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.
Tears For ODB
J. Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Tears for odb, drug induced poetry
What’s the use? Strung out from that drug abuse
What was me?
80’s baby so I know my pops was getting high
In the 90’s me and mama barely getting by
2000’s, I was concentrating more on getting fly
Getting bitches, getting rich to get the shit I couldn’t buy
I was sent from heaven with a set of horns, they better warn yall
I’m here for more then just the kicks, some witty metaphors dawg
This more uh the type of shit you spit to set a war off
Cuz niggas be poor, get money, then still don’t know
With the fuck they can’t cop a house, the system meant to lock us out
But I’m knockin down the doors, strapped up with a 4-4
Robin Hood shit and yea I’m hood rich
That’s good enough to stay in new kicks and a good whip
Get good hand from a good bitch
I give 2 s***s, I’mma tell you straight up
[Hook:]
Straight up
Straight up
Byany chance, I’mma take it
Rather die before I fake it
They say life is what you make it, bitch
But I’m just tryna make it straight up
Straight up
Straight up
By any chance, I’mma take it
Rather die before I fake it
They say life is what you make it, bitch
[Verse:]
Lord have mercy on my soul, what I’ve done and what I’ve seen
My life has tumbled into that, which only you could intervene
I put my heart in senseless things – money, bitches and street shit
Fascinated by beef, sad to say I won’t be shit
Grew up in this bitch without a pot to piss, no toilet
How ironic, I took a lot of shit
Like a bottom bitch or a model chick, high off coke
They locking sons up for less, I don’t care how yall cope
But yet I still pedal this dope and these pills
I never known how sittin comfy on that Oprah seat feels
More than likely be on most wanted posters we steal
Holding on to old dreams of being Hova, be real
We the forgotten souls, bottom of the totem poles
Left for dead, some niggas fled, people say they sold they souls
I just think they found a better way
Lord knows I never prayed
But sometimes I be wishin I could levitate
I take this straight up
[Hook:]
Straight up
Straight up
Byany chance, I’mma take it
Rather die before I fake it
They say life is what you make it, bitch
But I’m just tryna make it straight up
Straight up
Straight up
By any chance, I’mma take it
Rather die before I fake it
They say life is what you make it, bitch
But I’m just tryna make it straight up
[Outro:]
Hey
Hey
Go away
2-6 faded out shit
For all my niggas still going through it
Yea
Straight up
My niggas gotta learn something
It’s 2012 nigga
And we’re still killing ourselves
You ought to know by now nigga
Now you gon never know
Yo
In J. Cole's song "Tears for ODB," the rapper explores the theme of drug abuse and how it affects individuals' lives. Cole starts off by acknowledging the drug-induced poetry of the late rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard, which reflects his struggles with drug addiction. The first verse then chronicles Cole's upbringing, with a father who was addicted to drugs during his childhood and a single mother who struggled to make ends meet. Cole then transitions to his own experiences in the music industry, where getting rich and famous became his primary goals, leading him to engage in materialistic lifestyles, objectifying women and get high on drugs/pills.
In the second verse, Cole admits the senselessness of his past actions and how they have contributed to his despair. He ponders on how he indulged in foolish materialistic things like money, bitches, and street beef, which meant nothing in the long run. He also acknowledges the current state of his life, peddling drugs trying to make ends meet, despondent with no hope of escaping the streets. The outro is more reflective, with the rapper pleading with his listeners to stop the cycle of violence and drug abuse that still plagues their communities even in their present day.
Line by Line Meaning
Tears for odb, drug induced poetry
The tears are shed for ODB who created drug-induced poetry
What’s the use? Strung out from that drug abuse
What's the point in using drugs when it only leaves you strung out
What was me?
What was I supposed to do?
