J. Cole might have gotten hitched behind our backs recently, but it doesn't change the fact that for a few years there he was completely transparent about his life as a struggling rapper from North Carolina. Yes, we're talking about those mixtape years where J. Cole was fighting for your attention on a World Wide Web that has everything but a shortage of mixtapes.
Cole's three mixtapes were The Come Up, The Warm Up, and Friday Night Lights, released in 2007, 2009, and 2010 respectively. The latter two were released in conjunction with Roc Nation, helping to pave the way for his current state of success including his back-to-back-to-back number one albums. Like many mixtapes from the era, Cole utilized already-familiar instrumentals by the likes of Jay Z, Kanye West, Ghostface Killah, and more to back-up his rhymes. By the time Friday Night Lights came around, Cole used a good bit of his own production, his ace in the hole. Let's revisit those first three mixtapes and remember how J. Cole got to where he is today.
"Carolina On My Mind"
J. Cole circa 2007 left room for a lot of improvement, but it was still awesome. One of the standout cuts on his first mixtape The Come Up was "Carolina On My Mind," a homage to his home state. North Carolina isn't exactly known for its rap music, but Cole is helping to put it on the map by bringing quality music out of Fayetteville, NC. He also hinted at the Panthers' current Superbowl run when he said, "Tar heels state, either you shooting or you hoopin' yo / Niggas can't wait for them Panthers to win the Superbowl."
"Dead Presidents II"
It's like a right of passage to go in over the "Dead Presidents II" beat. The Lonnie Liston Smith-sampling Ski Beatz production is one of the all-time classic hip hop beats, and so many artists have blessed it with their strongest bars. J. Cole is no exception, and beasts on the track.
"Can I Live"
You'd probably think this was another freestyle over a Jay Z instrumental, especially given the context of a mixtape with "Dead Presidents II" on it. Anyways, this is something totally different than Hov's "Can I Live," but J. Cole makes something that is totally his own. It's a stand out track from his sophomore mixtape The Warm Up.
"Lights Please"
The only single from The Warm Up was "Lights Please," and it was massively successful for a track that was off a mixtape. Produced by Cole himself, the song still lives as one of the gems in his discography.
"Dollar and a Dream II"
Cole's first mixtape had a "Dollar and a Dream" on it, but the second time around he really crushed it. The hungry J. Cole spazzes on his own production, just like he always does.
"Last Call"
Perhaps before they ever officially linked up, J. Cole was rhyming over Kanye's "Last Call." The College Dropout track gets blessed by Cole before he gives a little anecdote on the end there, just like Ye did.
"Too Deep For The Intro"
Cole over Badu? Count us in. While we wait for these two to collaborate on some official noise, we're glad Cole decided to (almost) kick off Friday Night Lights with this gem.
"Villematic"
Here's Cole over Kanye part two. This time, Cole takes "Devil In A New Dress" for a ride, spilling his soul and spitting out his stress ahead of his debut studio album.
"Higher"
This isn't exactly the best rap song in the world, but it does prove J. Cole to be somewhat of a pop music mastermind. It's the kind of track that can get played anywhere at any time and a group of people are bound to perk up and sing along.
"In The Morning" featuring Drake
"In The Morning" featuring Drake
Of course Drake linked up with J. Cole over one of most luscious hip hop/R&B crossover tracks of the era. "In The Morning" pairs jazzy drums with spacey synths, while Drake and J. Cole rap about the ladies.