JAYFORCE

… you having fun and I respect that. But have you ever thought about your impact?

Wooooo! Take a few and WATCH this. Score for Montreality for sharing this jewel from J. Cole on Facebook. Carefully walking the line between giving guidance and ‘talking down’ to so-called ‘mumble rappers’ out here, J. Cole brings an argument that my folks and I subscribe to… Rappers who really want to be great should not just ‘make a hit’ but strive to make a lasting impression. Not all music (or music artists) has to have a ‘message,’ but it should matter. I submit that ANY rapper wants to be well thought of in at least some way when ‘the industry’ is done with them. NWA, Nice-N-Smooth, Uncle Luke, Juvenile, Craig Mack (RIP), Sean Price (RIP)… whether I felt they were ‘saying something’ or not, their classic music had impact on my life then, and still does NOW (I still bump their old joints 20+ years later).

So, do you think ‘mumble rappers’ or their fans will (1) sit still and really understand that Cole is not dissing them, but challenging them to be better; and (2) do you think they will be as excited in 21 20 years about that music as they [apparently] are today (e.g. that their music has lasting impact)?

Also, if there was a particular rapper Cole was going at… think they got the memo [to make good music, to save their money, and to NOT mess with Cole]?

– @ojones1