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.
Can't Cry
J. Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Feel my pain...
Said soft niggas can't last hard times yo,
Believe that shit.
Real niggas don't cry...
Look,
Yo...
Bird chest, legs skinny,
That hoop dreaming had me tryna be the next Penny,
Fresh pennies on my feet,
Momma paid for everything I'm wearing,
At the fair staring at girls, not a care in the world.
Aw. nigga, but shit done changed since "Mayne" was my nickname,
A little nigga chasing things, tryna kick game,
Now I'm a man worried about my fam'
Let me explain,
Its like my pockets stay broke, and if not them shits sprained.
And so I rap for my niggas trapped in the struggle,
Feeling like the world's on your back so you stumble,
And it feels like a quarterback get sacked, and then you fumble.
Jobs don't call a nigga back so it's back to the hustle.
Niggas praying for they moms,
At the same time they moms pray for them.
Ask the Lord to stay with them, guide them on they way,
But damn a nigga been a lost fate.
It hurts on the usual,
The only time you catch me up at church is a funeral.
Sometimes sunshine turn to rain my nigga,
The same ones you love will bring you pain, my nigga,
I don't know if I'll see tomorrow,
But I won't cry, no, I can't cry.
And in this life, times getting hard my nigga,
But fuck that, I'm aiming for the stars, my nigga,
I won't stop, try 'til the day I die,
And I won't cry, no, I can't cry, no.
I sit back and watch the news every now and then,
Either get depressed or mad from watching the world just crash,
Even the weathers bad.
It be the same shit, got my brain twisted,
Like damn it's '06 and niggas still up on that gang shit?
Yesterday this kid got his whole frame split
Only seventeen, he was finna graduate in like three weeks,
some stupid niggas got him for his chain,
But he fought back, they blasted him and left him on the pavement
And now they telling me this little girl just got raped,
Some dude snatched her and she was standing at the bus stop, wait,
man she just eleven!
What the fuck is up with this world,
got these grown niggas fucking with girls?
Plus the cops harassing us,
every week be blasting us, on accident, or so they claim
Reporters sympathizing like they truly know the pain
They killed her only son,
Make her wanna blow her brains out,
Change the channel man I can't watch this shit...
Sometimes sunshine turn to rain my nigga,
The same ones you love will bring you pain, my nigga,
I don't know if I'll see tomorrow,
But I won't cry, no, I can't cry.
And in this life, times getting hard my nigga,
But fuck that, I'm aiming for the stars, my nigga,
I won't stop, try 'til the day I die,
And I won't cry, no, I can't cry, no.
Take a ride through the city man and tell me what you witness.
Poverty, richness, crooked cops and misfits,
violence, hatred, real devastation,
neighborhoods looking like there's still segregation,
welfare, single mothers, no jobs,
tryna get a piece for yourself, but they hogging up the whole pie,
fiegns in the street so high off of that crack shit,
this nigga thirteen with a gat under his mattress...
White folks got the road to success mapped and that's all good,
but why don't black's got that same atlas?
I asked the same question a million ways
and it seems like I had prayed for a million days.
Still the ills remain - just bills and pain.
Shoot outs and project buildings, children slain,
skies filled with rain and I just sit and wonder why.
Its enough to make a nigga wanna cry,
but I can't though...
Sometimes sunshine turn to rain my nigga,
The same ones you love will bring you pain, my nigga,
I don't know if I'll see tomorrow,
But I won't cry, no, I can't cry.
And in this life, times getting hard my nigga,
But fuck that, I'm aiming for the stars, my nigga,
I won't stop, try 'til the day I die,
And I won't cry, no, I can't cry, no.
In J. Cole's song "Can't Cry," he talks about how he used to be carefree, but as he grew up, he faced the struggles of life. He mentions the hardships of living in poverty, losing loved ones to violence, and dealing with discrimination. The song is an ode to the strength and resilience of people who face adversity on a daily basis, and how they should never give up hope in the face of difficulty. He talks about how he won't cry, no matter how hard it gets, because he knows that real men don't cry. J. Cole shows that he understands the hardships that many people face, and he is willing to speak out about them through his music.
Throughout the song, J. Cole uses powerful visual imagery to paint a picture of the struggles faced by people in underprivileged communities. He talks about the violence that takes place in the streets, the poverty that prevents people from getting ahead in life, and the hopelessness that can come with living in a world where inequality and injustice seem to be the norm. The song is a call to action for people to come together and fight for change, to not let the hardships of life break their spirit, but to rise above them and aim for success.
Overall, "Can't Cry" is a song about the human condition and our shared struggles in life. J. Cole's lyrics are a reminder that no one is alone in facing hardships, and that we should come together to support each other and build a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Need y'all niggas to feel me yo, Feel my pain...
J. Cole wants his listeners to empathize with him and his struggles in life.
Said soft niggas can't last hard times yo, Believe that shit.
J. Cole believes that those who are not mentally strong will not be able to endure difficult situations and come out on top.
Real niggas don't cry... Look, Yo...
