Kelvin Michaca
English 101
Dr. Hall
December 6 2018
Listen then speak!
What is music? Well music is a form of art, where people known as artist can use it as a platform to express themselves or give out a message. An artist known as J. Cole uses this platform in many ways. One way he used the platform was with a song called “Window Pains” on his latest album KOD. In this song Cole tried to show a message. Cole is a respected rapper and known as one of the greatest lyrical rappers in this generation along with Kendrick Lamar. You know you made it when even Rap God Eminem mentions you in his song. In “Fall” Eminem says “ I inspired the Hospin’s, the Logic.s, the Coles, the Seans, the K-Dots, oh and Brought the world 50 Cent, you did squat, pissed and moaned,But I’m not gonna fall… bitch!” (Eminem 4:25-4:35). This is the list of the few MCs Eminem has respect towards and Cole is mentioned in it.He did in fact inspire Cole because Eminem was of the rappers Cole looked up to. Not everyone likes his Cole music. Many consider it noise, but the truth is that his music isn’t noise but art because of hidden meaning or messages he has in them.
Cole used the platform to It first starts off with a little girl telling a story of her cousin getting shot. This plays a huge role in the song because later on, Cole states “I know I’m blessed because yo’ stress is realer than anything I done been through”. In this line he is aware on how fortunate he is unlike others. When he heard the girls story which was played in the start, he can understand that his struggles are nothing compared to others who are struggling much more worse than he did. However Cole knows the struggles because as a kid he was born at a
U.S Army base and his father had left him, his brother, and his mother. They had to live in trailer parks which was very hard due to his mother being a single parent. Later on when his mother remarried and everything started to be good; things became bad. His family lost their house and his stepfather started to become abusive towards his older brother Zach. He later witnessed his mother becoming a addict to crack. Even with the life he lived he states his life doesn’t compare to what the little girl has been through. It’s worse to know a relative has been shot and killed at a young age because of the trauma they’ll go through. He felt sorry for her that he wished she was his sister so he can hug her and kiss her.
I agree with Cole people have it worse than us. This song has a lot of meaning to me because I can use it as a reminder that there are people who wish they can be in my shoes while I’m complaining for the littlest thing. Like I’m Fortunate to have a family when others don’t have one and have had a tragic life. We all go through different things but we have to face the fact that there’s people at a worse state than you are. For example as a kid I use complain that I ain’t want to go to school and throw tantrums. Later on as I grew up I noticed that there are kids that wish they went to school but couldn’t go due their parents not being able to afford it. This made me aware of how ungrateful I was and made me see another part of life. Cole brought these memories back with “Window Pain” and I can say this song can put me in check whenever I become ungrateful of the life I’m given. This is just one of his songs that has a meaning behind it. I can say that many people can learn a thing or two from Cole if they took their time to understand his music because not everyone views his music the same way I do. And I view his music as a lesson and fire at the same time. Not everyone views J.Cole the same. Some just listen to the beats, Tone, Lyrics, or the flow individually instead of listening to
each one. In a YouTube video “Elders react to J. Cole (ATM, Workout, Apparently) when Shirley (one of the elders) said “I didn’t see nothing different from the other ones, it’s all noise” (FBE 5:26-5:30). What she is saying is that J.Cole isn’t original and just he is the same as every rapper and just makes noise. Well I disagree with her and I know for a fact many would too. J.Cole is one of the fewest rappers that still leave a message with a meaning behind his songs. Shirley wasn’t really trying to understand the lyrics. She was just paying attention to how it sounded. I can’t blame her because the YouTube channel just plays a few seconds of the song and they can’t fully listen to it. In addition these elders aren’t use to Rap music so they don’t have much Intel in the genre. At the end of the video Mary (another elder lady) states “If i haven’t listened to rap music here; I wouldn’t be listening to it” (FBE 8:00-8:16). What she said proves that you need to have some experience in rap to really understand it. Mary has listened to so much rap in the show that she’s adjusted it to it. She understands that there’s a picture behind the music. In other words J.Coles music isn’t noise, people just need to listen to the whole structure of the song and not just a certain part of the song so they can fully experience J.Cole’s art.
Music, such an amazing thing that comes in different genres. Such a profound art J.Cole has put out. His music something people can use to relate with and still bump to it. Cole song “Window Pain” Is an emotional song and gives a lesson, which is be grateful with your life because you are more fortunate than others. Others who disagree they otherwise haven’t listen to the lyric and caught the meaning or are just straight up haters.
Bibliography-
FBE. “ELDERS REACT TO J. COLE (ATM, Work Out, Apparently).” YouTube, YouTube, 21 June 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2610CTRl2U.
EminemMusic. “Eminem – Fall.” YouTube, YouTube, 4 Sept. 2018,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfTbHITdhEI.
Staff, Bio. “J. Cole.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 1 May 2018, www.biography.com/people/j-cole-5152017.
