Anaiah Fleury 1 4 Your Only by: J.Cole (2016) Jermaine Cole is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, producer, and record executive with his five chart-topping as a solo artist, nine Top 40 singles as a headliner, adn a dozen Grammy nominations J.Cole is seen as one of the most successful rappers. Each one of his albums has also gone platinum, Cole continues this streak of astounding work as he changed his approach to be more lyrical, by sharply criticizing issues in society, rather than making music for entertainment purposes. Similarly to other African American artists, J.Cole has actively stated that he protests for he has even participated in the Black Lives Matter

Movement.

Through the use of his music Cole has touched base on social issues in today’s society. ​ Often addressing race, Cole has referenced the media’s influence on women, insecurities, police brutality, racial profiling, and depression. Along with his recent release, here is a compilation of songs to which the Dreamville artist tackled such issues. Through Cole’s ,, he put out his point of view and brought people into his perspective on ​ ​ a lot of these social and political issues that go on in our world today. For Example, In his song,

Immortal, Cole addresses the ongoing stereotypes the black community faces when it comes to ​ its success. in the perspective of James (a man who was referenced a lot during the album), Cole dives into of being a kingpin in the drug dealing game. Cole uses the line “God they love to serve a ni**a three hots and a cot” to reference the police brutality in society. “Three hots and a cot” is a metaphor that not only refers to the three hot meals and a cot you get in prison, but also to police brutality, since “hot ones” is slang for bullets, while “cot” could allude to a casket. Either way, Cole uses this line to emphasize how the police are putting his friends to sleep. Jermaine not only writes about police brutality but also how there is still an Anaiah Fleury 2 unequal presence in society when it comes to race. . For Example, In his song, Immortal, Cole ​ ​ states , “Have you ever seen a fiend cook crack on the spoon? Have you ever seen a ni**a that was black on the moon? Have you ever seen your brother go to prison as you cried? Have you ever seen a motherf***in' ribbon in the sky?” Cole here laments over racial inequality. As of

2016, 14 black men have been astronauts for NASA however none of them have stepped foot on the moon. To see a ribbon in the sky is to see fate deliver something positive, like a shooting star or a rainbow, both of which are usually associated with ribbons and appear in the sky. Towards the end of the song he raps, “They tellin' ni**as, "sell dope, rap or go to NBA," (in that order).

It's that sort of thinkin' that been keepin' niggas chained.” Cole comments on the socially-imposed idea that, in order for Black people to be successful, they have to sell drugs, become well-known rappers, or make it into professional basketball. Cole states that this mentality is what is holding them back from realizing their full potential. He continues then to relate these societal bonds to the bonds of slavery.

Continuing through the album, Cole comes out with the song, Change. Don’t let the ​ ​ upbeat tempo of this song fool you; Cole ends “Change” striking the listener by addressing the ​ ​ shooting of a 22-year-old boy named James. “Change” references black crimes in the ​ ​ community and asks for a “call of action” to change for the better amongst the inner cities.

J.Cole uses this motif commonly throughout his songs “My intuition is telling me they'll be better days.'' He uses this to emphasize that the path that you’re on is the right one which these lines continue, he feels as if things will improve if they stick to it. He also uses the allusion, “My faith don't deviate, ideas don't have a date. But see I'm growing and getting stronger with every breath. Bringing me closer to heaven's doors with every step” In Christianity, there is a belief Anaiah Fleury 3 that death does not have the final word. So, Cole is saying that, because God understands the pain and brokenness, he won’t be a harsh judge. But, he isn’t scared to die because of the confidence he has in an afterlife.

Next in his song ,“Neighbors”, He discusses how racial profiling is no stranger to the ​ ​ black and he paints one of the many horrific pictures people of color go through today. Through the use of an anecdote he recalls a SWAT team busting down his recording studio doors in search of drugs. His relocation to a nice neighborhood posed a threat to residents, who assumed he was a dealer. This memory showed how through wrongfully racial profiling people can be put others in scary siuations that shouldn’t occur in the first place. Also uses symbolism in the line, “My sixteen should've came with a coffin.” This is because the life expectancy for the average American is 79 years old, but nearly half of Black Americans aren’t certain they’ll make it past their 30’s. Cole implies that his childhood environment was so rough that he could have died when he was just 16.

Finally the last song on the album is “4 Your Eyez Only”. For almost nine minutes, Cole ​ ​ ​ perfectly ends his fourth album by seamlessly switching from James’ point of view in the first few verses, to his own by the end, as he explains the death of his friend to his daughter. The song is an ode to his late friend for his struggles and going through them for the sake of his daughter.

Though this song derives from a back story of crime, and also relates to the fatherless youth without male role models in their lives. In the lines, “And my daughter gotta eat. Her mama be stressing me like I ain't the one who put them Jays on her feet. Like I ain't out in the field like that. I might be low for the moment but I will bounce back” Cole symbolizes that due to the drought caused by the police presence in the streets, James comes face to face with the pressure Anaiah Fleury 4 to try and provide for his family. “In the field” is a euphemism that is often used in hip hop to compare the physical work of farming to being actively involved in crime, fame/success, or in this context, getting money by any means necessary to support a family.

Through his music J.Cole is really making a change throughout the world by bringing to the light some of the issues that the black community has that may not be completely spoken about. In an article by Newspaper, they wrote that they don't see J.Cole as one of those rappers that only wants to be famous, but as a rapper that wants to make a difference. In the beginning people felt that Cole was just going through the motions until police shootings around the country (and the following protests) snapped him awake. He then began to re-evaluate what his music could do. For Example, Cole was among the first responders on the scene in Ferguson,Missouri after the Death of Michael Brown and has written a handful of ​ ​ protest songs since the incident.

For decades, the founders of rap, the pioneers who provided the foundation for hip-hop, have remained locked in an seemingly everlasting battle with the up-and-coming rappers who are shifting the sound of the genre. Those who advocate for old school rap, otherwise known as “old heads,” claim that old school rap is vastly better than the new rap that is coming out and that present day rappers are ruining the craft. Despite the controversy, rapper J. Cole has seemed to find a middle ground and begun to end the debate without picking a side. The Dreamville rapper’s influence has impacted the rap game for the past decade, and seems to be making a complete shift in hip-hop.

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