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.
January 28th
J. Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Flow bananas here, peel this back
And what you'll find is, your highness
Can paint a picture that is vivid enough to cure blindness
Carolina's finest
You knew that already
And turned to the greatest, I proved that already
And if you would like, I do it twice
This for my niggas that was tossin' the graves
Every so often I fade deep in my thoughts and get lost in the days
We used to play before your coffin was made
Just got the call nigga got caught with a straight
Hope he's okay
Just got paid what Cochran got paid to free OJ
Just to share my life on the stage in front of strangers
Who know a nigga fall to well, and that's the danger
Know me better than I know myself
I rip a page out my notebook in anger
And let these thoughts linger singing
Don't give 'em too much you
Don't let 'em take control
This one thing you do
Don't let 'em taint your soul
If you believe in God
One things for sure
If you ain't aim too high
Then you aim too low
What's the price for a black man life?
I check the toe tag, not one zero in sight
I turn the TV on, not one hero in sight
Unless he dribble or he fiddle with mics
Look out the window cause tonight the city lit up with lights, cameras and action
May no man alive come through and damage my faction
I brought you nigga with me cause I love you like my brothers
And your mothers' like my mother
Think we need a plan of action
The bigger we get the more likely egos collide
It's just physics, please let's put our egos aside
You my niggas, and should our worst tenancies turn us into enemies
I hope that we remember these
Nights fulla Hennessey
When Hov aroun we switch up to that D'usse
Gotta show respect, one day we tryna stay where you stay
Cause we from where you from
I'm not talkin' bout the slums
I'm talkin' 'bout that mind state that keep a black nigga dumb
Keep a black nigga dyin' by a black nigga gun
And keep on listening to the frontin' ass rap niggas son
Yeah I said son
This is New York's finest
For 11 winters straight I took on New York's climate
Like show me New York's ladder
I climb it and set the bar so high that you gotta get Obama
to force the air force to find it
Never mind it, you'll never reach that
Cole is the hypnotist, control the game whenever he snap
That's every track
Don't give 'em too much you
Don't let 'em take control
This one thing you do
Don't let 'em taint your soul
If you believe in God
One things for sure
If you ain't aim too high
Then you aim too low
I ain't serve no pies, I ain't slang no dope
I ain't bring no lies, niggas sang my quotes
I don't play no games, boy I ain't no joke
Like the great Rakim, when I make my notes
You niggas might be L or you might be Kane
Or you might be Slick Rick with 19 chains
Or you might be Drizzy Drake or Kendrick Lamar
But check your birth date nigga, you ain't the God
Nah you ain't the God
Nigga Cole the God
January 28th
"January 28th" by J. Cole is a song that explores the themes of success, fame, loyalty, and self-discovery. The song opens with an assertion that J. Cole's hometown, Fayetteville, North Carolina, is back on the map, and he is the king there. He then goes on to assert his prowess as a rapper, painting vivid pictures with his words. He talks about his struggles, both personal and those affecting his community, such as gun violence. He urges fellow black men to aim higher and not let their egos get in the way of unity.
The chorus serves as a reminder to J. Cole to stay true to himself and not let the trappings of success take over his soul. He also reminds listeners not to let others have too much control over their lives and beliefs. J. Cole ends the song by acknowledging the roles played by other hip-hop legends, such as Rakim, L, Kane, Slick Rick, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar, before proclaiming himself the God of rap.
Overall, "January 28th" is a reflective and introspective song that showcases J. Cole's lyrical prowess and philosophical depth.
Line by Line Meaning
The real is back, the ville is back
I'm back and representing for my city (Fayetteville, NC)
Flow bananas here, peel this back
My flow is incredible and you need to pay attention
And what you'll find is, your highness
When you listen to me, you'll hear the voice of royalty
Can paint a picture that is vivid enough to cure blindness
My lyrics are so detailed that they can help you see things in a new way
Carolina's finest
I am one of the best rappers to come out of North Carolina
You knew that already
This is no surprise to anyone who has heard my music before
And turned to the greatest, I proved that already
I am confident in my abilities and have shown that I can compete with the best in the game
And if you would like, I do it twice
I can do it again if you want to see more
I just sharpen my blade for a minute but came lost in my ways
I took some time off to get better, but lost focus and got distracted
This for my niggas that was tossin' the graves
I'm dedicating this song to my friends who have passed away
Every so often I fade deep in my thoughts and get lost in the days
Sometimes I get lost in my memories and have trouble staying in the present
We used to play before your coffin was made
I remember the good times we had before you died
Just got the call nigga got caught with a straight
I just found out that someone I know got arrested for drugs
Hope he's okay
I hope my friend is doing okay in jail
Just got paid what Cochran got paid to free OJ
I just got a big paycheck, like the one OJ Simpson's lawyers got
Just to share my life on the stage in front of strangers
I'm willing to be vulnerable and share my personal experiences with strangers on stage
Who know a nigga fall to well, and that's the danger
People who know me well might try to exploit my weaknesses
Know me better than I know myself
Some people might know me better than I know myself
I rip a page out my notebook in anger
I express my emotions through my music
And let these thoughts linger singing
I let my thoughts marinate while I write songs
Don't give 'em too much you
Don't let people take advantage of you
Don't let 'em take control
Don't let other people control your life
This one thing you do
One thing you need to remember
Don't let 'em taint your soul
Don't let people influence you in a negative way
If you believe in God
Assuming you believe in God
One things for sure
One thing is certain
If you ain't aim too high
If you're not pushing yourself to achieve great things
Then you aim too low
You're not setting your sights high enough
What's the price for a black man life?
