Benz and a Backpack

“Fine young man with an old man mind / No time for the tickle, fuck the whole mankind / Aw, no maam I’m an old land mine / I been waiting to blow up for a long damn time.”
~ J. Cole, Back To The Topic Freestyle

With his most recent feature in the New York Daily News (and a feature several months ago in the New York Times), it’s safe to say J. Cole is on the precipice of something major. This potential breakthrough, which will most likely occur after the upcoming release of his freshman No I.D.-produced album, has been a long time coming. We’ve chronicled Cole’s ascendance in the game, from his time waiting outside HOV’s studio to force a CD upon him to his eventual signing to Jigga’s label Roc Nation, and it seems there is no more fitting a time for an update on what Hollywood Cole is doing musically than right now.

Cole’s sustained buzz began when The Warm Up gained traction in the online community. From there, his music spread pervasively across the internet. It wasn’t until he toured with Jay-Z last fall and got his stage legs that Cole’s presence, at first strictly musical, rounded out into a full-bodied cultural persona. Now he can be seen almost everywhere you turn, with successful videos (One//Two) and leaks keeping his listeners closely attuned.

What’s about to happen is clearer than the water in Bermuda (whaddup tho Clutch!), just look at some of the song titles. Hit the skip for DL links to Cole’s most recent cuts, as well as a video explaining The Biggest Misconception About J. Cole.

J. Cole – Higher

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J. Cole – Problems [prod. Jim Jonsin]

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J. Cole – No Holding Me Back (Tags)

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J. Cole – Premeditated Murder [prod. J. Cole]

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Last Sunday we had the big homie CR The Beast through Midnight Madness to talk about the plethora of projects he’s currently working on, his unique creative process, and his birthday party on Block Island. The Beast also blessed us with an uptempo Gangstarr-heavy set on the turntables where he put on display his superior scratching skills. Most recently CR dropped a new blend of Miguel & J. Cole’s monster hit “All I Want Is You” with the classic Outkast cut “ATLiens.” The product is dope, and if you like what you hear check CR’s website for his July 2010 Ecko Unltd New Music Mix.

Download: CR The Beast – “All I Want Is You vs. ATLiens” Blend
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At just 23 years old, Miguel Jontel is fast becoming a force in the realm of R&B. Having written for some of the most prolific singers and hit-makers of our generation (Musiq Soulchild, Usher, Mary J. Blige, and many more), it seems only natural that at some point he would get his own opportunity in the limelight. What really kick-started the Los Angeles-native’s success was his smash hit “All I Want Is You,” featuring Roc Nation signee J. Cole. With an album by the same title set to drop at the top of 2011, we chopped it up with Miguel about working with Cole, the beauty of writing your own music, and what can happen on the first day of high school. Text and audio of the interview after the jump, but here’s a sample:

Dizzy: If someone like Busta Rhymes from the 90’s were cross-dressing and shooting crazy videos today [shouts to ARS], it’d probably work against him because he’d be left exposed to rappers taking shots at him. Do you think it’s okay to differentiate yourself completely from the mainstream, or is that not the most viable career move?

Miguel: You know it’s funny because as an artist I’m inclined to rebel and just be myself. But I’ll never forget, this is something that Mark Pitts told me: you have to play the game to change the game. So it’s like, you have to win it under the rules that have already been set in place to change those rules. It’s really a balance for artists; it’s our job to be balanced. It’s about what you intend to do with your art. At the end of the day, it’s that I want my music to reach as many people as possible. I’m not going to sacrifice my integrity, but at the same time I realize that there are things that I may have to do that I may not have wanted to do. But you gotta play the game to change it. That’s how it goes.

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In preparation for our interview with Miguel, here are the visuals for his smash hit “All I Want Is You.” The homie has been making major waves as of late, but combine his Slim-from-112-style crooning with J. Cole’s intelligent flow and you’ve got yourself a winner.

“Lost in the player way, sort of getting old to me/Got me on layaway, girl you got a hold on me”

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A couple weeks ago I posted an article by Young H at PotholesInMyBlog, wherein Young H took many popular bloggers to task for their lack of journalistic polity. To many, blogging is a laughable endeavor; they think that anybody with a computer can sit down, blog, and be ‘successful.’ It’s this very mentality that undermines the purpose of the blogosphere, as well as those writers who take the form of journalism seriously. That being said, I had to sit on my hands for several hours today after reading one of Byron Crawford’s (a.k.a. Bol) newer pieces about the J. Cole single “Who Dat.”

Crawford claims throughout the entire article Cole’s third verse on “Who Dat” is actually a shot at Drake. The success of the entire piece hinges upon this argument; the reader is led to believe that Crawford will flesh out Cole’s verse and explain exactly how Cole was taking shots at Drake. And yet, somehow, instead of proving his thesis, Crawford just proves that despite his college degree he has no knowledge of journalistic tradition or etiquette. He strings together non-sequitur after non-sequitur, all the while taking cheap shots at Cole, Drake, and his fellow blogger Noz (of CocaineBlunts.com).