In hip hop culture, it is seen as weak or unmanly to show emotions like crying. J. Cole believes that 'real' or genuine men don't allow themselves to be vulnerable in such a way.
Was just a youngin' with that fresh fade, Bird chest, legs skinny, That hoop dreaming had me tryna be the next Penny, Fresh pennies on my feet, Momma paid for everything I'm wearing, At the fair staring at girls, not a care in the world.
J. cole reminisces about his earlier years, when he was carefree and living off his mother's support. He was fixated on being a basketball player and not worried about anything else.
Aw. nigga, but shit done changed since Mayne was my nickname, A little nigga chasing things, tryna kick game, Now I'm a man worried about my fam', Let me explain, Its like my pockets stay broke, and if not them shits sprained.
J. Cole has matured since his younger days, and now the pressures of being a grown man are weighing on him. He feels financially constrained and must look after his family.
And so I rap for my niggas trapped in the struggle, Feeling like the world's on your back so you stumble, And it feels like a quarterback get sacked, and then you fumble. Jobs don't call a nigga back so it's back to the hustle.
J. Cole raps to uplift people who are going through similar struggles. He compares feeling like the world is against you to a football quarterback who has just been tackled and is struggling to get back up. When jobs don't call you back, it can feel like you are stuck in the same cycle of poverty, which can lead to needing alternative ways of making money.
Niggas praying for they moms, At the same time they moms pray for them. Ask the Lord to stay with them, guide them on they way, But damn a nigga been a lost fate. It hurts on the usual, The only time you catch me up at church is a funeral.
J. Cole acknowledges that it is common for people to be praying for one another's well-being, but he feels like he is still struggling with losing his way. The pain is constant, and he finds himself only attending church when someone passes away.
Sometimes sunshine turn to rain my nigga, The same ones you love will bring you pain, my nigga, I don't know if I'll see tomorrow, But I won't cry, no, I can't cry.
J. Cole recognizes how sudden changes can happen in life, and how those closest to you can cause you the most hurt. However, even though he doesn't know what tomorrow holds, he won't let himself break down and cry.
And in this life, times getting hard my nigga, But fuck that, I'm aiming for the stars, my nigga, I won't stop, try 'til the day I die, And I won't cry, no, I can't cry, no.
J. Cole is aware of how difficult life can get, but he refuses to let that stop him from achieving his dreams. He won't give up and will keep pushing himself to the limit, not allowing himself to cry in the process.
It be the same shit, got my brain twisted, Like damn it's '06 and niggas still up on that gang shit?
J. Cole is disheartened by the fact that some things never change, and that people are still involved in gang culture even though the song was made in 2012.
What the fuck is up with this world, got these grown niggas fucking with girls? Plus the cops harassing us, every week be blasting us, on accident, or so they claim Reporters sympathizing like they truly know the pain They killed her only son, Make her wanna blow her brains out, Change the channel man I can't watch this shit...
J. Cole is horrified by the terrible events happening in the world around him, such as grown men molesting young girls, police brutality, and reporters trying to use the tragedies of others to boost their ratings. He empathizes with a mother who has lost her child and wishes he didn't have to witness such atrocities.
Take a ride through the city man and tell me what you witness. Poverty, richness, crooked cops and misfits, violence, hatred, real devastation, neighborhoods looking like there's still segregation, welfare, single mothers, no jobs, tryna get a piece for yourself, but they hogging up the whole pie, fiegns in the street so high off of that crack shit, this nigga thirteen with a gat under his mattress...
J. Cole paints a vivid image of what life is like in his city, highlighting issues of poverty, corruption, violence, and inequality. Drug addiction and scarcity of jobs complicate the issue further, with young children being exposed to guns and drugs as a result.
White folks got the road to success mapped and that's all good, but why don't black's got that same atlas? I asked the same question a million ways and it seems like I had prayed for a million days. Still the ills remain - just bills and pain.
J. Cole recognizes the disparities in access to resources and opportunities for black people compared to white people. Even though he has tried to find solutions to these issues and prayed for change, it seems to him that things stay the same, leaving only bills to pay and pain to bear.
Shoot outs and project buildings, children slain, skies filled with rain and I just sit and wonder why. Its enough to make a nigga wanna cry, but I can't though...
J. Cole is disheartened by the violence and death that surround him, but he refuses to let it get the best of him by succumbing to tears or losing hope.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Agustin Lara
this song is one of the best by j cole and a great song among the best , a classic that a lot of people slept on, whole album was fire and real lyrics. it blows my mind the kind of garbage people listen to today. it's 2018 and I'm still listening.
nvm
💯
DBD Jakobi
💯
chris c
this song was slept on heavy
Faredoon Gotla
It has 3 mil views on a different video
demetriusarmy Williams
I swear
IcyNation 2017
chris carruthers Still is till this day
TQ Dat Manye
chris carruthers when You Talking About Truth People Don’t Like To Here It
Y.M.A Young Majestic Artist
2020 I’m still here. The shit Cole spitting on this track is still relevant in 2020.
Eric James
More relevant than ever.