Article By: T-Millz
I had a discussion on our What Is REAL? podcast about Drake (episode 1) and the possibility of him retiring from music at the age of thirty-five. There have been plenty of rappers that have said the same thing, yet are still making quality music (ie: Lil’ Wayne, T.I. and quite a few others). However it got me thinking listening back to the podcast the other day, “what young rappers in the game right now have a chance to take the world by storm?” By the way, when I say young rappers, I mean rappers 28 years old and younger
Naturally, without hesitation I rattled off a few names in my head such as Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, Bas, Chance The Rapper, and Post Malone. All of which have put out projects/songs that have caught the attention of the masses at some point or another. Kendrick has been on a roll, there is no debate there. Mac Miller, while people did not like his first album Blue Slide Park, his follow-up Watching Movies With The Sound Off and third album GO:OD AM were largely received as successes in their own respective ways. Bas has not had a single project take off, however his song “Methylone,” recently won Hot 97’s Battle of the Beats segment and was tossed into regular rotation at the station. Chance The Rapper has hit it big with his newest mixtape “Coloring Book,” and looks like he will be well on the way to following it up (check out Gio Mio’s review on the site). And Post Malone has been able to show that he can work with a length of time and create a project that sticks to his core fan base while also branching into new territory (check my review on the site).
To the topic at hand though. Another rapper stood out in my mind and he is only 22 years old. This rapper is Cozz, the youngest member of the Dreamville Records founded by superstar J. Cole. Cozz has brought something new to the table and the topic of discussion I think most young rappers, (myself included), should follow.
What is separating Cozz from a lot of other young aspiring rappers is that he has a hunger to be the best. You can definitely hear it when he raps aggressively over the close to haunting beats that he and his production team create. I find his style so unique and his approach to songwriting, releasing the music, his social media presence and also his beliefs in exactly what he’s saying is something that can make him highly successful in this industry given the right situation.
I first heard of Cozz when J. Cole signed him in 2014 and he immediately released Cozz & Effect on October 3, 2014 just days before his 21st birthday. Listening to the “Knock Tha Hustle Remix” featuring J. Cole, I heard something different about Cozz, and that was honestly the drive to out-rap every person he came across. While he didn’t necessarily do it on the “Knock Tha Hustle Remix,” against Cole, I can guarantee that Cole saw this exact thing in Cozz.
Cozz followed up his first release with a free mixtape in January of 2016 titled Nothing Personal. While this tape’s quality in all honesty wasn’t what I had expected in terms of replay value from Cozz, he spits sharp lyrics that make you say “wow,” and his aggressive tone over the dark haunting beats capture me yet again as I can’t help but rap along with tracks like, “Who Said,” “Grey Goose,” “City of God,” & “Tabs.”
Another thing to note is that Cozz went on tour with J. Cole on the 2014 Forest Hills Drive Tour in the summer of 2015. I was present at the Madison Square Garden show on August 4, and got to the Garden early so I was sure to watch Cozz peform, because I knew how effective his project Cozz & Effect was. And watching him perform, I was taken aback because his stage presence was so polished and broad at such a young age of 22.
There is definitely a bright future ahead for Cozz, as long as he is able to capture the attention of the masses. All he needs is two hit singles to launch him into possible stardom in the rap game. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this young man from Compton, California won’t be able to maintain that stardom and possibly go down as one the most driven artists that the Hip-Hop genre has seen.
Noteable songs by Cozz:
1) Cody Macc – no doubt in my mind that this is his best song to date. Once you listen to it, it will be clear why I say that.
2) Western Ave Slaves (ft. Enimal) – this track keeps that haunting feel but paint the perfect picture of a young black man living in a westernized, modern world, taking multiple perspectives throughout the song.
3) Dkbu (Interlude) – This “interlude,” could easily be considered some rappers best song off their project, but Cozz delivers his sharp flow so efficiently.
4) Grow (ft. Correy C & Deborah) – This song was also featured on the collaboration tape by Dreamville Record’s titled Revenge of the Dreamers 2, and for obvious reasons. J. Cole would probably point to this track as being the epitome of storytelling in the modern music industry.
5) Wake Up Call – I absolutely LOVE this track because of his Bill Cosby reference/word play and the way the kick and bass just hit perfectly together.
6) I’m Tha Man – this is no doubt Cozz’s catchiest song up to this point in his career. I remember when I saw J. Cole live last year on the 2014 Forest Hills DriveTour, Cozz performed this and I was rocking it the whole song.
.
