Big Sean declared earlier this summer that he’s “Finally Famous,” that despite fame’s fickleness, “I’m a celebrity!” Drake spends much of his time boo-hooing his still-rising star’s affinity for the camera’s flashbulbs. Now J. Cole is musing his famous-ness with his new face: the face of a watch.
“No more Mr. Nice Guy,” the Roc Nation signee warns on “Mr. Nice Watch,” which features the very man responsible for Cole’s expensive timepieces: Jay-Z. The space-aged electronic, beat-by-math production is more akin to a Justin Timberlake track were he still in the game, and it grows bigger and bigger…
And then lays low. Hov’s contribution, despite his typical breathlessness, remains understated. But he’s out the gate with a Tim Tebow reference, right in time for the first week of NFL regular season. “I got a Hublot, I call it Tebow/I strap that b*tch with a ‘gator band,” he raps, then parsing through some other watch references and letting that building beat just kinda sit there.
Cole tries to make his own history by producing this track, too, and weaves his verses pretty well in it; it shows a lot of potential, but I still feel a little bored.
If you’re looking for excitement of a different nature, however, you may want to check out Rihanna’s dance with a cigar on Cole’s “Can’t Get Enough,” featuring Trey Songz. The video bowed this week.
Cole’s “Cole World: The Sideline Story” is out on Sept. 27.