J.Cole has been my dude for years. I remember being a freshman in high school and constantly refreshing my cousin’s Facebook because he would always share links of newly released hip hop music. My cousin was always just as much of a hip hop aficionado as I was growing up. He loved hunting for new music, especially music from small or rising rappers. He always made it his focus to share music that had less than 500 views on YouTube because he wanted to recognize unrecognized talent. I appreciated that because I always liked deviating from what was popular on the radio to songs that were different and had a different vibe from different artists.

One day, my cousin posted a link to Lights Please, a song from Cole’s second mixtape, which had around 200 views at the time. As of today, the video on YouTube has almost 13 million views. That. Is. Crazy. Anyways, after that, I established that Cole would be my dude. Throughout high school, I always made sure I was up-to-date with his new music. When I wanted to jam, the first artist I’d go to would be J.Cole. Always.

I remember so vividly falling in love with Return of Simba, a song he released in 2011. I memorized every lyric of that song, and anytime I wanted to just jam, that would be my go to song. It’s crazy; today I decided to go through my old J.Cole playlist, and I clicked on Return of Simba. Every lyric started naturally flowing out of my mouth, even though it’s been a while since I’ve listened to it. The lyrics, the beat, his voice...vivid memories started flowing, bursting through every crevice of my mind, stimulating all of my senses. My teen years were J.Cole.

A month ago, I found out Cole was releasing his fourth album, 4 Your Eyez Only. My mind started racing…in a good way. I felt so damn excited. One of my absolute favorite rappers was releasing a new album. I’ve had a pretty meh year, so this album was easily one of my major highlights of 2016. My dude ended 2016 with a bang. My dude did this.

Flashback a month later. I’m chilling here, in my col(e)d room, jamming to Déjà vu. As I’m writing this article, I’m thinking about all of his old songs and all of the memories that come with them. Happy memories, sad memories. Memories from dark times in my life. Memories from the sweetest points of my life. His music has impacted me. J.Cole will always be my dude.

Remember: Cole under pressure. What that make? Diamonds.