J. Cole - Heartache

With a title like Heartache, you’d expect something a little downbeat, right?  Well, in this case, you’d be dead wrong; this newly-released mixtape cut is in the same ambitious, brag-heavy vein as J. Cole‘s well-received Booth debut, but finds the NC emcee forgoing Grown Simba‘s slow-burning feel for something a little more energetic.  Connecticut beatsmith Elite invests the midtempo record with a surprising amount of oomph, stretching a swung, syncopated funk instrumental sampled from Mary Love’s Born to Live with Heartache (or a cover?) to a more relaxed tempo—Cole switches up his flow to match the swagger-drenched groove, and, sure enough, his propulsively bouncy rhymes are reminiscent of Wale‘s trademark, Go-Go-influenced style.  The result is virtually guaranteed to get heads bobbing, and, if J. Cole keeps coming with material of this caliber, his “I know it won’t be long till you heard about me” hook will be proven true sooner than later.  For more from the Roc Nation rising star, check out The Warm-Up mixtape, dropping on the 15th.