J. Cole is easily my favorite rapper, without question, but I don’t just love him because he makes good music. He uses poetry and word play in a way that has never been done before and there have been countless times when I just had to pause the song and play it back to fully understand what he just said.I can confidently say that Jermaine Lamar Cole has taught me more through his lyrics than 80% if the teachers I’ve ever had. Dreamville (his record label) also represents something more to me. It represents believing in yourself, taking a dream and working towards it until it is your reality. J. Cole will always have a special place in my heart.

In this painting, I wanted to find a way to symbolize how I see him, kind of like symbolizing the best of J. Cole. To be broad, I wanted to capture him in a more serious, deep pose. He is pictured as if he’s looking right through you, kind of like through his music I feel like he has an understanding of me. I had to get him in the Dreamville hoodie, to have him with his nappy fro. And even though the looks don’t match, I incorporated the background from “KOD” his most recent solo album, because I feel like that shows some of his artistry at its best.