J.Cole 11-19-2011 - O2 Academy Sheffield, England Show

Fresh from supporting Tinie Tempah on his UK arena tour, J. Cole embarked on a gig tour of England, headlining his own show in the country for the first time. It was his first chance to showcase a full set list of his three mix tapes and debut studio album Cole World: The Sideline Story.

In contrast to many recent hip hop gigs I've been to, the audiences were mainly mid to late 20's males, and the atmosphere was of a raw, club gig full of hip hop heads. Cole came onto stage after an impressive set from his DJ to Cole World - which got the crowd pumped straight away, people reciting each line word for word.

He swerved from mix tape to album, and back to mix tape. Thanking fans and talking to the crowd in between each track, showing his humble, grateful nature for the success he's experiencing.

He rattled off the big songs with Rise and Shine, Mr Nice Watch and In The Morning, then took the show into an almost lull, and became the first rapper I've seen perform sitting down, as he pulled out a stool to perform his emotive track Lost Ones. Nobody's Perfect and Daddy's Little Girl also followed.

He continued to get the crowd singing along in a deafening chorus, when he played the keyboard intro to Lights Please. Then Cole proceeded to ask which fans had purchased his album, and each of his mix tapes, drawing nostalgic approval from his more long term fans, but still involving the newer crowd in the venue.

Cole has a natural stage presence, and he showed this from start to finish, looking comfortable, and working the energy in the room, before launching into an encore with his track Farewell from Friday Night Lights, saying farewell to his audience, addressing almost everyone individually.

Cole showed that his passion for the music in the studio is genuine, as well as his talent, and this ranks up there with one of my best gigs.

On a side note; the venue was very accessible, service at the bar was quick, there was no overcrowding, and the sound system was crisp and clear. 

J.Cole - Cole World : The Sideline Story Album Review by T33SSIDE86

I, like many have been anticipating the debut
studio album of Jermaine Cole for over a year now, since I first started
listening to him in the Summer of 2010, I remember I was in a Las Vegas hotel
room with two good friends and the video for Who Dat came on the television. I
was impressed, and made a point downloading his entire catalogue. And what a
collection of music it is. Cole World is an appropriate title. A lot of his
material is cold, and cuts deep, and pulls on emotions we all go through. 
The album is consistent in its subject matter,
with soulful, yet new edge production and combined with complex 2 and 3 bar
rhyme structures from Cole, which comes across as so effortless. His story
telling ability is quite impressive; he makes the listener feel like they're in
the room with him on the end of a conversation. One minute he uses references
to people and quotes them, then retorts back to his own response, using the
chorus to sum up the circumstances in each tale. Songs like Daddy’s Little Girl
and Lost Ones are perfect examples of Cole style. I love this. It makes me
listen and listen over and over.
The inclusion of some of Cole’s songs from his
mix tapes such as the come up, the warm up and Friday night lights keeps the
raw element at the core at what he tries to do. He's too raw for the charts,
but to classy for the underground. Cole has created a nice middle ground. And
he is the main occupant. At 26, he has a lot of stories to tell, about his
childhood, in Never Told, his love life, in Lights Please, and his rise to fame
in Rise and Shine.  The album is a culmination of years of intense work on
mix tapes and the gig circuit, and is a clear affirmation that he is going to
be a fixture in hip hop for a long time to come.
Rating 3/5