"This past Sunday marked a historic and record breaking evening for the National Basketball Association. An attendance of over one hundred and eight thousand basketball fans bore witness to this year’s NBA All-Star Game hosted at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. In true fashion the evening was filled with the glitz and glamour that we’ve come to expect from All-Star Weekends -- high flying dunks, flashy no-look passes, inflated stat sheets and scores, celebrity-filled sidelines, pre-game and half-time musical numbers and, yes, a competitive fourth quarter.
One of the more fascinating storylines of the game was the noticeable impact of the 2003 draft class; one that has widely been considered one of the deepest drafts in NBA history. In case you’ve been sleeping for the better half of the past decade, 2003 was the year that LeBron James was picked first overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in a draft that saw the likes of Carmelo Anthony (third by the Denver Nuggets), Chris Bosh (fourth by the Toronto Raptors) and Dwyane Wade (fifth by the Miami Heat) -- all of whom were in the running for the Most Valuable Player Award in this year’s All-Star Game. The award was ultimately given to Dwyane Wade, who finished the evening with 28 points.
This is not the first time that the class of 2003 has been featured during an All-Star Weekend. As a matter of fact for the next six All-Star games, other players from the 2003 draft will have made their All-Star debuts, including David West of the Hornets, the newly acquired Josh Howard of the Wizards, and Mo Williams of the Cavs. Even the sixth pick overall, Chris Kaman of the Clippers, would represent this year as a Reserve for the Western squad.
The dominance of the 2003 draft in this year's NBA All-Star game is just one more example of the tremendous depth of talent and star-power that came into the league that fall. In the last few years, Hip-Hop has experienced a similar surge of talent. Since the latter part of 2008, fans have been introduced to the likes of Drake, Kid Cudi, Wale, J.Cole, Nipsey Hussle, and Pill, among others.
Using the mixtape as a conduit to the major labels, these artists have turned local notoriety into mass appeal. With the endorsements of Hip-Hop royalty, including but not limited to Jay-Z, Kanye West and Lil Wayne, the new breed of MCs have been able to dominate rap’s mainstream using unprecedented hype and popularity. Just look at how far it’s taken Drake in one year alone: he was named GQ’s Man of the Year, finished third on MTV's Hottest MCs List and earned two Grammy Nominations -- all before his album debut Thank Me Later, easily the most anticipated release of 2010.
Today's superstar is exemplified by the notion of instantaneous fame. Musicians and athletes nowadays are tagged as being great without needing to exhibit anything beyond a minimal body of work. As a perceptive Michael Jordan once wrote, "today players receive the rewards before they prove their worth. If you look around, you'll see that it happens in a lot of places, not just sports."
Look around, and it’s easy to see how Drake's plight to superstardom parallels that of King James. During LeBron’s senior year, all of his high-school games were nationally televised on ESPN, while Sports Illustrated anointed him "The Chosen One". The doubters at that time -- and there were a fair share -- were quite pessimistic of this coverage, to say the least. But James has proven that not only can he live up to the hype, he is well on his way to cementing his legacy as one of the game's greatest of all time. It’s no small feat that he has already become one of most successful athletes and largest global brands in all of sports history. Surely a high standard to reach, but I'm sure most would agree that it is something Drake has the potential to achieve, in his own right.
Despite James' immense celebrity on- and off-the-court, it could go without saying that in the eyes of most basketball fans he will ultimately be judged by the amount of championships he wins. Like Joe Montana and Tom Brady in football or Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant in basketball, the true measure of any legend are championship rings. The same can be said for Hip-Hop: regardless of the fame and accolades that MCs like Drake, Kid Cudi and Wale have received in the media, for Hip-Hop purists it all boils down to longevity and timelessness. In other words: classic albums.
Seven years later, there is only one member of that historic draft class to have won a championship thus far. And it might come as a surprise that his name is not LeBron, or Carmelo. In fact, he was the lowest player drafted out of the aforementioned All-Stars, and the least hyped coming out of school. Donning the number three, in the red and black of the Miami Heat, it is none other than Dwyane Wade.
So where does this leave Hip-Hop's young freshman? Kid Cudi and Wale have come out with solid, but not classic releases; the world still waits on Drake’s Thank Me Later; so the door is wide open for someone else to walk right through. This someone should have as much talent as any young MC in the game, but who still remains under the radar to most. Someone who with the proper platform and right team in place, can progress beyond our expectations.
This someone... is Jermaine Cole.
As the first member signed to Roc Nation, Cole has played the relative unknown. Although he’s had a featured appearance on The Blueprint III, along with the exposure that one might expect to generate from an extensive North American tour, Cole has received little mainstream attention... comparatively speaking. In fact, most of the media spotlight garnered by Cole has come in reference to being “the next Drake”. (Editorial note: wouldn't Drake be the next Drake?)
Nonetheless, J. Cole has been hard at work in the studio recording his debut release. Whereas his contemporaries boast a more melodic approach that is very Top 40 friendly, somewhat similar to the school of a Kanye West, Cole is more of a lyrical throwback to the MC. His strength lays in the fact that he is a true lyricist, a story teller alas a Common or Nas.
While Drake’s versatility and overall stardom is comparable to that of a LeBron James, J.Cole’s game best resembles that of a cutter and slasher. A D-Wade. The type of player who takes it hard to the rim every time, never shying away from contact. Case in point: J.Cole’s recent verse on the posse-cut Untitled, where he holds his own alongside veteran wordsmiths Talib Kweli, Jay Electronica and Mos Def.
Only three years after he was drafted, D-Wade and the Miami Heat won their first NBA Title in 2006. With the guidance of coaching legend Pat Riley and a motivated Shaquille O'Neal, Wade took home the Finals’ MVP Honors that year at the tender age of twenty four. J.Cole has a similar opportunity ahead. With the proper supporting cast, such as production contributions from No I.D and Pharrell and a boss in Jay-Z who knows a thing or two about classics, Cole has all the potential to satisfy Hip-Hop heads by delivering a classic debut this summer.
This is undoubtedly a lot of pressure to put on anyone’s shoulders, but if J.Cole’s nerves are anything like the way he flows on a track, then he is certainly ready. Just ask him -- “I’m definitely in a class of my own/At dinner with Hov hoping that he pass the baton/He just pass the patron.” As was the case with Wade, Cole’s rise to the top may be overshadowed by higher profile draft mates; however, he does have a very seasoned and accomplished “Pat Riley” type mentor in Jay-Z to draw from. And if in fact Jeezy is payin’ LeBron, then maybe Jay is payin’ Dwyane Wade on more levels than one, in the form of J.Cole." -AllHipHop.com
*J. Cole is an amazing artist he isn't even close to his prime he is an amazing talent. But, to me Drake is no comparison to J. Cole.
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