J. Cole: Jay-Z's Heir Apparent?

While he might be the first artist ever signed to Jay-Z's  Roc Nation label, Jermaine Lamarr Cole (aka J. Cole) was inspired by artists like Tupac, Nas and Eminem while growing up in North Caroline. For college he attended St. John's University in New York City in hopes of gaining notoriety in the rap/hip-hop world. At only 26, J. Cole has already blown up big time.

Yet, mention the his name to the average music listener and they'll shoot a blank face back at you. He reminds me of artists like B.o.B., Wale, Jay Electronica and Jay-Z. While his flow and lyricism aren't world-class, he's certainly a top notch artist nonetheless. And, being under arguably one of the top five MCs of all time, the future couldn't be brighter for Cole.


So, without further ado, I present some of J. Cole's best tracks to date. This is without a doubt one of the artists you'll want to keep an ear out for within the next 10 years!


"In the Morning" feat. Drake


"Losing My Balance"


"Blow Up"


"Who Dat"


"Lights Please"

Charles Hamilton: A New York Young Gun

Though he was born in Cleveland, OH, Charles Hamilton grew up in Harlem, New York. Thanks to his mother, as well as a Fredrick Douglass Academy recording studio in West Harlem, Hamilton was exposed to music at an early age. He gravitated to the keyboard among other instruments. In 2009, XXL magazine named him as part of the "Freshman Class of '09", along with Wale, B.o.B. and Asher Roth.

Hamilton apparently has a thing for Brooklyn girls

Hamilton reminds me of a mix of artists: his hooks are similar to Chiddy Bang, flow is comparable to the likes of J. Cole but is definitely as nasally as hip-hop industry mainstay Talib Kweli. Additionally, his personal website (the hyperlink two lines above) includes downloads to more of his singles.

Here is a page of download links to lots of his tracks: http://www.2dopeboyz.com/2008/10/14/charles-hamilton-its-charles-hamilton-mixtape/

Also, some of my favorite tracks of his are embedded below. Get your Brooklyn on!





Also, follow him on twitter at @charleshamilton.http://www.bobatl.com/

Wale's Under the Radar Hits

Raised by Nigerian parents in Washington D.C., Wale now quarterbacks the hip-hop community of our nation's capital. While he has released songs with artists ranging from Lady Gaga and Gucci Mane, some of his best work remains largely unheard of. His hits like "Chillin" and "Pretty Girls" may have risen throughout the charts and been featured on countless radio stations, however I feel they are some of his weakest songs lyrically as well as melodically.

His name is pronounced "wah-lay"

As always with this blog, I attempt to bring out the lesser known work from some of the world's best rap artists. While I could rehash and over-evaluate much of his album "Attention Deficit," I instead chose to share some songs that you probably haven't heard from this rap pioneer.







(A remix of the original D.A.N.C.E. by the U.K.'s Justice)