80’s baby so I know my pops was getting high
I was born in the 80s and know that my father was using drugs
In the 90’s me and mama barely getting by
In the 90s, me and my mother were struggling to make ends meet
2000’s, I was concentrating more on getting fly
In the 2000s, I focused on looking good and being stylish
Getting bitches, getting rich to get the shit I couldn’t buy
I was trying to get women and money so I could purchase the things I couldn't afford before
You know the story, you know my allegory
You know my life story, my personal narrative
I was sent from heaven with a set of horns, they better warn yall
I was born with a troublesome nature, people should be wary of me
I’m here for more then just the kicks, some witty metaphors dawg
I'm here to do more than just wear nice shoes, I can provide clever wordplay too
This more uh the type of shit you spit to set a war off
This is the kind of song that can ignite conflict and motivate people to fight
Cuz niggas be poor, get money, then still don’t know
Because some people remain poor even after acquiring wealth
With the fuck they can’t cop a house, the system meant to lock us out
Why can't they buy a house? The system is designed to prevent us from succeeding
But I’m knockin down the doors, strapped up with a 4-4
But I'm breaking the barriers, armed with a gun
Robin Hood shit and yea I’m hood rich
I'm taking from the rich to give to the poor, and I'm satisfied with my life in the hood
That’s good enough to stay in new kicks and a good whip
That's enough for me to have new shoes and a nice car
Get good hand from a good bitch
I'm involved with a loyal, capable woman
I give 2 s***s, I’mma tell you straight up
I don't care at all, I'll be honest with you
Byany chance, I’mma take it
If there's an opportunity, I'll seize it
Rather die before I fake it
I'd rather die than pretend to be someone I'm not
They say life is what you make it, bitch
People say that life is what you make of it
But I’m just tryna make it straight up
But all I'm trying to do is succeed honestly
Lord have mercy on my soul, what I’ve done and what I’ve seen
God have compassion on me, for the things I've done and witnessed
My life has tumbled into that, which only you could intervene
My life has fallen into chaos, only God can help me
I put my heart in senseless things – money, bitches and street shit
I devoted myself to meaningless activities, like wealth, women, and crime
Fascinated by beef, sad to say I won’t be shit
I found conflict intriguing, and my future looks bleak
Grew up in this bitch without a pot to piss, no toilet
I grew up poor without basic necessities like a toilet
How ironic, I took a lot of shit
It's ironic that I didn't have access to a toilet, but I took a lot of verbal abuse
Like a bottom bitch or a model chick, high off coke
Like a low-level prostitute or a high-end model, I indulged in cocaine
They locking sons up for less, I don’t care how yall cope
Men are being imprisoned for minor offenses, I don't care how people manage to accept it
But yet I still pedal this dope and these pills
But I'm still selling drugs like cocaine and pills
I never known how sittin comfy on that Oprah seat feels
I've never experienced the luxury of sitting on an Oprah Winfrey talk show
More than likely be on most wanted posters we steal
I'm probably going to end up on a 'most wanted' poster for committing theft
Holding on to old dreams of being Hova, be real
I'm still clinging to my old aspirations of being like Jay-Z, but that's unrealistic
We the forgotten souls, bottom of the totem poles
We're the ignored people, at the very bottom of society
Left for dead, some niggas fled, people say they sold they souls
Abandoned to die, some men fled and are rumored to have made a deal with the devil
I just think they found a better way
I just think they found a different path to success
Lord knows I never prayed
God knows I haven't prayed
But sometimes I be wishin I could levitate
But sometimes I wish I had the ability to levitate (fly)
2-6 faded out shit
The song ends with a fade-out of the beat
For all my niggas still going through it
For all my friends who are still struggling
You ought to know by now nigga
You should already be aware
Now you gon never know
You'll never find out now
Contributed by Muhammad Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@meedoification
J cole you're saving my generation 🙏🏻
@matthewsaddler2361
meedoification so true
@mtbridingog9083
Lazar jovanovic yep
@jpendry1067
Lazar jovanovic There is nothing wrong with listening Lil Uzi and migos they just need to know who the real Kings of rap are. J Cole and the others...🙏
@vinobeats2202
🙏🏾
@Jayyak47
Our generation is fucked.
@jacktoledo8786
I’m not from the hood and wasn’t raised in this environment But I have great appreciation for this music AND for the strength that these people have. I feel the pain in my soul. I have nothing but respect for those growing up & coming out the hood because they WORKED with the cards they were dealt. That takes a tremendous amount of strength, physically & mentally. I did happen to grow up and go to school with people who did live this way and I got nothing but love & respect for them.
@OfficialTaylormade1
Thank you
@rajonrondoiii
I guarantee you, Pac is smiling down on this brother appreciating him for keeping reality rap alive
@a.g9539
Them 2 on a track good lord