Line-up

Headliner
J. Cole Last time in Tampa: 2 years ago

Venue

Benchmark International Arena

401 Channelside Dr., 33602, Tampa, FL, US

www.benchmarkintlarena.com/

Capacity: 21,500

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Additional details

Doors open: 20:00

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J. Cole biography

Born Jermaine Lamarr Cole on 28 January 1985, but known by his musical alias J. Cole, this hip-hop artist grew up in North Carolina. He has a German mother and African-American father.

Cole was interested in music at the tender age of 12 and began working on his rapping skills during his teen hood. He moved to New York City to study at St. John’s University just so he could find more opportunities to grow his music career. He released several mixtapes following graduation: “The Come Up” in 2007 and “The Warm Up” in June 2009. Cole persistently sought the attention of hip hop artist and producer Jay-Z and his efforts were rewarded soon after.

J. Cole collaborated with several high profile hip hop artists in the next years including Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, and B.o.B. After gaining some experience and cementing a deal with Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation, J.Cole dropped his single “Who Dat” in 2010. The single was a prequel to his third mixtape entitled “Friday Night Lights” which debuted the same year. J.Cole began supporting hip hop superstars Rihanna and Drake on tour, which helped to increase his fanbase.

Roc Nation produced J.Cole’s debut album “Cole World: The Sideline Story” and it dropped on 27 September 2011 to rave reviews. The album jumped to the top of the Billboard 200 and features big names like Drake, Missy Elliott, Trey Songz, and of course Jay-Z. His success led to a nomination for “Best New Artist at the 2012 Grammy Awards.

J.Cole’s sophomore album “Born Sinner” followed in the footsteps of his first album. It was released in 2013 and peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. The album features guest artists TLC, Miguel, and Kendrick Lamar. J. Cole has since established his own label called Dreamville Records.

J.Cole cites Canibus and Eminem as his musical inspirations. He also grew up listening to his father’s favorite artists 2Pac and Ice Cube and his mother’s favorite genres: folk and rock.

Live reviews

J. Cole is sometimes an underappreciated artist and I believe that the astuteness of his lyrics are not given enough credit. As a huge fan, I knew I couldn’t miss his live performance in London (December 2013) as soon as I heard of it. At the Hammersmith Apollo, the anxiety of the fans was notorious. After jamming to hot hip-hop tracks with Tim Westwood in the pre-show, it was nice to see another Dreamville member doing his thing as Bas stepped on stage. For a rap artist, Cole made quite a big entrance, which included great lighting and some amazing background singers. In this concert, he sang most of the “Born Sinner” tracks (“Crooked Smile,” “Power Trip,” “She Knows" and “Forbidden Fruit” – to name a few,) his latest album at the time of the event, which was expected by the fans. But that was far from being his setlist. He managed to include hits from his first album as well as songs from his mixtapes, which were even better received from the audience. Although some rappers tend to not sing the whole tracks or skip the chorus vocals, Cole gave it all and sang every verse, keeping the energy high. One of the most memorable moments was when he started singing “Light Please” in a very calm ambient, giving room for the fans who followed him from the start to sing along. But what really marked me in his show was not only his honest and down-to-earth talks in between songs, but the fact he gave the fans a chance to choose extra songs. As a result, he sang a few unexpected tracks like “Back to the Topic” from a mixtape and also “Is She Gon Pop” from the latest album. In sum, J. Cole didn’t disappoint at all and totally made my trip worthwhile. In fact, he made me want to keep following his work and be attentive to future shows.

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