From the very first song of Tuesday’s show at the Theater at Madison Square Garden, J Cole made it obvious he was in the mood to party. Aside from being a landmark gig in his young career, it was also the North Carolina rapper’s 29th birthday and who better to help him celebrate than his mentor, Jay Z.
At the end of an already thrilling show, Hova strolled out to ecstatic cheers and strutted his way through fantastic versions of “Public Service Announcement” and “f**kwithmeyouknowigotit,” with the birthday boy happy to play second fiddle if only for a moment. In between the two songs, Jay Z also stopped to give Cole a special birthday gift- his own Roc-A-Fella chain. It’s the hip-hop equivalent of being made and while this mini-ceremony was certainly rehearsed, Cole still looked genuinely floored by the honor.
Even without Jay’s appearance, the show would have gone down as an all-time highlight for Cole. Last year’s “Born Sinner” album (his second full-length) hit No. 1 but was still eclipsed by higher profile releases like Kanye West’s “Yeezus” and Hova’s own “Magna Carta… Holy Grail.” But Cole still sold out the Theater thanks to his loyal (and largely 20-something) fan base and he repaid their faith with a set that brilliantly balanced his soulful introspection with a harder-edged aggression.
His ability to switch moods was also helped by a superb 11 piece band that helped augment the delicate sound of songs such as “Runaway,” but had no problems ramping up the rock-based power of “Blow Up” either. Cole might be a new name to some but his history stems all the way back to 2007 when he released his first mixtape “The Come Up.” Now, as he begins to enter the mainstream, he can show his prowess as a seasoned rhymer and hearing Cole deliver “She Knows” with clarity and power was devastating proof of that.
The party atmosphere was also given a mid-set boost by the appearance of Kendrick Lamar who has long been Cole’s friend and contemporary. The two went to toe-to-toe on renditions of Lamar’s “m.A.A.d city” and “Backstreet Freestyle” while the Compton kid also took a moment to thank Cole for his support. “He was one of the first to welcome me to this game with welcome arms,” gushed Lamar.
Watching them in action was not only scintillating in the moment, it offered a reassuring vision of hip-hop’s future. You don’t need Jay Z’s anointment or a Roc-A-Fella chain to know that thanks to talented younger rappers like these two, the genre has a bright and varied life in front of it.