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.
Walk Me Home
J. Cole Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Until you're better
Until you break the chain
Passed down forever
I’ll stay here
Until it breaks me too
Father to father to father to you
In the morning
In the confusion
Of the daylight
Desire still ebbing
In my night clothes
Still living in yesterday
I will walk, I will walk all the way home from
The afterglow
And the empty glasses
That I held with her
I will walk, I will walk all the way home
From the drying conversation
In the cold early air
I will walk my way back to you
Cause I know what this is
Feel the marks on my skin
And now this time know
That they are not from you
See you can only give what you take in
This blood you did not choose
This blood you did not choose
I’ll stay by your bed
Until you're better
Until you break the chain
Passed down forever
I’ll stay here
Until it breaks me too
Father to father to father to you
I will walk, I will walk all the way home from
The afterglow
And the empty glasses
That I held with her
I will walk, I will walk all the way home
From the drying conversation
In the cold early air
I will walk my way back to you
In this emotional song by J. Cole, the artist speaks to his father and his lineage of fatherhood. The first verse states that he will stay by his father's side until the generational trauma and pain that has been passed down is broken. He is willing to sacrifice himself for this healing, acknowledging that the pain affects not only his father but also him. He recognizes that from his father to his grandfather and beyond, fatherhood has been associated with hurt and struggle. The repetition of "father to father to father to you" emphasizes the cyclical nature of this generational trauma.
The second verse switches to J. Cole reflecting on his own personal struggles, walking home alone in the morning after a night of drinking and reminiscing about past relationships. He acknowledges the desire "still ebbing" inside him, but also notes that he is "still living in yesterday," possibly referencing how past relationships have affected his current state of mind. He then shares that he knows what it feels like to have marks on his skin, possibly from the hurtful actions of others, and that he is aware that this pain is not from his father. He concludes by saying, "you can only give what you take in," meaning that the hurt he has experienced in his own life affects how he expresses love and support to others, including his father.
The final refrain repeats the first verse, highlighting the importance of breaking the cycle of generational pain and sacrifice in order to achieve healing and growth.
Line by Line Meaning
I’ll stay by your bed
I will be here for you and take care of you
Until you're better
I will stay with you until you feel better
Until you break the chain
I will support you until you break free from the negative influences that have been passed down through generations
Passed down forever
These negative influences have been present for a long time and have been passed down from father to father to father to the person in need of help
I’ll stay here
I am committed to helping you
Until it breaks me too
I will stick with you no matter what, even if it hurts me as well
Father to father to father to you
The negative influences have been passed down through generations, from fathers to their children
I will walk, I will walk all the way home from
I will physically walk home from various situations
The afterglow
The aftermath of a romantic encounter
And the empty glasses
The empty glasses symbolize the end of a party or gathering
That I held with her
The glasses were held by the person and their romantic partner
From the drying conversation
The conversation has ended and the person is left to process their thoughts on their own
In the cold early air
The person is left to deal with their feelings in a cold, emotionally detached environment
I will walk my way back to you
Despite going through difficult situations, I will always find my way back to you
Cause I know what this is
I understand the difficult situations we are going through
Feel the marks on my skin
I have physical scars from my experiences
And now this time know
I am aware of what is happening now
That they are not from you
The scars are not a result of the person's relationship with you
See you can only give what you take in
You can only give love and positivity if you receive those things yourself
This blood you did not choose
The person did not choose the negative influences that they were born into, but they are committed to breaking the chain of negativity
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: IMOGEN DRAYTON JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
este
who’s here bc they actually knew this song and not bc of tiktok🕺🏽
Lybby_me
@Victor Garcia🙂
Ishy Bro
🖐
Devon Lent
@Not Styx wats tiktok?
Devon Lent
@Not Styx wats tiktok?
Kassyde Mitchell
Meee I love this song
Aidan Ace
You must be living under a rock if you only know this song because of tiktok
adam lowe
I didn't even know this song was added to whatever that tiktak bs is
Kai_Rivercrest
Sorry that my parents aren’t American. 💀
UmbreonTwinkle
I only know of this song from "now that's what I call music"