What is the value of a black man's life?
I check the toe tag, not one zero in sight
When looking at the tag on a dead man's toe, you won't see a number indicating their worth
I turn the TV on, not one hero in sight
When watching TV, there are no real-life heroes to look up to
Unless he dribble or he fiddle with mics
The only heroes you'll see on TV are athletes or musicians
Look out the window cause tonight the city lit up with lights, cameras and action
There's a lot of excitement and action happening in the city tonight
May no man alive come through and damage my faction
I hope no one tries to hurt my crew
I brought you nigga with me cause I love you like my brothers
I brought my friends with me because I care about them like family
And your mothers' like my mother
I also care about my friends' mothers like they were my own
Think we need a plan of action
We should come up with a plan for our future success
The bigger we get the more likely egos collide
As we become more successful, our egos might cause conflicts
It's just physics, please let's put our egos aside
Ego clashes are inevitable, but we need to try to avoid them
You my niggas, and should our worst tenancies turn us into enemies
You guys are my closest friends, but if we let our bad tendencies take over we might become enemies
I hope that we remember these
I hope we remember that we need to stick together
Nights fulla Hennessey
Nights spent drinking Hennessey with my friends
When Hov aroun we switch up to that D'usse
When Jay-Z is around, we drink D'usse instead of Hennessey
Gotta show respect, one day we tryna stay where you stay
We need to show respect to those who are more successful than us, because someday we want to be where they are
Cause we from where you from
We come from the same place as you
I'm not talkin' bout the slums
I'm not glorifying poverty or the hardships of our neighborhoods
I'm talkin' 'bout that mind state that keep a black nigga dumb
I'm talking about the mentality that keeps black people from achieving greatness
Keep a black nigga dyin' by a black nigga gun
This mentality leads to black people killing each other
And keep on listening to the frontin' ass rap niggas son
People keep listening to rappers who are not authentic and don't represent the struggles of black people
Yeah I said son
I'm emphasizing what I just said
This is New York's finest
I am one of the best rappers from New York
For 11 winters straight I took on New York's climate
I've been rapping in New York for 11 years straight
Like show me New York's ladder
I want to see the best that New York has to offer
I climb it and set the bar so high that you gotta get Obama
I've set the bar so high that only someone as powerful as Obama could reach it
to force the air force to find it
Even the Air Force (an elite military branch) would have trouble reaching the bar I've set
Never mind it, you'll never reach that
Never mind, you'll never be able to reach my level
Cole is the hypnotist, control the game whenever he snap
When I start rapping, I have complete control over the game
That's every track
Every song I make is a masterpiece
I ain't serve no pies, I ain't slang no dope
I've never sold drugs or been involved in that lifestyle
I ain't bring no lies, niggas sang my quotes
Everything I say is the truth and people even sing along to my lyrics
I don't play no games, boy I ain't no joke
I'm serious about my craft and am not to be taken lightly
Like the great Rakim, when I make my notes
Like the legendary Rakim, I am a master of my craft when it comes to writing lyrics
You niggas might be L or you might be Kane
You might be great rappers like LL Cool J or Big Daddy Kane
Or you might be Slick Rick with 19 chains
Or you might be flashy like Slick Rick with multiple chains
Or you might be Drizzy Drake or Kendrick Lamar
Or you might be popular artists like Drake or Kendrick Lamar
But check your birth date nigga, you ain't the God
No matter how talented you are, you're not a god and shouldn't get too cocky
Nah you ain't the God
I am reminding you again that you're not a god
Nigga Cole the God
I am the god, not you
January 28th
The date this song was written, which is symbolic of a new beginning and fresh start
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Yumi Arai, Kunihiko Murai, Timothy Thomas, Jermaine Cole, Andre Thomas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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