With the work that’s been released so far, from Kendrick Lamar’s Untitled Unmastered demo, Schoolboy Q’s Blank Face LP, to Isaiah Rashad’s The Sun’s Tirade, to Ab-Soul’s hidden masterpiece Do What Thou Wilt (which everybody has been sleeping on, by the way), and SZA’s upcoming work (presumably to coincide with A, the follow-up to her last project), it’s safe to say that 2016-2017 is TDE season. While label forerunner Kendrick Lamar has been relatively quiet lately on his own front, he’s been gracing the ears of listeners with occasional features, and it’s presumable that his next project is already likely in the works. Plus, with his history of dominating the game, Kendrick’s silence has probably been a blessing in disguise, as it has allowed a few other rappers to eat, at least for a short period of time, before Kendrick comes back and sons all of these new “lil” rappers.
However, J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar’s second most prominent contemporary (besides Drake, but people don’t still take him seriously as a hip-hop artist, do they?) has taken the opposite approach, instead sharing his introspective, analytical, yet down-to-earth and simple perspective over several different media. Between the release of 4 Your Eyez Only, two free-standing songs and music videos to precede the album, and a few short films on YouTube, Jermaine Cole has been quite busy himself. And after his relative success with his recent aforementioned projects, one would assume he’d take some time off to enjoy the fruits of his labors.
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Nope. Not at all.
While another album may be a long time down the line, especially with Cole’s previous allusions to retirement, and general reclusive, secretive nature, the release of singular songs can at least be expected. This may be a blessing in disguise, as free-standing songs could theoretically allow for the exploration of a wider palate of creativity, allowing for more versatility than is usually seen with the trending release of “concept albums.”
Case in point: J. Cole’s newest joint, titled “High for Hours (Volume 1).”
From a personal perspective, this four-and-a-half minute, three-verse song took me on a roller coaster of different emotional synapses, which isn’t by any means uncharacteristic of Cole. What was interesting, however, was the cerebral approach to lyrics Cole took, which is usually a trait attributed to Kendrick Lamar, while simultaneously maintaining his characteristic simplicity. Below is a brief documentation of the emotional and cognitive experiences that may come with listening to this song.
Verse One- “You Betta Tell ‘Em!”
Within the first few seconds of the verse, I found myself in Jermaine’s “Amen” corner, as he broke down the duplicitous nature of the standards by which we view certain subjects in this country, and the hypocrisy that comes with it. He opens by explaining how America was founded on the principle of freedom, yet how its founders built this country on slavery. After establishing this theme, he extends it to religion, comparing our (understandable) condemnation of ISIS with the fact that we overlook our own murderous and oppressive nature, which in turn helps to create terrorism, perpetuating the cycle.
Quick side-note: When Cole rapped the line, “…Like when Bin Laden got killed…well, supposedly,” I had to straighten up in my seat a bit. I wonder if Cole had been put onto that interview with Benazir Bhutto a few years back…
Cole further extends this theme of hypocrisy to the issues of police brutality making news all over the country, finding irony in the fact that the people who are supposedly here for our protection have become a symbol of fear. And of course, because it’s J. Cole, there had to be a “F**k the government” in there somewhere, right in time for the inauguration. It was a very satisfying first verse.
Verse Two- “Interesting…”
Jermaine’s second verse is entirely focused on his meeting with president Obama, and their conversation concerning the state of things, especially in respect to black people. Cole, reliving his conversation with the president, voiced his frustration on the stagnant nature of things, and questioned why, being the president, Obama wasn’t able to do more for the people during his time in office, especially being that Cole could sense the president’s sincerity and desire to help. Cole then channels Obama’s response to the rapper, with the president explaining that politics isn’t always that cut and dry, especially with the opposition with which he’s been met. It was an interesting moment of reflection on Cole’s part, something that the rapper does well.
Verse Three- “Hold Up. Oh…Okay.”
In a way that brings closure to the first verse and addresses the theme of politics in the second, Cole criticizes the culture of American greed and how it shapes society, putting certain people on a pedestal, often at the detriment of the poor and marginalized.
Cole says at one point that he “used” to believe in revolution (implying a change of heart), a statement that made me pause. However, upon further explanation, Cole’s statement begins to make more sense. Cole cites history, saying that in past revolutions, many times the power vacuum left in the wake of those revolutions caused someone even worse to come about, alluding to the cycle of oppression he referenced in the first verse. Because of this, Cole’s present perspective is such that for a successful revolution to take place, a revolution of the mind must also happen on a cultural level.
The most profound line of the song, and the one I got the most out of, was Cole’s last line of the verse:
“The only real revolution happens right inside of you.”
High For Hours.
