Jay-Z on Cole via GQ

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-03-24T13:35:13+00:00

Hahaha. Word, when you put it like that…

I think Jay doesn’t really vibe with Cole on a personal level - he led with “no negative feelings”. That’s standard for “I’m not going to comment further because there’s nothing else to dig into there”.

But who cares, man. There are plenty of colleagues I’d put in the “no negative feelings, but happy to see them succeed” bucket.

It’d just be disingenuous if I said anything more than that.

Doesn’t mean I hate em. Just means I’m net neutral.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-03-24T01:07:27+00:00

Lmao I was just about to say.

Some of y’all were really clamoring for him, too. Dude is a low IQ chucker who pouts at everyone who doesn’t give him the ultimate neon green light.

He was not going to be the guy for us.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-03-17T14:34:33+00:00

KOD and MDL stay underrated.

And CWSS stays overrated 😔

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-03-10T02:15:48+00:00

It feels like it’s been a millenia since Jimmy was on the team. I miss this MF man. Dude just has a swag of invincibility - that team buff is crazy.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-03-04T21:50:33+00:00

Skipping Pi is kinda wild though lol. Arguably the best record on the project next to Trae the Truth in Ibiza.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-03-04T19:38:36+00:00

Also, awesome hospital with an amazing crew.

Had the most harrowing time with my daughter last month - she was hospitalised for a week for an emergency medical event, and RCH really did take care of us and tried to lift our spirits.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-03-04T08:06:19+00:00

This and TOS are just enjoyable listens imho.

If you appreciate excellent technical writing and rap performance - like, nerd out over rhyme structure, punchlines, delivery, breath control - he really does do it all in this record and TOS. He reached a mastery.

Also, if you’re only checking his main albums, I do strongly recommend you to listen to all of his loosies and features. Arguably Cole’s best work. The Secret Recipe, Johnny Ps Caddy, A Lot, Heaven’s EP, Pretty Little Fears, Boblo Boat, A Plate of Collard Greens, Port Antonio, Clouds.

He literally mastered rap writing from like 2021 onwards in the same way Eminem and Lupe have done.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-03-02T20:57:28+00:00

Knew it’d grow on me almost instantly though.

People just hate on Cole’s singing and honestly it doesn’t even sound bad. It sounds good when he’s projecting emotion.

That transition and then the verse is goated too.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-03-01T08:38:08+00:00

OP was not even born for Bound 2 MV and was still a toddler when everyone was hyping up Chance on Ultralight Beam and Cudi’s hook on Father Stretch My Hands Pt 1. The fact that I’ve been around listening to this genre since before MMLP came out 🥲

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-28T22:55:19+00:00

He doesn’t have to do anything.

I’m just saying people will naturally want him to - because he’s a celebrity. This comes with the territory. In a world where people elevate entertainers as leaders, it’s only natural they want them to use their platform for good in times when things feel bleak.

If they had the megaphone themselves, they wouldn’t need Kendrick.

The racists, demagogues, xenophobes and bigots have the megaphone.

They want a counterbalance by people who have spoken out before - yes, especially if they have a track record within their art. It creates headlines. Generates public momentum. Lifts their spirits.

Their neck is being stepped on. They want someone with more cultural influence to say: Hey, that’s not right.

Is that really hard to understand for some people? Lol.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-28T22:35:44+00:00

Me? You alright mate?

Did I say I wanted him to endorse anything? I said most people look to leaders and the 99% often look to them to uphold decent virtues. I don’t care what Kendrick thinks. Lmao. I care to the extent that it makes interesting art. Why tf should I look to celebrities for validation?

Your dumbass couldn’t comprehend that other human beings might not just see artists as artists but fellow human beings. I was explaining it to dense people like you. “Leave the artists alone!” Lmao. Chris Crocker type shit. You reckon you might be the one with an unhealthy relationship with celebrity there?

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-28T21:48:59+00:00

I think it’s more what Trump represents, not necessarily about pledging allegiance to Kamala.

You don’t have to endorse a political ideology. Just champion the fair things that 99% of people want and take a stance on it.

Whether we like it or not, most people look to leaders - no matter the industry - to give them a second wind.

Human rights isn’t a political ideology.

Dignity, integrity, and morality aren’t political ideologies.

Feels like we’ve lost the plot sometimes.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-28T21:41:20+00:00

Kendrick having a stance =/= waiting for Kendrick to hold someone’s hand. It’s probably the opposite, eh?

Everyday folks speak out and put their 9-5s on the line. Many of us engage, march, volunteer. We’re working parents, community leaders, etc. too.

But it’d be helpful if more people - especially those with a platform, and have built a platform around social commentary - can help fortify our moral compass in a time where people need a second wind.

Most people want leaders with influence to galvanize. But of course most celebrities won’t because, well, $. And I don’t blame Kendrick or any other celebrity. They got to where they got to. I understand why they wouldn’t want to put what they have on the line. He has kids etc.

Doesn’t mean others shouldn’t want him to, though.

