026: J. Cole Is Hip-Hop's Nassim Taleb...
026: J. Cole Is Hip-Hop's Nassim Taleb...
Two great writers with lots in common
Nassim Taleb is one of my favourite writers. For me, he strikes a complete balance of objective thinking by combining his expert knowledge of statistics, analysis of real-world (corporate) experiences and enlightened old-country practices. The perfect trifecta in some ways; theory, experience and wisdom. This is summarised perfectly by the title of his most recent book - and arguably his trademark phrase - “Skin In The Game”.
Whether its in his writing or when he’s expressing his views, you can pull him up on many things where he’d most certainly have the receipt or an alibi that checks out. His consistency in his beliefs, moral compass and stances on general matters are what I find to be very admirable traits. The key message from Taleb’s work is to operate through life in a robust, durable and rational manner. I highly recommend anybody to dig through his catalogue.
When dwelling upon these principles and mental frameworks, I couldn’t help but draw comparisons between Taleb and J. Cole. To me, Cole stands out as an artist who embodies Talebian schools of thought to a tee. He’s embarked on a journey of character growth that has built him a practically bullet-proof reputation across the board. While his lyricism and production talents are well known and celebrated, J. Cole has also shown himself to be an astute leader who takes accountability for his actions. Mr. Cole and Mr. Taleb have more in common than meets the eye.
Dollar And A Dream / Skin In The Game
“What is Skin in the Game? The phrase is often mistaken for one-sided incentives: the promise of a bonus will make someone work harder for you. For the central attribute is symmetry: the balancing of incentives and disincentives, people should also penalized if something for which they are responsible goes wrong and hurts others: he or she who wants a share of the benefits needs to also share some of the risks.”
“My argument is that there is a more essential aspect: filtering and the facilitation of evolution. Skin in the game –as a filter –is the central pillar for the organic functioning of systems, whether humans or natural. Unless consequential decisions are taken by people who pay for the consequences, the world would vulnerable to total systemic collapse.”
- Nassim Taleb on “Skin In The Game”
As he was finding his feet with his sound and style, J. Cole provided a more than solid return with his mixtape run. “The Come Up”, “The Warm Up” and “Friday Night Lights” are projects that sit atop of the late-2000s’ peak of the blog era. Cole regularly referred to himself as a phenom for good reason, as he displayed his talents flawlessly across these EPs. Although he was delivering on expectations that were continually growing, there’s always a fine line between self-confidence and arrogance. But like Nassim Taleb, Cole had the skin in the game to back his boisterous self-esteem.
There are a number of memorable tracks and moments from Cole’s ascent that could be referenced here, but “Dollar And A Dream” was perhaps where he laid his marker for most fans. It is a song that perfectly captures the feeling of J. Cole’s journey searching for legitimacy in the rap game as a representative from his native North Carolina. This sentiment can be felt elsewhere from his early catalogue too, but “Dollar And A Dream” was the catalyst, the glue. It ultimately inspired parts II and III later down the line in his discography, and the name of a 2013, $1 tour. J. Cole’s venture into the unknown, which includes enrolling into NYU just to obtain student loan money to cover studio time, or merely having a solitary dollar to his name at one point, is the type of skin in the game that would have Nassim Taleb applauding.
Antifragile
Some things benefit from shocks; they thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and stressors and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty. Yet, in spite of the ubiquity of the phenomenon, there is no word for the exact opposite of fragile. Let us call it antifragile. Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile gets better.
- Prologue from Antifragile
Unfortunately for J. Cole, as great an artist as he was and still is, you cannot be immune from the harsh realities of mother nature and evolution. The plight of the mixtape rapper trying to translate a grassroots fanbase and following into commercial success is a guilt-edge sword that has unforgivably sliced its way through countless hip-hop artists. The transition from classic mixtape(s) to quality albums is not a linear process with a like-for-like relationship.
