What Has J.Cole Done For Hip-Hop? Posted by Lucas Garrison on 06/11/13 | Filed under Top Stories, Opinion, J. Cole

When you think of guys who have changed hip-hop’s course for the good who comes to mind? Obviously, guys like Run DMC, Tupac, and Big (among many others) are immediate answers, but when you think abut newer emcees the answers aren’t always as clear, as it is still to early to see how they will stand the test of time. Obviously, guys like Kanye and Jay-Z are in the discussion, but would you add J. Cole to that list? He seems to think he has done a lot for the art. In this Huffington Post piece, covering Cole, the Roc Nation emcee comments on his work in hip-hop:

"I feel like I've done a lot for hip-hop, in terms of where it is right now and where it's going," he says backstage before his show at New York's iHeartRadio Theater. "I still have a lot to do; I'm not satisfied, but everyone helps the next."

Whoa whoa whoa, pump the breaks a little Cole. I think it’s a little too-much-too-soon for him to say he has done a lot for hip-hop, considering his first album after selling his soul hasn’t been officially released yet. Even when it drops, it’s too soon to say Cole has done a lot, if anything, for hip-hop. Now that Cole is “back” and all eyes are on him, he may feel justified in touting his contribution; but how much of that is deserved and how much is because his album is the only one from of the big three that has been made public? If Kanye had streamed "Yeezus", do you think Cole would be getting the attention that he is right now? I think not.

Even if "Born Sinner" outsells Mac and Kanye, does that automatically mean he has done “a lot” for hip-hop? Considering real hip-hop fans dismissed "Sideline Story", it will take a whole lot more than one quality album for him to have done “a lot for hip-hop.” So many artists come and go, who is to say Cole isn’t a flash in the pan? Will we still be talking about "Born Sinner" years from now? Only time will tell. When it’s all said and done, he could be a legend--- he certainly has all the tools, but, with only one official (crappy) album release under his belt, it is way too soon for him to say he has helped alter the course of history. It’s tough to say even guys like Kendrick have had a tremendous impact because the whole body of work just isn’t there. I would also put Kendrick a whole lot higher up than Cole on the list of guys who have helped change the course of the genre, and Kendrick still has work to do. Again, not to say he isn’t good or cant be, but it’s just too soon to tell.

Without getting into a big review of "Born Sinner", as that’s a much different discussion, I didn’t hear anything that made me think hip-hop was forever changed by 16 songs. Is it good? Yeah; but mind-blowing and genre changing? No. I really liked the "Truly Yours 2" EP, because Cole was really struggling with how his new album would turn out. It was a very human approach, and I found it very refreshing. Take these bars from "Cole Summer".


"But I finally put my Momma in that E class, n***a/And I told her quit her job, but hold your horses/If my next album flops it's back to the post office, both of us, shit /They're saying that's a real possibility The thought alone is killing me."

I don’t see how, in a matter of months, Cole went from fearing that he would fall of the face of the hip-hop earth to being an emcee, who has done a lot for hip-hop.

I may come off as a hater, but I am far from it. I love Cole and am rooting for him to be one of the greats, but he just isn’t there yet. I’d love for him to answer what, exactly, he has done for hip-hop, because I can’t really name one thing. Maybe in five to ten years we will be having a different conversation, but right here, right now, a week before his album officially drops, it’s just too soon to tell.

See Also:  This Is Not an Album Review of J. Cole’s “Born Sinner”, Or Nothin Like That
See Also:  J. Cole is Now Officially Streaming “Born Sinner”, Let the Debate Begin