J. COLE x DJ TAY JAMES x J. TINSLEY – "AMERICAN DREAMIN': A HISTORY LESSON ON J. COLE"

The evolution of J. Cole has been nothing short of admirable. A young kid from Fayetteville, North Carolina, taking the biggest risk of his life by moving to New York for college at St. Johns University all in the pursuit of a dream. One thing he and I share in common is the love of music, him making it,  and myself documenting it.  As with anything in the music industry, success worth having is only achieved through grinding and accepting the bad times with the assurance that prosperous times soon follow.

With the release of his debut mixtape, “The Come Up”, Cole quickly made a name for himself as one of the most talented new artists. However, months would pass before his true talent was recognized on a larger scale.  After catching the attention of Jay-Z, Cole was quickly named the first official artist on the Roc Nation imprint. Since then, the hype for highly anticipated follow up, “The Warm Up”, has increased with each passing day.

To say he is talented is still an understatement, to say he is the next icon in hip-hop is placing too much pressure too soon. One thing that can be said is he can become a star barring any label politics. He’s got the charisma, the lyrics and the drive.  As an act to build even more buzz for “The Warm Up”, I, along with DJ Tay James and J. Cole himself, present “American Dreamin’: A History Lesson on J. Cole” for all those who are still not up on one of hip-hop’s most talented artists.  You’ll find old songs mixed with new songs. Everything you need to hold you over until the big day.

A big, big shout out goes to two guys I gotten to know throughout the process of putting together this release, Ibrahim and Elite. Dreamville x College Radio. Hit the jump for the tracklist and link.

1. J. Cole, DJ Tay James & J. Tinsley–The Phone Conversation
2. Serenade
3. I’m The Man
4. A Dollar & A Dream
5. College Boy
6. Show Me Something
7. Sky Boy
8. Carolina On My Mind
9. I’m Coming
10. Can’t Cry
11. Lil’ Ghetto Nigga
12. Simba
13. Song For The Ville
14. Quote Me
15. Grown Simba
16. In The Morning
17. A Dollar & A Dream II
18. Split You Up
19. Outro/Grammy Family Freestyle
20. Good Game (bonus track)

DL: J. Cole, DJ Tay James & J. Tinsley – American Dreamin’: A History Lesson On J. Cole

Flashback: J.Cole–Dead Presidents 2 Freestyle | J. Cole Performs In New York | J. Cole ‘Warm Up’ Trailer x Complex Interview | J. Cole x Karen Civil “Dollar & A Dream 2″ Studio Video | “Run That Back” J. Cole–Rags To Riches (At The Beep) | J. Cole Performs In North Carolina