Forest Hills Drive Music Analysis

Imagine going through a world where you change everyday. One morning you wake up as happy as can be, the next day mad and depressed as you can be. Doesn’t really happen, but you can change, like Cole did but it wasn’t just overnight. Cole started as a selfish young delinquent, then slowly changed to a caring, understand person.

Music all over the world has been shaping generations for many years now. The rock n roll of the 70’s and 80’s, pop and hip-hop of the 90’s and early 2000’s and finally, many different popular genres of the generation we now live in. Music provides a means of expression for all types of individuals. Some music even goes against the social norm and tries to bring attention to social injustices. The song “Crooked Smile” by rapper J. Cole tackles the issue of unrealistic expectations of women with the songs exceptional lyrics, broad metaphors, and positive tone.

They also argue that hip-hop motivates people to end the racial crises surrounding their society. Throughout “Hip-Hop and Shakespeare”, Akala argues that hip-hop is dignifying because it informs its listeners that everyone has the ability to become an intellectual person. In “Hip-Hop Planet”, McBride illustrated that hip-hop is moving because it persuades people to eliminate racial conflicts. Both authors help the reader to reflect hip-hop’s genuine purpose and meaning. Hip-hop is a positive impact because it publicizes the dilemmas a nation faces and inclines people to make a difference .

In Tupac and My Non- Thug Life Jenée Desmond writes a vividly narrated story about a well-known rapper Tupac Shukar and how she relates her image and identity connection with the former rapper. Raised in the white suburb town and the only black high school cheerleader Tupac 's music and lyrics helped her get through her interracial blend as an African American teen. Jenée expresses her emotions toward her former icon as a teen girl. In the contribution to his death, Jenée Recalls vivid descriptions of her obsession with her image through her teen-hood, when his passing accrued Jenée recollects her past and explains her vivid descriptions when he passed away. She described the moment of his death a tragic moment.

However, critics are missing the point of the hip hop song’s message, because they are too focused on the violent and explicit lyrics of some rappers. Many people who believe that hip hop is too violent don’t see what the artist is trying to get across to his audience. In the song Love Yourz by J Cole, J Cole mentions materialistic items such as cars, money, homes, as well as women. He mentions these things, but he isn’t talking about those things in a negative way. He says there’s always going to be a bigger house or better car or newer clothes, but that doesn’t matter at all unless you can love yourself first, and be grateful of what you do have in the first place.

McBride begins his essay in high contrast to his intended purpose with an anecdotal discussion of his first encounters with Hip Hop music that inevitably represents black men as arrogant, aggressive, and poor. The introductory paragraph details McBride’s fear of his daughter marrying a black rapper that he describes as having “a mouthful of gold teeth, a do-rag on his head, muscles popping out of his arms, and a thug attitude” (McBride para. 1). This stereotypical description of a rapper, as well as the sense of fear McBride feels, contributes to his initial representation of black males as aggressive thugs that are unsuitable to become husbands.

Artists that participate in misogyny songs insinuate that woman-hating is a good thing. Black male rappers are not the only ones raised in poverty, so there should not be any reason for Powell to excuse in why their songs are misogynistic. The society should not agree with what women are being categorized in, and should not give wealth to those who do participate in misogyny. As a society we should work on being equal, males and females. We have the same respiratory system, the same heart, the same brain.

In January of 2017, many social and political issues were being discussed around the nation. Political issues such as police shootings, poverty, and racism plagued the minds of many people throughout the nation. Many minorities were feeling targeted and oppressed and felt the need to do something. Jermaine Lamarr Cole, an artist who recently gained a fairly large platform after the success of his latest album “2014 Forest Hills Drive”, decided he would use his platform and artistry to bring lights on these such issues happening throughout the world. J. Cole decided to used these emerging issues, his recently established platform, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of January 2017 as an opportunity to effect change by writing and releasing a

Cole doesn’t care and find it a big deal if he hurts people and if it's very serious because of the way he's been taught by his

In James McBride's essay Hip Hop Planet, he argues that hip hop has a negative influence on American Culture despite people thinking of it as inspirational and how people live through different experiences in life despite of your race. The significance of this is to understand how people live through different experiences in life and if we don't come together and see the truth violence will be the only thing left that will bring us all

That’s what’s important’”(285). This shows the trust and close bong that has grown in their relationship. One of the steps to overcoming adversity is fixing a broken bond and Cole did that which had a big impact on him overcoming his adversity. Cole’s relationships have impacted him and helped him overcome his challenges, identical to his environment and how that helps

Hip-hop is an influential form of music that displays an artist’s honest and revealing story that many of the general public can relate to. One of the many songs that I can relate to is “Love Yourz” written by J Cole. The song talks about how Cole reflects on the most important things in life such as love and happiness. He realizes that the money and fame didn’t bring him the happiness he desired. To gain true happiness, he needed to appreciate himself and those that love him.

Aspiring Rapper: J.Cole “I always feel like there are two key ingredients when it comes to following your dreams, one, making something happen that the average person deems difficult. Honestly, if you truly believe it, that’s step one. Step two, is, you know, the hard work that goes along with it.” Jermaine Lamarr Cole, known to many as J. Cole, spoke these words in an interview in 2015 when asked about his determination and work ethic. As a rapper, artists have the ability to express his or her true emotions in their music and the opportunity to influence a generation in a lyrical and unique way.

Nowadays, everyone wears the identity with pride. The genre was a testament to triumphing over hardships, to having enough confidence in oneself not to let the world drag you down, and to rising above the struggle, even when things seem hopeless. Violence in rap did not begin as an affective agent that threatened to harm America 's youth; rather, it was the outcry of an already-existing problem from youth whose world views have been shaped by the inequalities and prejudice they have experienced. The relentless wave of heroic new rappers arriving on the scene formed the golden age of hip hop in the 1980s, a newfound voice which rose from the impoverished ghettos during the 1980s and inspiring a generation of black youth to fight the police brutality they faced on a daily basis.

The African American community has not gained full equality to this day. Even after fighting for many years this present day issue has come to light in Hip-Hop artists songs like Macklemore & Ryan Lewis song, White Privilege II. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are respected in their line of work because they have become very popular in today 's Hip-Hop music. Hip-Hop has been the newest way of news being broadcasted. As many artists like Macklemore have become more of an activist in this day and age.