Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985), better known by his stage nam… Read Full Bio ↴Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985), better known by his stage name J. Cole, is an American hip hop recording artist and record producer. Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole posted songs on various internet forums at the age of 14 under the name "Blaza", but later switched to the name "Therapist".

Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his debut mixtape, The Come Up, in early 2007 in which he also founded his record label Dreamville with label president Ibrahim Hamad. Intent on further pursuing a solo career as a rapper, he went on to release two additional mixtapes The Warm Up in 2009 and Friday Night Lights in 2010, after signing to Jay Z's Roc Nation imprint in 2009.

Cole released his debut studio album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, on September 27, 2011, which included the lead single "Work out". It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, and was soon certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

In June 18, 2013, Cole released his second studio album Born Sinner. Born Sinner sold 297,000 copies in its first week of release, and peaked at number one in it's third week of release. The album received mostly positive reviews from critics. On September 15, 2020, Born Sinner was certified double platinum. The album was supported by the lead single Power Trip with R&B artist Miguel, which was released on February 14.

On December 9, 2014, Cole, released his third studio album "2014 Forest Hills Drive". It was also the first album in 25 years at that time that went 3 times platinum with absolutely no features. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 353,000 copies in its first week and was certified platinum on March 31, 2015. The latter earned him his first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album. The album was later accompanied by two documentaries "J. Cole: Road to Homecoming" in the period of December 16, 2015 – January 9, 2016 & "Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming" on January 9, 2016.

On 9 December, 2016, Cole released his fourth studio album "4 Your Eyez Only". The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart with 492,000 album-equivalent units, of which 363,000 were pure album sales, becoming Cole's fourth number one album. On January 12, 2017, the album was certified gold and certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 7, 2017.

On April 20, 2018 Cole released his 5th studio album "KOD", after he revealed the album name two days after and held a couple listening sessions. The album featured his new alter ego kiLL edward under which he released the single "Tidal Wave (just a little reference)" on April 18th, 2018, 2 days before releasing KOD. The album was recieved with positive reviews from critics and debuted atop the US Billboard 200, selling 397,000 album-equivalent units in its first week (174,000 coming from pure sales), earning Cole his fifth consecutive number-one album in the country. The album broke several streaming records at the time of the release. On December 5, 2018 the album was certified platinum.

Cole released a 2 song EP called "Lewis Street" on July 22, 2020, which included the single "The Climb Back", which would later be featured on his 6th studio album. On May 7, 2021, Cole released the lead single "Interlude" one week before releasing his 6th studio album. Cole's 6th studio album "The Off-Season" was released on May 14, 2021. The album sold 282,000 album-equivalent units in its first week and would earn Cole his sixth consecutive number-one album in the country. 4 of the 12 songs debuted on the top ten on the US Billboard Hot 100, with the song "My Life" featuring 21 Savage & Morray peaking at number 2.

Self-taught on piano, Cole also acts as a producer alongside his hip hop career, producing singles for artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Janet Jackson, as well as handling the majority of the production in his own projects. He has also developed other ventures, including Dreamville Records, as well as non-profit organization the Dreamville Foundation. In January 2015, Cole decided to house single mothers rent-free in his childhood home in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Blowin Smoke
J. Cole Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Verse:]
Blowing smoke, showing growth, no one's close
Never mashing brakes on breakbeats or going broke ever
Never, Rozay rich forever
Learn how to take a punch can't be a bitch forever
Cause it's gonna come, if not from a fight
With that big ass bully nigga you never quite liked
And just from life, knocking you on your ass

Turning off all of your lights like Teddy Pendergrass
Or mama on her last dollar, tryna stretch it
Gotta pay electric, gotta pay the water
Why she wanna a daughter when it's hard enough tryna raise two boys
Back in the days, I would've hated on the new boys
Just saying, cause the radio was just playing
And I heard one of their songs and my nigga sang along
And I'm thinking to myself, damn they came and went
A couple singles but could never be the main event
Without substance, something for them to grab on
Wonder if niggas know they time is short and they won't last long
I ain't even certain, one day they love you
Next day they put the niggas you put on above you
I let you niggas talk, it ain't no need to interrupt you
Cause my album 'bout to be the biggest fuck you
And don't worry, we'll let you back on the train
Riding Jermaine, once you see these niggas not in my lane
I pray to god end they reign
I fucked a bitch I used to dream about
And could've died when I came from disbelief
Now I don't wish to speak on a name, that shit is weak
We the new lost boys, shouts to Mr. Cheeks
Shouts to Queens, getting money regiment with my getting money regime
I'm a money machine, developing the routine, nah mean?

