J. Cole...Definitely...on point with "The Come UP!"

His lyrics are reflective. His flow is classic though his sound is not easily pinpointed. He’s from the South, though not the Deep South, but his New York influence is undeniable. The Come Up is, simply put, complex—not conflicted. It’s about more than a rapper straddling the line between the college game and the rap game, more than an homage to the city that shaped him, or a thank you note to the single mother that raised him. It’s all those things. Explicit and raw, there’s no gratuitous profanity or minstrel-like money, cash, hoes shucking and jiving, and no obligatory club-banger—all to the rapper’s credit. Rapper J. Cole, who hails not from some predictable rap Mecca like Atlanta or NYC, but from a city the size of a neighborhood in one of these metropolises, Fayetteville, North Carolina. He is an artist who turned an academic scholarship into both a ticket to the birthplace of hip-hop to launch his musical career and a degree from a prestigious university.

Opening on a strong point, “Simba” is a creative twist on the “Just can’t wait to be King” theme, a refreshing alternative to the usual “This is Why I’m Hot” posturing. J’s rhymes are a nice open to what unfolds into a complete package; the mixtape is a wholehearted effort to break into the industry complete with a cohesive theme from start to finish, and the kind of interludes that pushed rap CDs over the edge in the late 90s.

“School Daze” is a nostalgic look at his high school experience with references to three-way calling. However, Dame Dash and Jay Z make you realize this really wasn’t that long ago. He also samples Ahmad’s 1994 “Back in the Day” hook. But in places like this where the album gets a bit predictable, the listener forgives the artist because his candor speaks for himself. He’s going to rap on his own terms, or “if this rap shit don’t work, I’m going for my master’s”, he says on the hook “College Boy”, where he brags about his scholastic achievements and concludes “college is a real good look.”

There’s more to the mix tape than can be expressed in this short space, but it is well worth a listen, especially the mellow “Split You Up” or the surprising “Dead Presidents” on which J. proves he’s up to the task of rhyming over a track that both Nas and Jay Z previously coined. J. Cole finds his groove at the beginning of the CD and rarely loses it. Its incredibly personal, and leaves you wondering what more he would do if given the opportunity.
- Murder She Wrote

J.Cole...definitely Encore Status