With the recent release of Born Sinner, J. Cole appears to have managed to dodge the sophomore curse. With more palatable production and lyrical content on par with Friday Night Lights-era Cole, the album settles comfortably into a similar vein to Cole’s coveted mixtape material. Known for his personal and introspective rhymes, Cole’s arguably most personal statement on his sophomore effort comes on “Let Nas Down”. The track finds the Roc Nation rapper paying homage to his idol Nas while also revealing the hurt and confusion he felt upon learning of the New York rapper’s disdain for his first hit single “Work Out”.
After catching wind of the track the QB legend took to the studio to respond to the track with his own remix “Made Nas Proud” in which the veteran rhymesayer spits blessings,praise and wise words of wisdom to J. Cole in a personal tale of caution over the track’s original production.
In a genre with a storied legacy and the engrained practice of paying dues and homage, it is nothing short of beautiful to see two talented emcees of two different eras to profess mutual respect for one another and trade praise on the mic. Born Sinner is available now via Roc Nation.
