There are only a handful of hip-hop artists as of late for whom the news of a song being released would make me drop what I used to be doing and go test it out. As it seems, J. Cole is one such artist. While I used to be in the course of watching Season 7 of Love Is Blind, I saw a post on Instagram that indicated that J. Cole had released a brand new song titled “Port Antonio.” I had no idea what the song was about and I had no idea if the title was a Jamaican reference – in fact I googled Port Antonio – or if Cole was creative and shy, but deep down I believed it could be a reference to beef, that J. Cole ignited and then pulled out in one of the vital honest and surprising moments in hip-hop history.

I’m not going to repeat the entire thing, but in October 2023, Drake released his album “For All The Dogs”, which included this song “First Person Shooter” with J. Cole selecting to call himself, Kendrick and Drake the “Big Three” of rap, a reference to an era within the NBA that consisted of several teams, including three talented superstars, with the goal of winning a championship NBA. Either way, we learned in March and the summer of 2024 that Kendrick is selfish and wants the throne for himself, but more importantly, he hates Drake. Literally.

J. Cole released one album titled “7 Minute Exercises” from his April 2024 mixtape “Might Delete Later” (which he didn’t delete, but “7 Minute Drill” isn’t any longer available on streaming platforms) in response to Kendrick’s verse on the song “Yes” from Metro Boomin and Future’s album “We Don’t Trust You”. But then, in essentially the most unlikely scenario of all time, on the Dreamville Festival in Fayetteville, North Carolina, J. Cole was famous for his truest and most honest statement and an apology to his fans (and Kendrick Lamar) for taking a shot he didn’t really mean within the name of hip-hop and battle. Look, whether you’re keen on or hate J. Cole, you could have to respect him for having the strength to rise up on stage (and into the world, really) and admit that releasing this record geared toward Kendrick didn’t feel right to his spirit and that he gracefully withdraws from the situation. Even as I watched him speak again, I had to raise my fist within the air to thank my brother.

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Afterwards, we just about all agreed he made the appropriate decision because the difficulty had gone up to now left that Cole looked like a genius. But that also doesn’t stop people from talking negatively about him – people not only say “my bad” in hip-hop, but they die on the hills they built out of a way of pride.

In “Port Antonio,” J. Cole hammers home this statement and a few of them. Over the identical Lonnie Liston Smith sample “The Garden of Peace” that Jay-Z utilized in the song “Dead Presidents”, in addition to the backing vocals from a sped-up sample of Cleo Sol’s song “Know You Are Loved” from his absolutely classic album “Mother”, in the primary verse J. Cole talks about his upbringing and how he became a rap star. The second verse is the one which the hip-hop media and J. Cole will likely be talking about and specializing in.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Introspective J. Cole is well among the best rappers to ever do it, in any era, in any respect time. His pen game seems easy as he explains and analyzes something. That’s what this second verse does; points out the hypocrisy of bloodlust on social media even though he “started” the entire thing and how his relationships are more vital than proving once more how great he’s at this rap thing. Cole has focused on his larger purpose and the legacy he’s following, and if meaning some people won’t give you the option to join him on this ride because he’s chosen to stay above the fray, so be it. This level of maturity is admirable, nothing more.

There they’re several bars which speak directly to this maturity and are value emphasizing:

This level of understanding purpose is crucial to defining who you’re and who you wish to be in whatever space you occupy. Props to J. Cole for realizing this.

As a hip-hop fan who grew up within the ’90s, I wanted J. Cole to shoot like crazy when Kendrick drew his line within the sand earlier this yr, however the version of Cole that emerged is the one The most I’m interested by hearing from. I rarely waited for a J. Cole album to be released; I feel J. Cole is among the best rappers of all time, but I also think his albums have not fully showcased that potential. Some people think I’m crazy; possibly I’m. But after his spring and now this song, I’m looking forward to what he thinks will likely be his final album, The Fall Off, satirically titled because, as “Port Antonio” shows, irrespective of what, what Cole doesn’t can do is fall.