Cole showed footage of SWAT teams infiltrating his home, expecting to find a drug den after being misinformed by neighbours, asking the crowd why they thought it had happened. Performances of “Love Yours” and “Foldin Clothes” were deliberations on life, experiences of love, marriage, disillusion with fame, and with racism. In perfect contrast to the madness were the moments of reflection, Cole sat centre stage, intimately addressing the crowd. Cole’s ability to connect with his audience was evident, as he stepped back from the mic at times, to let the crowd happily destroy their vocal chords, spitting his own lyrics back at him. The crowd was ecstatic, people were quite literally being crushed and trampled, leading Cole to plead with the audience to calm down. The energy exuded by the band was transmitted into the audience throughout the performance. The audience emphatically responded to the gun-shot-drop in “Tale of 2 Citiez”. “Changes” was a memorable performance, as Cole allowed Lennox and band members free reign. As with the album, the experience presented a layered exploration of life through the eyes of Cole and the fictional charachter James MacMillan Jr. Leaving fans with a feeling of familiarity, these opening songs are the opening tracks of his album, 4 Your Eyez Only, after which the tour is named. He marched the length of the stage for tracks “Déjà vu” and “Immortal” and the crowd shook the arena in response. All of it was enhanced by a blinding light and maniacal DJ/drummer duo.Ĭole then immediately launched into “Ville Mentality”, and the crowd followed suit.

Live bands are rare for hip-hop shows: we felt the veritable kick of a bass-drum, the euphoric tug of guitar solos and the surreal waves of an electric piano. Accompanied by a loud live band and DJ, Cole’s opening line from the first song on his set-list, “For Whom the Bell Tolls”, could be felt as much as heard. The time then came for Cole to take centre stage. Label mate Ari Lennox opened the show, loosening up an anxiously expectant crowd. In Dublin, on the final leg of a sold-out world-tour, his performance was near flawless. A singular phenomenon, Cole is a self-taught pianist, producer, composer, director, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

This was a long-awaited moment for those of the Cole world in Ireland.Ī 32 year-old rapper from North Carolina, J Cole is a modern pioneer of what has been labelled “conscious rap”. The lights shined solely on him, his hands clasped together, dreadlocks obscuring his face, he wore a bright orange full-body prison jumpsuit. Jermaine Cole strode out onto the stage greeted by manic applause. The railings on the prison cell-door rattled and were pulled back.

The curtain fell and the stage was transformed into a prison yard where massive grey brick walls dominated, topped with barbed wired and completed with an ubiquitous bench press rack.

4 your eyes only j cole shared