On Sept. 20, J. Cole tweeted, “This a honor to be on this song. NEW Gang Starr… This is the last feature you’ll hear from me. Thank you to everybody I got to work with during this run.”
When it comes to the popular music of today, hip-hop undeniably stands at the top of the playlist for many. One of the genre’s most lyrically-generous practitioners is a man by the stage name of J. Cole, also known as Jermaine Cole.
Which brings me to his year-long run of guest appearances, contributing to 21 songs over that period total. Given that I am a J. Cole supporter, I had to rank them somehow. At the same time, I am far from a “hip-hop head,” so I decided that the best compromise available was to simply cut that grand total down to 10.
With that in mind, here are my 10 favorite J. Cole features from the past year (determined by lyrical prowess rated on my personal scale of impact, opinions only).
10. “Down Bad” by Dreamville ft. JID, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG, and Young Nudy (“Revenge of the Dreamers 3”)
A song filled with stories of redemption and triumph over great odds, Cole’s story fits the bill and he makes his voice heard with a snapping verse that eventually leads to his touting himself as the rap game’s LeBron James.
9. “Zendaya” by Cozz ft. J. Cole (“Effected”)
In this verse, there is a call to action by Cole to be there for the people you love, even against the tainted backdrop of the past.
8. “Under the Sun” by Dreamville, J. Cole, and Lute ft. DaBaby (“Revenge of the Dreamers 3”)
Is this a J. Cole feature technically-speaking? No. However, Cole’s verse is only around 30 seconds, so for the purposes of this list, it counts. He also opens his label’s compilation album with a fiery swagger.
7. “My Boy” by Wale ft. J. Cole (“Free Lunch EP”)
I think this is the track where rappers wanted to stop rapping with J. Cole (more on that later).
6. “Shea Butter Baby” by Ari Lennox and J. Cole (“Shea Butter Baby”)
Despite Ari Lennox’s generous crediting here, this J. Cole feature is a softer-yet-modern take on 90s neo-soul. His rapping merged more into a hazier singing voice.
5. “Pretty Little Fears” by 6lack ft. J. Cole (“East Atlanta Love Letter”)
Another r&b-tinged verse from Cole that highlights his smooth vernacular with wordplay.
4. “Tribe” by Bas and J. Cole (“Milky Way”)
Backed by a catchy afro-centric beat, Cole contemplates love and success.
3. “Boblo Beat” by Royce Da 5’9 ft. J. Cole (“Book of Ryan”)
Cole reminiscing on “some of [his] better times” during his youth, with a smooth beat meeting his vocals.
2. “Sojourner” by Rapsody ft. J. Cole (“Eve”)
Cole has thoughts about his current position in the rap game before arriving at a clarified understanding.
1. “A lot” by 21 Savage ft. J. Cole (“I am > I was”)
If there’s a feature on this list that acts as an origin story for the featuring J. Cole run, this is it. “It’s got to the point that these rappers don’t even like rappin’ with me.”
Thoughts and differing opinions welcome.
