When I attended Terry Sanford High School, I remember that my classmates and I stayed up to date on J. Cole’s music. Whether it was mixtapes, freestyles, or just verses, it seemed as though we made it our duty to be in tune with his music.
We were true fans.
Cole’s effect on the city of Fayetteville inspired more creatives to share their gifts with not only the city but the world: Dreamville Festival, held last month, reminds us of that. Creatives including musicians, designers and artists began to emerge confidently showcasing their talents locally.
But let’s go back to the beginning.
Within the 50 years of hip-hop, many contributions have been made by both male and female emcees. Originating in New York, traveling to the West Coast, then migrating to the South, hip-hop has been influenced by regions all over the country. Arguably, each region has had its moment in time when its specific sound led the forefront of hip-hop.
The South, however, seems to be having the longest run. With Atlanta being the mecca for African American opulence in the South, its strong musical influence on the genre has been undeniable over the last 10 years. Other places, such as North Carolina, have also been making sure their influence on hip-hop is remembered.
Spearheading the North Carolina music movement currently is none other than Fayetteville-native J. Cole himself.
The music scene before J. Cole, née Jermaine Cole, was rather nonexistent. Prior to J. Cole, North Carolina had Greenville’s Petey Pablo. Pablo would be remembered for his verses on “Goodies” by Atlanta-native Ciara, which was her debut single. “Freek-A-leek” and “Raise Up,” a state-wide anthem promoting pride in Carolinians all over, are a couple of his other memorable singles.
J. Cole formally came into the music scene in 2007 with his mixtape “The Come Up.” From then on, J. Cole has attained mind-blowing commercial success including signing to Roc Nation, and garnering six Platinum albums, seven #1 albums, two Grammys and 17 nominations, three Soul Train Music Awards, eight BET Hip-Hop Awards, and a Billboard Music Award for Top Rap Album.
J. Cole has had plenty of solo success within the past 10 years, not to mention starting his own music label Dreamville, which hosts artists including Ari Lennox, JID and EarthGang.
Dreamville was created by J. Cole and his college roommate in 2007, and has since then graduated into Dreamville Festival, Dreamville Ventures and Dreamville apparel. Most known as the annual festival held in Raleigh, Dreamville conducted its first show dates in spring 2019.
Last year’s lineup included big hitters like Summer Walker, Ari Lennox, Key Glock, City Girls, Lil Durk, Waka Flocka Flame and Burna Boy. Drake, J. Cole and Usher were headliners of the show. The City of Raleigh credits this event for bringing nearly 100,000 people to Raleigh in 2023 and boosting their economy, including the surrounding areas.
Morneki Brooks, a previous promotions director for Fayetteville’s #1 hip-hop and R&B station WZFX 99.1, told me, “I think with J. Cole actually making some noise on a national and global level, it made everybody else go, ‘You know what, I can do that too.’”
Brooks adds the musical event scene has become more prevalent and active in Fayetteville in the past decade. Events such as open mic nights and more independent artist shows in the city are helping to contribute to hip-hop.
Since it had been years since Petey Pablo, J. Cole’s initial success alone created a ripple effect in up-and-coming musicians. J. Cole illuminated the city to the rest of the industry as a place immersed with talent and no proper course of showcasing it. Through the undertone of his lyrics in his music over time, J. Cole, himself, expressed he felt he had to relocate from Fayetteville in order for his artistry to be taken seriously.
“[Petey Pablo] maybe he could've been more mainstream, but I just felt like he said whatever the hell he wanted to say,” Morneki said.
Another key player that added to Fayetteville’s impact on hip-hop is American hip-hop super producer, record executive and DJ 9th Wonder. Originally from Winston Salem, 9th has made his imprint on hip-hop by producing for artists such as Erykah Badu, Wale, David Banner and Rapsody.
He’s also accredited for working with Jay-Z on “The Black Album,” Destiny’s Child on “Destiny Fulfilled” and Drake’s “Comeback Season.” These relationships would later be used as a bridge to continuously connect other artists in hip-hop.
One moment that was huge, not only for the city but for hip-hop, was J. Cole getting Jay-Z and Drake to perform at the Crown Coliseum in Fayetteville, on Aug. 29, 2015, on his Forest Hill Drive album tour. This was something no one else before had been able to do.
“History was made in the Ville,” J. Cole tweeted after the show, which was the final show of the tour.
Artists of their stature typically perform in places such as Raleigh or Charlotte, because of the size of the music markets available.
“I mean that wasn't getting ready to happen if he [J. Cole] wouldn't have made that happen,” Brooks said.
Fayetteville is still in the early process of making its impact on hip-hop. The city as a whole is just beginning to become fully mainstream and more media driven. With geographic, historic and economic expansion all happening at once, the evolution of the city is still ongoing.
Personally being from Fayetteville, I remember firsthand what it was like once J. Cole’s music began to circulate around the city. Anything he released instantly dominated the radio stations in the area.
Now, living in Atlanta, and immersing myself in the city’s music culture, it is great to see J. Cole still has a spot in hip-hop. J. Cole fans understand that he is the first of his kind from his city.
Going into hip-hop’s 51st anniversary, J. Cole’s impact on Fayetteville can be heard, felt and seen — just take a look at his mural off the Market House roundabout.
And though there may not be a laundry list of artists hailing from Fayetteville just yet, the imprint he has left in hip-hop locally and nationally is undeniable.
Navasha Tate, who attends Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, grew up in Fayetteville, graduating from Terry Sanford High School in 2013. She moved to Georgia in 2018 and studies public relations. Contact Navasha at navasha.tate@students.cau.edu.