Cole’s albums performed well by most metrics. Sales produced healthy figures, and he continued living up to his billing as a lyrical MC striking the balance between legacy hip-hop criteria and grabbing modern listeners’ attention. But there are a fair few corners who would also point out that an A+ plus talent was making B- projects. His first studio album, “Cole World: The Sideline Story” had songs that were very easy on the ear, but Cole was in second gear at best throughout it. Was he stifled? Held back? Its hard to tell. For what its worth, “Born Sinner” was an improvement that felt more like Cole going back to basics and showing us more glimpses of his powers, but the gargantuan shadows of his mixtapes still eclipsed our hero at his impasse.
All was not bleak however. Ultimately, art resonates with people in different ways, and luckily for Cole, regardless of his artistic output’s reception, he had set himself straight. Ownership of his own record label - “Dreamville Records” - plus being a part of Jay-Z’s “Roc Nation” roster indicated that he is as much of realist as he was an idealist. Form is temporary, class is permanent. J. Cole put the groundwork in to sustain his Talebian methods to weather any storm. Reputation is to be guarded and Cole’s anti-fragility would come in handy as he searched for the right formula to create a top-tier, modern great hip-hop album.
Black Swan (… Sort Of)
“History repeats itself and that's just how it goes,
Same way that these rappers always bite each other's flows,
Same thing that my n**** Elvis did with Rock 'n Roll,
Justin Timberlake, Eminem and then Macklemore,
While silly n***** argue over who gon' snatch the crown,
Look around my n**** - white people have snatched the sound,
This year I'll probably go to the awards dappered down,
Watch Iggy win a Grammy as I try to crack a smile,
I'm just playing - but all good jokes contain true shit,
Same rope you climb up on, they'll hang you with…”- J. Cole on “Fire Squad”
Whether or not the safety net of not being completely dependant on his own projects allowed him to approach future works in a better mental space is possibly my own speculation, but I can’t ignore the fact that it was third time lucky for J. Cole upon the release of “2014 Forest Hills Drive”. Here, Cole’s levelling up was clear to see for us all. Self-produced, no features and a platinum plaque; the kind of folklore and climax that his mixtapes suggested he’d live through. He became the statistical anomaly, the special one, the black swan, and proof was in the pudding. Cole dropped the gimmicks and went for hard-hitting truths in his music. He didn’t bite his tongue and ensured his thoughts, feelings and everything in between was felt at full throttle. He took full responsibility and won, collecting all of the Talebian infinity stones en route. Indeed, this was a high-impact, unprobeable event (at least from an industry standpoint).
This album can maybe be seen as a turning point for J. Cole. It feels like there is a pre-2014 and post-2014 J. Cole that we can compare and contrast. Dreamville Records has grown and expanded under his tutelage, boasting a strong array of talent that he mentors through their careers. He continues to put his thoughts on wide range of issues, be it social activism or the state of hip-hop, and he’s never one to back down from a challenge; a stint in professional basketball is most certainly homage to that. His passion for music remains stern too, as he collects scalps on feature appearances and experimenting with different styles in other bodies of work too.
“If I'm betting on myself then I completely double down,
If you hated on a n**** please don't greet me with a pound
I be staying out the way but if the beef do come around,
Could put a M right on your head - you Luigi brother now,
Trace my steps all in this game - you could see we cover ground,
Back and forth from NC to New York when Jeezy had the crown…”- J. Cole on “9 5 . s o u t h”
They are both critical thinkers with expertise in their niche domain which they’ve been considerably successful in. They both preach being authentic in their own styles; Cole wants his listeners to be true to themselves whilst Taleb tells readers to be honest. They’ve both followed their own narrative and avoided hypocrisy. It is perhaps these key traits that have allowed them to be accomplished and triumphant in the disarray of the modern, digitalised world. J. Cole is hip-hop’s Nassim Taleb.
Do yourself justice, utilise your mind.
WhosAria
A Word On The Artist
I see J. Cole as one of the leaders and figureheads in his generation of hip-hop. Having lived through his mixtape era, witnessing his rise and seeing him live on a number of occasions, its dope to see where he’s ended up and how he’s largely been successful with the same formula over time. For me, he has a very consistent discography with some extremely enjoyable (and nostalgic) high points. Bars Of Wisdom is always checking for a Cole World.
