Sunday Night Sample - J. Cole - Power Trip
(I saw J. Cole and Drake (and Lil Durk) in concert in Cleveland last night, am going again tonight, and will have a full review of the shows coming tomorrow. Hearing this live, with Drake's band playing horns behind it was a really nice touch and made me want to feature it this weekend.)
"Power Trip," the lead single from Cole's sophomore album Born Sinner, isn't just a song; it's a journey back to those teenage crushes that had us all twisted up. But here's the kicker- Cole ain't just reminiscing about puppy love, he's weaving a tale of a homecoming that's got him all caught up in the feels for the same big brown-eyed girl. Released to the airwaves back in February 2013, this track had us all paying attention and singing the hook whenever it came on the radio.
One of the things that separates J. Cole from other artists, aside from his incredible writing abilities, and delivery, is the fact that he produces/co-produces a lot of his tracks. He told MTV this track hit him like JT's "Cry Me a River," you know he's not messing around. It's that freshness, that "ain't nothing like this on the radio" vibe that got Cole betting big on "Power Trip" to lead the charge for Born Sinner.
"That's the most exciting part about that song and the reason why we went with it is because it sounds like nothing that's out," Cole told MTV News on Saturday in Houston.
Cole could barely contain himself when talking about the single, which he self-produced. "I get excited about that; it's an opportunity to change things," he said. "It's almost like the first time I heard 'Cry Me a River,' Justin Timberlake. The minute that came on ... It hit you a certain kinda way. That was the exciting part."
Cole's got a flow in this track that's like he's half asleep, dreamily dropping lines in a way we've never heard before. And just when you think it's all Cole all the time, enter stage left: Miguel, thanks to a nudge from none other than Jay-Z himself.
Diving into the lyrics, Cole drops a nod to his older track "Dreams," painting a picture of unrequited love that's just this side of obsessive. Fans have theorized the song is actually a continuation of the song, off of his 2nd mixtape, The Warm Up, which finds Cole fantasizing about murdering the boyfriend of a girl he barely knows, which would then give him the opportunity to console her.
And the music video? It's gold, with Cole playing out a deadly love triangle right in his hometown of Fayetteville, North Carolina.
"Power Trip" owes its soulful undercurrent to the legendary Hubert Laws and his track "No More." Sampling this bluesy number from the 1972 album Morning Star, Cole bridges decades, genres, and emotions, crafting a sound that's both timeless and groundbreaking.
Hubert Laws even got co-writing credit on the track and publishing.