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.
Need You Bad
J. Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You see me
And I know what you wanna do to me
But what if I told you I don't want it anymore
You'd be left all alone
But I know I won't cause I need you
Yeah aye
I'm starting to see that I'm going down
And I don't see what I know needs to be so true for you
I don't want it yeah
I'm sick of falling yeah
I wanna be true to you and keep balling yeah
This time around I'm taking my own advice tryna make sure you keep on calling yeah
This ain't a test this is life this is what we got
I got you, you got me that is what we got
Staying true staying loyal exactly what I thought
I got the brains you got the patience that's what I brought
Through the pain through the wasting that's what I fought
The love with you is a goal that I sought
And now I see the dream can't be bought
So let's focus on you and keep that thought on top
I see you
You see me
And I know what you wanna do to me
But what if I told you I don't want it anymore
You'd be left all alone
But I know I won't cause I need you
Now I'm rolling without my tunes
Now I'm rolling without you too
Now I hate it by my own self
Now I realized I need you
In "Need You Bad," J. Cole is reflecting on his past decisions and trying to make amends with his partner. He acknowledges that he sees his partner's desire for him but is uncertain if he wants to reciprocate the same level of energy. However, he knows that he can't let go of his partner because he needs them. J. Cole begins to realize that his partner is important to him, and he wants to remain true to them.
He admits that in the past, he has been falling and that he does not want to continue doing so. J. Cole is making a conscious effort to be honest with his partner and treat them better so that they never feel left out. The artist talks about wanting to work on the relationship and ensuring that his partner keeps calling him. He understands that their relationship is not a test, and the love they have for each other cannot be bought. J. Cole ends the song by saying he is rolling without his tunes and his partner, which he finally realized he needs.
Line by Line Meaning
I see you
I am aware of your existence.
You see me
You are aware of my existence.
And I know what you wanna do to me
I know that you are sexually attracted to me.
But what if I told you I don't want it anymore
What if I revealed that I am no longer interested in having sex with you?
You'd be left all alone
If I stopped having sex with you, you would be left without a sexual partner.
But I know I won't cause I need you
Despite not wanting to have sex with you anymore, I will not end our sexual relationship because I depend on you.
I'm starting to see that I'm going down
I am starting to realize that my life is spiraling out of control.
Starting to see that I'm coming around
I am starting to see things from a new perspective and come to new understandings.
And I don't see what I know needs to be so true for you
I do not fully understand what you need in our relationship.
I don't want it yeah
I do not want to continue having sex with you.
I'm sick of falling yeah
I am tired of making the same mistakes and experiencing the same negative consequences.
I wanna be true to you and keep balling yeah
I want to be honest and loyal to you while still pursuing my goals and succeeding in life.
This time around I'm taking my own advice tryna make sure you keep on calling yeah
I am trying to take my own advice and ensure that our relationship continues, even if it means continuing to have sex with you.
This ain't a test this is life this is what we got
Our relationship is not a test, it is real life and all we have.
I got you, you got me that is what we got
We depend on each other for emotional and physical support.
Staying true staying loyal exactly what I thought
I want us to remain honest and faithful to each other, just as I always have.
I got the brains you got the patience that's what I brought
I bring intelligence to the relationship while you bring patience and understanding.
Through the pain through the wasting that's what I fought
I have struggled through pain and wasting time in this relationship, but I have fought to keep it going.
The love with you is a goal that I sought
I pursued a romantic relationship with you because I was seeking love.
And now I see the dream can't be bought
I now understand that true love cannot be bought, but must be built through honest communication and mutual respect.
So let's focus on you and keep that thought on top
Let's concentrate on meeting your needs and keeping our relationship healthy.
Now I'm rolling without my tunes
I am now living without my music, which used to bring me comfort and joy.
Now I'm rolling without you too
I am now living without you, which has made my life worse.
Now I hate it by my own self
I now hate being alone with just my thoughts.
Now I realized I need you
I have come to the realization that I need you in my life, both emotionally and physically.
Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Colton Sturgill
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
mattmessuh
No, Pac isn't in a different category than J Cole. They are both amazing. Everyone glorifies the past artists like nobody can be like them. Lyrically, their songs could be interchanged. I can imagine Pac spitting a lot of Cole's rhymes and vice versa. Rhyming, they're different styles - one isn't 'so much better' than the other. They're different. J Cole is definitely a new Pac (at least Cole's less known stuff is).
NAFASI SBE BEY
Cole more metaphorically rounded than Pac. That's what people don't notice about Pac. He was straight forward which is coo. But he wasn't as articulate/allegorical as artist like biggie & jayz & kdot & jcole. He was gritty tho and spoke on real things but Pac was more controversial than a rapper.
Robe Lady
I couldn’t remember this song for years, all I remembered was the beat, took me forever to find it. I been a Cole fan so long I assumed I heard every song and I was just trippin that it didn’t exist
RIDDLER GUY??
Whole time thought this was Cole's song featuring some singer 😂😂
creptozine
same :/
Alex Lofton
Real Cole fans here in 2020. #Dreamer
creptozine
@JoJo.Cowboys exactly
JoJo.Cowboys
2021
Peter Contreras
Amazing How Cole Can Remix Almost Anything.
crc3asdf
j cole thank you for putting this effort into roughly 4 minutes of music...a great 4 minutes of my life