I had a discussion on our What Is REAL? podcast about Drake (episode 1) and the possibility of him retiring from music at the age of thirty-five. There have been plenty of rappers that have said the same thing, yet are still making quality music (ie: Lil’ Wayne, T.I. and quite a few others). However it got me thinking listening back to the podcast the other day, “what young rappers in the game right now have a chance to take the world by storm?” By the way, when I say young rappers, I mean rappers 28 years old and younger
Naturally, without hesitation I rattled off a few names in my head such as Kendrick Lamar, Mac Miller, Bas, Chance The Rapper, and Post Malone. All of which have put out projects/songs that have caught the attention of the masses at some point or another. Kendrick has been on a roll, there is no debate there. Mac Miller, while people did not like his first album Blue Slide Park, his follow-up Watching Movies With The Sound Off and third album GO:OD AM were largely received as successes in their own respective ways. Bas has not had a single project take off, however his song “Methylone,” recently won Hot 97’s Battle of the Beats segment and was tossed into regular rotation at the station. Chance The Rapper has hit it big with his newest mixtape “Coloring Book,” and looks like he will be well on the way to following it up (check out Gio Mio’s review on the site). And Post Malone has been able to show that he can work with a length of time and create a project that sticks to his core fan base while also branching into new territory (check my review on the site).
To the topic at hand though. Another rapper stood out in my mind and he is only 22 years old. This rapper is Cozz, the youngest member of the Dreamville Records founded by superstar J. Cole. Cozz has brought something new to the table and the topic of discussion I think most young rappers, (myself included), should follow.
What is separating Cozz from a lot of other young aspiring rappers is that he has a hunger to be the best. You can definitely hear it when he raps aggressively over the close to haunting beats that he and his production team create. I find his style so unique and his approach to songwriting, releasing the music, his social media presence and also his beliefs in exactly what he’s saying is something that can make him highly successful in this industry given the right situation.
I first heard of Cozz when J. Cole signed him in 2014 and he immediately released Cozz & Effect on October 3, 2014 just days before his 21st birthday. Listening to the “Knock Tha Hustle Remix” featuring J. Cole, I heard something different about Cozz, and that was honestly the drive to out-rap every person he came across. While he didn’t necessarily do it on the “Knock Tha Hustle Remix,” against Cole, I can guarantee that Cole saw this exact thing in Cozz.
Cozz followed up his first release with a free mixtape in January of 2016 titled Nothing Personal. While this tape’s quality in all honesty wasn’t what I had expected in terms of replay value from Cozz, he spits sharp lyrics that make you say “wow,” and his aggressive tone over the dark haunting beats capture me yet again as I can’t help but rap along with tracks like, “Who Said,” “Grey Goose,” “City of God,” & “Tabs.”
Another thing to note is that Cozz went on tour with J. Cole on the 2014 Forest Hills Drive Tour in the summer of 2015. I was present at the Madison Square Garden show on August 4, and got to the Garden early so I was sure to watch Cozz peform, because I knew how effective his project Cozz & Effect was. And watching him perform, I was taken aback because his stage presence was so polished and broad at such a young age of 22.
There is definitely a bright future ahead for Cozz, as long as he is able to capture the attention of the masses. All he needs is two hit singles to launch him into possible stardom in the rap game. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that this young man from Compton, California won’t be able to maintain that stardom and possibly go down as one the most driven artists that the Hip-Hop genre has seen.
Noteable songs by Cozz:
1) Cody Macc – no doubt in my mind that this is his best song to date. Once you listen to it, it will be clear why I say that.
2) Western Ave Slaves (ft. Enimal) – this track keeps that haunting feel but paint the perfect picture of a young black man living in a westernized, modern world, taking multiple perspectives throughout the song.
3) Dkbu (Interlude) – This “interlude,” could easily be considered some rappers best song off their project, but Cozz delivers his sharp flow so efficiently.
4) Grow (ft. Correy C & Deborah) – This song was also featured on the collaboration tape by Dreamville Record’s titled Revenge of the Dreamers 2, and for obvious reasons. J. Cole would probably point to this track as being the epitome of storytelling in the modern music industry.
5) Wake Up Call – I absolutely LOVE this track because of his Bill Cosby reference/word play and the way the kick and bass just hit perfectly together.
6) I’m Tha Man – this is no doubt Cozz’s catchiest song up to this point in his career. I remember when I saw J. Cole live last year on the 2014 Forest Hills DriveTour, Cozz performed this and I was rocking it the whole song.
.