When you blow up in the hip hop game, it's your responsibility to use your shine to put on some younger cats. Dreamville is J. Cole's way of doing just that. After founding the music collective, Cole has grown the talented roster of MCs to include Bas, Omen, and Cozz, along with awesome producers like Cedric Brown, Ron Gilmore, Elite and more. They promise to keep "a pulse on our community while exploring new sounds, new visuals and new ways to authentically and genuinely connect with all people, around the world."
Over the course of Dreamville's existence, they've released a number of mixtapes, albums, EPs, and videos. Today, we dive into their essential output from the likes of Bas, Cozz, Omen, and of course Jermaine Cole himself.
J. Cole - Wet Dreamz
Let's kick this one off with the boss-man himself. J. Cole takes an interesting approach with "Wet Dreamz," detailing how he lost his virginity in all of its horrifying, awkward glory. Whereas most MCs play like they've always been Casanova in the sheets, Cole keeps it a little realer.
Cozz - "Knock Tha Hustle" (Remix) featuring J. Cole
Usually a label-head is all over his protege's tracks. That isn't the case with Dreamville, but Cole was enlisted on the boom-bap greatness of Cozz's "Knock That Hustle" remix. It's straight fire.
Cozz - "I Need That" featuring Bas
A couple of Dreamville's most present stars are Cozz, an LA rapper, and Bas, a Queens local. The coast-to-coast connection is real when they linked up on last year's "I Need That."
Bas - "Mook In New Mexico"
How many rap songs you know about New Mexico? That's what we thought. Go ahead an embrace one of the country's least hip hop states with this one.
Omen - "LoveDrug" featuring CJ Hamilton
Social media is an interesting focus for a rap song. It's a new thing, something that wasn't around back in the Golden Era, and the jury is also still out on whether or not it's good or bad, overused or under appreciated. Omen links up with CJ Hamilton to provide a new perspective on the topic.
Cozz - "Western Ave. Slaves" featuring enimaL
Cozz got bars, and like Cole, it's about more than just the surface-level crap that plagues most of hip hop.
"But I ain't worth shit, she don't look to a god
It's a man that she worships
Cause the man keep her afloat, as if they were ships
But you gotta think about the bigger picture
I know that nigga hit ya
You don't deserve that type of shit
You a queen, you a god, you a perfect type chick
I got this weed, I'll roll it up
I know you'd like a hit, I know you'd like a hit
You be stressin' like a motherfucker"
Bas - "Fiji Water In My Iron" featuring KQuick
Fiji Water in an iron is a pretty imaginative way to demonstrate success. But when you have to stay fresh, you do what you have to do. Bas comes through with a fire track set to crispy visuals with this one.
Cozz - I'm Tha Man
The West Coast had such a strong run last year, and up-and-comers like Cozz are a part of the reason the scene out there is so strong. "I'm Tha Man" is one to bump real loud as you take a stroll in the whip.
Bas - Housewives
The real MVP of this one is Soundwavve. (No, not Sounwave.) The ridin' beat has a high-hat pattern that sticks out right off the bat. Bas definitely does his thing too, though, and the music video showcases a righteous party.
J. Cole - G.O.M.D.
We'll finish this up the same way we started it: with J. Cole. "G.O.M.D." is one of the more powerful music videos that was released last year. With a linear storyline that teeters on short-movie territory, Cole blessed this 2014 Forest Hills Drive cut with proper visuals.