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.
Knock Knock
J. Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't know if I will be alright
Let me take another and
Maybe I won't sacrifice
Sitting in my room
With the lights
Down on red
Sitting all alone
With the devil on my shoulder
He told me I should do it
I refused so I get older
One last time
Before he arrives
I'll escape my world
I'll pop till I die
(One more chance
One more chance to fucking die
One more life
I take my own
Out the door
I will leave my)
Burn myself to ashes
Gimme all the passes
I wanna get through
I'm really tryna not go through
I think my time has come
He's knocking at my front door
Keeping him locked out
But he's waiting for a little more
One more chance
To feel alive
One more chance
To fucking die
One more life
I take my own
Out the door I will leave
My home
In the song "Knock Knock" by J. Cole, he describes the struggle of drug addiction and the temptation to continuously use drugs as a means to escape reality. He starts by acknowledging the negative impact of the drugs on his life, expressing his uncertainty about whether he will be okay after taking too many pills. Despite this, he feels compelled to take another pill in hopes of avoiding the sacrifice that often comes with addiction. The high has become his only escape and he finds himself sitting alone in his room with the devil on his shoulder, urging him to keep using drugs.
J. Cole seems to be aware of the consequences of his actions, but he is addicted and struggling to stop. His addiction has driven him to consider suicide as a means of escape from his problems. The devil continues to urge him to use drugs and he's waiting for the right opportunity to take hold of J. Cole's life. Despite this, J.Cole refuses to give in and chooses to leave everything behind and start anew.
Overall, the song is a somber reflection on the struggles of addiction and the internal battle addicts face when trying to quit. It highlights the temptation to continue using drugs despite the negative consequences it has on one's life.
Line by Line Meaning
Pop too many pills
Taking too many pills; unsure if I will be okay
I don't know if I will be alright
Uncertainty about physical and emotional health
Let me take another and
Taking another pill
Maybe I won't sacrifice
Hoping pill won't lead to negative consequences
Sitting in my room
Being alone in one's own space
With the lights
Low lighting
Down on red
Creating a certain atmosphere
Lemme do another line until I am dead
Snorting drugs until death
Sitting all alone
Being disconnected from people
With the devil on my shoulder
Being challenged by a harmful influence
He told me I should do it
The negative influence suggests drug use
I refused so I get older
Choosing to resist peer pressure or addiction to become wiser over time
One last time
Final drug use
Before he arrives
Before death
I'll escape my world
Escape through drug use
I'll pop till I die
Using drugs until death
Burn myself to ashes
Destroying oneself physically and emotionally
Gimme all the passes
Take all the opportunities to get high
I wanna get through
Using drugs to cope
I'm really tryna not go through
Attempting to avoid facing reality
I think my time has come
Thinking about one's own death
He's knocking at my front door
Symbolically death is at the door
Keeping him locked out
Attempting to avoid death
But he's waiting for a little more
Death will come sooner or later
One more chance
A final opportunity to live
To feel alive
To really live life
To fucking die
To face death bravely
One more life
One more opportunity to live
I take my own
Committing suicide
Out the door I will leave
Leaving this world
My home
One's earthly body
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Jaspe Santiago
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@shaddy9074
Heard potato salad and now hearing this, it’s crazy how this beat is still being used almost after 20 years after Kanye made it
@wavyjai9158
Kanye sampled it from Monica
@danielredeyebell4050
Kanye actually produced the Monica track with Missy
@pantheranoetic5851
@@wavyjai9158it was a song made by kanye n sum other girl what are talking abt☠️
@wavyjai9158
@@pantheranoetic5851 you know what you’re doing is illegal right?
@officialsirlt
LT bodied it too
@henryappiah4983
That nemo line described perfectly how I felt today can't even lie.
@brandonfoster5028
Henry Appiah real talk I know the feeling
@Pettygwop
Nostalgia, this reminds me of '09 summer.. GTA San Andreas.. The sound of birds and the ice cream truck, perfection.
@WeLoveRey
i remember putting in WORK to learn every single word of this song back in 2014. 😂oh the memories.