where every nigga and his momma got a deal - I ain't buying it. One thing that compelled me to play a song called "Dollar & a Dream" was the number of plays that it had - something in the ballpark of 200,000+. Hit the play button. Damn, this is actually pretty DAMN GOOD. Good beat, nice flow, and the song had substance... Not to mention J. Cole's funny ass alter ego [FUCK YOU AND YO BUS , NIGGA!].

J. Cole would then come up in conversations on AIM. Have you heard that J. Cole?, You need to download THE WARM UP...So, I went to the site and downloaded the mixtape.

BLOWN AWAY...

From the intro to the bonus track, I never really hit fast forward on a single track. You could just play the mixtape right on through til the very end. The selection of beats, the witty punchlines, the thirst in J. Cole's voice - it all put him in a league of his own. To say that 1 particular track was my favorite would be a disrespect to all the other tracks that I LOVE [Dead Presidents and Grown Simba and Welcome are my Top 3 #FinalAnswer]. A timeless #CLASSIC - Pretty damn good for a mixtape...

Cole set the bar so damn high with The Warm Up that when he started dropping tracks for Cole World I was like UMM WTF is going on here? "Who Dat" was ehhhh... The Friday Night Lights mixtape was cool but dulled in comparison to its predecessor.

So, what is it? Caps on J.Cole's creative freedom...?? Roc Nation's quest to get J. Cole to appeal to a broader range of people? Why can't TRUE HIP HOP HEADS have their own hero without the industry fucking meddling in our shit?

So, fast forward and we drop the album snippets on the website. I listen to em and it's like OMG.. Fuck Jay-Z!! [In my BEST Ether Voice], they've totally transformed this nigga. I went in on Twitter and while many agreed, some J. Cole fans weren't having it. "How can you judge the album based on snippets," asked one of my followers. HE WAS RIGHT.

I downloaded the album the day it leaked [SHUTUP... I have a hard copy too]. Intro - Coo, Dollar & Dream III - OK, Can't get Enough - I fucks with it, Lights Please - OLD, SKIP..., Sideline Story - Nice, Mr. Nice Watch - ehhh, Jay-Z saved the day, Cole World - Not the Cole I know, In the Morning OLD, SKIP..., Lost Ones - OLD, but a CLASSIC, Nobody's Perfect - Tolerable, Never Told - Sorry, SKIP..., Rise and Fall - Beat saves the day, God's Gift - BANGS, Breakdown - LOVE IT, Work Out - Commercial Fat, SKIP..., Nothing Lasts Forever - MY SHIT, Daddy's Little Girl - LOVE IT, Who Dat - SKIP...

Although, it is a solid debut. There were just too many songs where I was hitting the » button. I wouldn't take it to heart so much if Cole hadn't dropped such a gem with The Warm Up.

So, it makes one think, is it such a good thing to be signed??

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