J. Cole Takes It From South Carolina To NYC On "95.south"

Cam'ron and Lil Jon assist J. Cole on the intro of "The Off-Season."

BYAron A.
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For any hip-hop head who has been constantly debated the narrative surrounding J. Cole's GOAT-ness (at least in comparison to Drake and Kendrick Lamar), The Off-Season should put most criticism to rest. The South Carolina rapper's latest body of work was released in time for his debut in the Africa Basketball League so who better to open up the project than another rapper that can relate to the basketball-to-rapper grind?

Cam'ron is the first voice to open up The Off-Season on "95.south." Unfortunately, he doesn't deliver a verse but he sets the tone for Cole to follow. "Don't check your watch, you know the time. Cole World," Cam declares on the intro before J. Cole comes in with guns blazing. The three-minute intro finds Cole tearing through a similar sample to Jay-Z's "U Don't Know." Cam's narration carries through the track while Lil Jon ties it together at the end of the trunk with a much-needed revitalization of crunk music.

Check the song below. 

Quotable Lyrics
Bitch, my pen to the paper's lethal
I'm sendin' 'em straight to meet the
The n***a that made them, peep the reaper
Creepin' on ya, the scent of failure reekin' on ya
Check your genitalia, pussy-n***as bleedin' on yourself


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About The Author
Aron A.
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.