Exploration 6 by Braeden Mills

Jermaine Lamarr Cole, better known by his stage name J. Cole, is a rap music artist and producer. When referring to rap today, people get the image of all the people that are constantly repeating the same lines, objectifying women, and drug abuse. In his music, J. Cole shares his experiences through his music and hopes to inspire his listeners to avoid making decisions that could lead them down a dark path, whether they’re a teenager, young adult, or grown adult. A specific piece of his work that symbolizes what he prefers to speak about is his most recent album, KOD.

In his song Kevin’s Heart from KOD, he focuses on drug abuse heavily and his opening lines read, “She’s my number one, I don’t need nothing on the side. Said that I was done for good, and don’t want no more lies, but my phone be blowing up, temptation’s on my line. I stare at the screen a while before I press decline, but she plants a seed and it still lingers in my mind. Told myself I’m strong enough to shake it and I’m trying, but I’m only human, I know loving you’s a crime. If I take this cookie now, one day I’ll do the time.” At first when listening to this song, one might assume he’s talking about a past partner, but he’s referring to how he first pictured drugs as an escape. He goes on to talk about how he was “done for good” and that temptation still tempts him when he says, “but my phone be blowing up temptation’s on my line.” Throughout the album, we see references to drugs and overdoses such as these. I was lucky enough to attend one of his show on September 23rd in Columbus. I had listened to his album prior to the show. When he took stage, he explained that his album had 3 meanings. KOD was an acronym that stood for 'Kids On Drugs', 'Kill Our Demons', and 'King Overdosed'. This helped me as a listener gain a deeper understanding of the songs and lyrics used on the album.

Although his most recent album contains pieces that explain his struggle growing up, one song from his album 2014 Forest Hill Drive entitled Love Yourz highlights the beauty in his struggle. In this particular song, he shoots down the whole idea that life is easy once you’re rich and famous. He highlights the idea that you have to appreciate your life for what it is. He opens the second verse with, “For what’s money without happiness? Or hard times without the people you love?” He then goes on to talk about how there’s always gonna be a better car, a bigger house, clothes that are better, females that look better, and then he closes with, “But you ain’t never gon’ be happy till you love yours.” I always looked at the life I lived in as miserable and unhappy. Growing up, I lived in a single parent household with my mother and sister, and we never really had much. I hated the struggle that we went through, but this song made me really appreciate all that I had gone through because there was always a people that had it far worse.

This picture was taken by me September 23rd at the concert.
This banner was displayed just before he took the stage and he came out to
explain that these are the three meanings of his album's acronym KOD.

This was also taken by me when he was performing the song 'Love Yourz.'
Before performing it, he told everyone that it was his favorite song
that he had ever written. 

Word Count: 501