Rap music has historically been largely associated with gangs, drugs, money, and sex. When J.Cole’s album 4 Your Eyez Only was released on December 9, 2016, it marked an addition to the conscious hip-hop movement, a movement of rap away from the stereotypical topics discussed above. Specifically, during the hook of Track 6 “Change,” J.Cole raps “I know you desperate for a change let the pen glide, but the only real change come from inside.”
What J.Cole is essentially saying is that although people often look for changes in their lives through external sources, such as the “pen glide” of the signing of a check or contract, J.Cole believes that real change comes from within the individual.
This line reminded me of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in OB. When I look at J.Cole’s development as an artist from his 2014 album 2014 Forest Hills Drive to his new 2016 album, it is clear that J.Cole not only superficially raps about real change coming from inside of a person, but that he actually walks his talk. In 2014 Forest Hills Drive, J.Cole relied on producing crowd popular songs such as ”Wet Dreamz,” a song about sex, and “G.O.M.D.,” a song about making it big in Hollywood. Contrastingly, in his new album, J.Cole deviates from the stereotypical sex and money lyrics and instead, raps about loving his wife, loving his new-born child, and conscious topics regarding the murder of his close friend “James McMillian Jr.”
J.Cole’s new album demonstrates that he is no longer motivated by the “pen glide” of checks or contracts, rather, his change in musical style symbolizes his maturity in the rap game, and that his motivation is now shifted to his relationships with family and friends; motivation that comes from inside.
Word Count: 293
Sources:
“J. Cole – Change.” Genius. N.p., 09 Dec. 2016. Web. 01 Apr. 2017.
Langton, Robbins, Judge, Organizational Behaviour, 7th edition, p. 128
Image Source:
http://pixel.nymag.com/imgs/daily/vulture/2015/12/03/03-j-cole.w529.h529