[Outro:]
Nah mean, nah mean?
That was like a Jay Z drink
Nah mean, Nah mean, nah mean, nah mean?
You know how I used to say it

Nah mean?
B-are-are-ing, warm up

Overall Meaning

The song "Blowin Smoke" by J. Cole is about his success and how he has not let anything stop him from achieving his dreams. He raps about how he is constantly making progress and growing in his career while remaining humble. He talks about how he has become successful without compromising his values or morals.

Cole starts the song by talking about how he is blowing smoke, showing growth and that no one is close to him. He refuses to slow down and quit, he will not go broke ever, and he will not compromise his values. He then goes on to talk about how he has learned how to take a punch and not to be a bitch forever. He acknowledges that life can come at you hard, knocking you on your ass, but he is not going to let that stop him from achieving his goals. He talks about how he is staying true to himself, not relying on the radio for success, and raps about delivering substantive music.

The outro of the song is an invitation for his listeners to "warm up" and prepare for what's to come. Cole is essentially saying that he is raising the bar and that listeners should get ready for his next album, which is going to be even better than his previous work.

Line by Line Meaning

Blowing smoke, showing growth, no one's close
I'm just talking and bragging about how much better I am than anyone else, no one can even come close to matching me.

Never mashing brakes on breakbeats or going broke ever
I'm always working and never taking a break, and I'm never going to go broke because of my success.

Never, Rozay rich forever
I'm going to be wealthy and successful forever, just like Rick Ross.

Learn how to take a punch can't be a bitch forever
You have to learn how to take criticism and grow up, or you're going to be stuck as an immature person forever.

Cause it's gonna come, if not from a fight
You're going to have to face challenges in life, whether it's a physical fight or something else.

With that big ass bully nigga you never quite liked
You might have to face the biggest bully you know, who you always disliked, and you have to be ready for it.

And just from life, knocking you on your ass
Life will knock you down, and you have to get back up and keep moving.

Turning off all of your lights like Teddy Pendergrass
Life can be so tough that it can feel like everything good in your life has been taken away, like losing all the lights in your house.

Or mama on her last dollar, tryna stretch it
When you're struggling financially, you have to make every dollar count and try to survive.

Gotta pay electric, gotta pay the water
Basic necessities like electricity and water can be difficult to afford when you're low on money.

Why she wanna a daughter when it's hard enough tryna raise two boys
Raising two boys can be extremely difficult, so it's understandable for a mother to question if she wants to add another child to the challenge.

Back in the days, I would've hated on the new boys
In the past, I would've been jealous and critical of successful newcomers in the music industry.

Just saying, cause the radio was just playing
I'm just making an observation because the radio was playing their music.

And I heard one of their songs and my nigga sang along
I overheard my friend singing along to one of their songs.

And I'm thinking to myself, damn they came and went
I'm reflecting on how some musicians have a short-lived career and quickly fade away.

A couple singles but could never be the main event
Even though they've had some popular songs, they're not quite at the level of a headlining event.

Without substance, something for them to grab on
They don't have any real depth or meaning to their music, just something superficial for people to enjoy momentarily.

Wonder if niggas know they time is short and they won't last long
I'm wondering if they realize their time in the music industry will be brief and they won't have a long-lasting career.

I ain't even certain, one day they love you
I'm not even sure if their fans will stick around for their entire career, because they can be fickle.

Next day they put the niggas you put on above you
Fans can sometimes turn on the musicians who helped elevate them to fame, which is a painful thing to experience.

I let you niggas talk, it ain't no need to interrupt you
I'm listening to them talk, but I'm not going to get involved in their business or try to stop them from saying what they want to.

Cause my album 'bout to be the biggest fuck you
My upcoming album is going to be a huge success, and it's going to prove all the haters wrong.

And don't worry, we'll let you back on the train
Even though they may not be as successful as me, I'm still willing to collaborate with them in the future.

Riding Jermaine, once you see these niggas not in my lane
I'm confident in my own abilities and talent, and I don't see them as competition.

I pray to god end they reign
I hope their time as popular musicians comes to an end.

I fucked a bitch I used to dream about
I had sex with someone I had fantasized about in the past.

And could've died when I came from disbelief
I was so thrilled and excited that it felt like a surreal experience, and I almost couldn't handle it.

Now I don't wish to speak on a name, that shit is weak
I won't reveal the name of the person I slept with, because I think that's tacky and lacks class.

We the new lost boys, shouts to Mr. Cheeks
My group of friends is like the new version of the Lost Boys from the movie 'Hook', and I'm shouting out to Mr. Cheeks as a member of the group.

Shouts to Queens, getting money regiment with my getting money regime
I'm giving a shout out to Queens, New York, and talking about how both me and my friends are focused on making money and being financially stable.

I'm a money machine, developing the routine, nah mean?
I'm really good at making money, and I'm always finding new ways to make even more. You know what I'm saying?

Contributed by Alyssa V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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