J Cole is this generations 2 pac.

[blockburna420]

no, just no.Hell krit is more tupac then cole. At the end of the day they are just socially aware.

 

[JayBaldacci]

Not really

Cole at age 30 makes music from a 18 year olds perspective.

Plus he's Nas minus Nas's talent.

 

[BigIke]

J Cole is this generations j cole. No need to over analyze..

 

[toomanydoses]

Why do we always gotta label someone the "new" person X? He's himself and does a good job at it, living up to pac.... Not so much (but nobody does).

 

[intilectual recipricol]

That's what I'm saying, he don't have the fire.


Maybe he can be this generations Young MC or some shyt.


For some reason, his music doesn't draw me in.I recognize that it's good& positive/ attempts to have substance.....but the connectivity's just not there for me.

It's something missing that's pushing him more to the bland side.Like a oatmeal cookie without enough butter and cinnamon.

I really can't call it

and no raisins...

 

[MartyMcFly]

Just let dudes cook being themselves before making them out to be the next something.

 

[Zero]

Cole isnt half as charismatic as Pac was, nor does he have the kind of powerful songs that Pac did.

Coles doesnt get a pass just for subject matter.

You'd be surprised looking at this board.

And truthfully, a lot of mediocre conscious hiphop from the early 2000s got passes just for that reason alone.

 

[The_King_of_Everything]

Why do we always gotta label someone the "new" person X? He's himself and does a good job at it, living up to pac.... Not so much (but nobody does).

Because this new generation knows it's shyt so it compares itself to the golden era.

 

[Danie84]

Forest Hill Drive finally made me see Cole's potential, but let's not throw Pac around like that

 

[SunZoo]

 

[ML29]

 

[detroit devil 3]

Hey, for what it's worth, 2014 Forest HD does bear a lot of likenesses to 93's Strictly, with its message, overarching dark ass theme, sound effects and all.

..but even in 2014, I'd still pick Strictly over it.

 

[Cynic]

That's what I'm saying, he don't have the fire.


Maybe he can be this generations Young MC or some shyt.


For some reason, his music doesn't draw me in.I recognize that it's good& positive/ attempts to have substance.....but the connectivity's just not there for me.

It's something missing that's pushing him more to the bland side.Like a oatmeal cookie without enough butter and cinnamon.

I really can't call it

Its a mental block.... Change is never easy either that or you are making comparisons with other rappers instead of just appreciating his work....Period

 

[Still Benefited]

just glancing at the year end lists for rap, and seeing Cole's powerful new album completely missing. no rolling stone love. no pitchfork love. those are the 2 main music outlets that influence. imagine pitchfork and rolling stone championing Forrest Hills Drive to its cac fanbase. the music would theoretically expand its white readers world view. let them get something from rap beyond just dope rhymes and exotic anthropology.

looking back though, doesnt this remind you of Pac? how many times did critics in the 90s tell you Pac's powerful words and message didnt matter because he couldnt "rappity rap"? pac was the most powerful communicator of young black americas plight, and these outlets encouraged their readers to look away.

just seems like Cole has the most important message of any artist this year and for his music to get disrespected on the artistic front to me show that these critics don't have black peoples interests at heart.

"just keep making the sexy and hip self destructive music, dont bring intelligence and wisdom to the table." is something that has been going on for a minute.

That was a different era though,where the hiphop media/critics were obsessed with rappity rap and it was east coast centered....In this era the media/critics LOVE the J Cole types...IF J Cole aint getting love in this era from critics its a personal problem

Outside of the internet I dont know a single black male J Cole fan...he gotta get the casual black male listener to take it to the next level I think,even Drake got that despite the hate he gets....He mustve believed that shyt Pac said about "Once you get the bytches,then you get the nikkas".....That shyt dont add up to me,its clearly the other way around....otherwise you end up like Fab and Drake fighting to not be seen as a rapper whos "for the bytches"

 

[Wild self]

Cole is no Tupac, but he is doing far more to help black folk than the typical c00n rappers that exploits the streets for his own persona gain in his pockets.