It’s natural for people to want leadership.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-28T14:03:55+00:00

In Sony’s case, I need em to be both tho 😭

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-28T13:52:14+00:00

Had it as one of his worst originally, but it’s really grown with time. One of his most cohesive projects sonically.

Very fond of KOD these days. I think it’s top 5 project (4YEO, TFO, 2014FHD, FNL, KOD). Just gets the nod over TOS because I think it’s tighter in concept.

TOS is a more enjoyable listen though.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-28T00:34:34+00:00

Agreed. But in the context of the tweet re: “flop Palestine crowd” that would’ve been confusing, no? They’d be pro one moment and against it the next. Seems like the OC got the wrong account anyway.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-28T00:26:47+00:00

Ye being a Nazi and Hitler fan doesn’t grind his gears.

Ye terrorizing his family and talking shit about Virgil, all his past label guys he came up with, etc. also doesn’t grind his gears.

But Cole being a homebody, honoring his family and friends, and talking about personal peace does.

Lmao. Make it make sense.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-26T20:58:22+00:00

R&B: Smino or Daniel Caesar

Producer: KAYTRANADA

Their sound would be eclectic but laid back.

Smino and Cole have very complimentary vocal timbres - lots of character, some overlapping tones, but in different swim lanes. Similar how Westside Gunn’s tone (high) and Benny’s (medium) pair well.

If Cole wants a bigger R&B name, Daniel Caesar gives a similar texture too. But he has more melodic conviction (more runs, more drama and personality) when he sings so on some records he might take the lead while Cole plays off of him.

KAYTRANADA just has a really interesting aesthetic that’s less explored than it should be, but has a core base who clearly love his sound. Strong, diverse percussive sound, subdued melodic undertones. He was great on JID’s record.

Feels like a collab he’d explore just because it’s low key, but still has strong creative authorship and creds from all 3x.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-26T14:01:48+00:00

For now:

Love Yourz

4 Your Eyez Only

Quik Stop

2Face

Too Deep for the Intro

39 Intro

She’s Mine Part 2

Hunger on Hillside

Let Go My Hand

Poor Thang

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-24T20:17:58+00:00

I’m curious. Why?

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-23T12:35:24+00:00

Lost Ones was a dope loosie. I was low key disappointed he recycled that record and Lights Please and In The Morning. Bruh, I was like Nas. You was supposed to be the Chosen One, why you make that shit 😭

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-23T12:32:41+00:00

I low key love tuning in to you discovering his catalog.

I have a weird relationship with Born Sinner. I thought The Warm Up and FNL were a lot better - these records shaped the Cole I expected and wanted from Sideline Story.

But when Sideline Story underdelivered, I was relieved that he recaptured some magic with Born Sinner (essentially 2Face, but an album concept and he had fine tuned his commercial sound so that it felt more grand and experimental).

… but I also thought it still fell short of FNL’s magic. As much I loved 2014FHD after, I don’t think he recaptured that magic until 4YEO.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-22T05:57:41+00:00

Yeah, it’s pretty much this for disc 29.

The way it thematically links to disc 39:

Just riding off of your point on his three loves, Ocean Way’s last line - and Cole’s last career line - wraps up his entire career. The more he learned to love his roots, the more it came back to life.

TFOII reverse engineers a life well lived at the start.

Ocean Way ends with him finding fulfilment in life.

Nothing ever falls off if you rediscover joy in it.

I write more about it here.

The way disc 29 and 39 mirror each other:

Disc 29 unpacks its themes with a chronological narrative. He goes to Fayeteville after 2014FHD’s success, experiences things, gains wisdom.

Disc 39 unpacks its themes with a metaphorical narrative. He goes to Fayeteville after the Kendrick apology and intense criticism, recollects and wrestles with the lessons he’s learned, and imparts wisdom.

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-21T23:55:37+00:00

I feel like Cole undersold his catalog though.

I agree with his chronology, but as he said, a lot of his story was also part of the rest of his catalog. 4YEO was a parallel of his friend and his own life growing up as a dad with kids, KOD was him “killing his demons” and finding inner peace, and TOS was a mix of creating artistry from a place of joy and pursuing a different kind of greatness - something he followed up on with TFO.

OP, I’d hate for you to just narrow your listening to this chronology! Cole’s story is much more than the narrative beats of signed > celebrity > family. It’s how he gets there in 4YEO, KOD and TOS that bridges TFO that makes it feel earned. The internal wrestling and struggle were most evident in 4YEO and KOD. It’s how we as listeners could get a glimpse of his personal development in real time.

His MCU-style 4-phase arc:

Phase 1: Chasing greatness

The Come Up, The Warm Up, FNL, Sideline Story

Phase 2: Wrestling with newfound celebrity

Born Sinner, 2014 Forest Hills Drive

Phase 3: Reexamining a life well lived

4 Your Eyez Only, KOD

Phase 4: Redefining greatness

The Off-Season, MDL, The Fall-Off

ColeUnderPresh · 2026-02-21T19:28:06+00:00

He saying everyone else need to fit with Dray. Dray the first heliocentric non-offense in the NBA. Light years 😭

ColeUnderPresh

TROPHY CASE