Below Crawford’s article, in the comments section (see the picture above), Crawford tells one of his critical commenters to ‘Stop being such a fag.’ It’s almost as if there is no oversight from XXL, at all. And even though it’s ugly (il cattivo), it’s not so bad that Crawford has these thoughts and writes them down. ‘Il brutto’ in this situation is that Crawford has the platform to reach thousands of readers with his superfluous thoughts, courtesy of XXL.

But then, there’s a thoughtful, emotive piece dedicated to DJ J.Rocc (il buono), written by the XXL-Staff, from the very same day as Crawford’s article (July 7th). This begs the question about XXL’s relationship with Byron Crawford: why to do this?

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No topics are truly safe from the scheming pens of industry emcees. Now, if you’ve had your radio on in the past two weeks, you’ve heard Drake’s Swizz Beats produced ode to appearance-obsessed women, “Fancy,” featuring T.I. And though the song breaks with that smooth Drake-brand sound, its subject matter fits right in with the kind of shit many of the industry’s new talent (and even some old mainstays) have been putting out this year – songs dedicated to the women that bring drama.

Now, speakin on the subject of the saditty lady is by no means a new trend in hip-hop (especially industry type ish)- women have been at the center of Hip Hop culture from its inception. Yet this year has seen an inordinate number of artists put out songs centered around the topic of bougie females, not just on an ultra-sexual Whisper Song tip or some strange Lil Wayne love song, but on some pretty-well thought-out, lyrical shit. Check it:

Drake – Fancy

“Hit the gym, step on the scale, stare at the numba/ You say you droppin ten pounds, preparing for summa/ And you don’t do it for the man/ Man never notice/ You just do it for your self/ you the fucking coldest”

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UPDATE: Here is the full video, props to RR for the rip. Directed by BBGUN, same dude who did the visuals for Cole’s song ‘Simba.’ The videos have a similar feel (Cole walking at the camera), but they convey different messages and are equally well done.

And here’s Cole chopping it up with Rocsi and Terrence J about the vid, and admits his debut album might not drop til October:

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There will surely be more to come on the subject, but Snoop Dogg came through Providence for Brown University’s Spring Weekend and wrecked the stage with an ease that I’ve never seen before. He was wearing his classic black shades and using a ridiculously ostentatious microphone, and it felt like the DPGC big man covered the entire stage his presence was so big. After blazing through a bunch of classic tracks (Next Episode, Gin and Juice) to get the crowd warm, Snoop brought Kurupt and Daz on stage and things really got poppin’. The three emcees rolled around the stage, oozing a happy-go-lucky West Coast confidence that permeated through the audience for a close to an hour and sent them home in a daze of contentment.

Clutch has some great post-show stories to tell, but right before he left the stage Snoop told the three things everyone should do when they wake up:

1. Brush Your Teeth

2. Thank God You’re Alive

3. Smoke Weed

Words of wisdom from one of the best performers (and as it turns out, nicest people) of our time. Hit the skip for brand new tracks from J. Cole, Lupe, Jeezy, Freddie Gibbs, Jay Elect, Blu, M.O.P. and more.

J. Cole – We On

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Gil Scott-Heron ft. Nas – New York Is Killing Me

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Lupe Fiasco ft. Alicia Keys – Love Letter To The Beat

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B.o.B. ft. T.I. – Not Lost

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J. Cole sold out SOBs last night in NYC, and the homie was kind enough to play a joint nobody has heard from him yet called ‘Who Dat?’. Produced by Elite (the same dude who did some cuts on The Warm Up and Cole’s unreleased track Playground), ‘Who Dat?’ is a banger and was the encore in Cole’s set at SOBs, which he apparently killlllllled. Hit the skip for a clip of Jae Millz criticizing XXL’s Top 10 Freshmen For ’10 and Cole’s response to Millz. Shouts to MissInfo for the heads up!

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It’s fitting that this month’s issue of The Source has two alternate covers: one of the three most commercially successful, veteran Wu Tang members (Meth, Ghost, and Rae) and one of up-and-coming RocNation affiliate (and a BenzAndABackpack favorite) J. Cole. Both the Wu Tang trio and Cole were featured on tracks in this week’s Mixtape Monday, but each reps a different corner of the hip hop market. The Wu-Gambinos have had streetwise wordplay and storytelling on lock for more than 15 years (!), while Cole has just recently started to get the shine he deserves for his intelligent lyricism and new-school swag. It’s nice to see The Source dropping dope cover art, especially given a few of last year’s visuals…

Hit the skip for Cole’s alternate cover, plus a compiled list of all the Meth, Ghost, & Rae tracks that have leaked so far!
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