Even though J. Cole hasn’t put out any music of his own so far this year, he has been delivering show-stopping performances as a featured guest. After providing a spark on songs from earlier this year like “Passport Bros” by his Dreamville label-mate Bas and “All My Life” with Lil Durk, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, Cole lent his talents to Atlanta trap music icon Gucci Mane and Nigerian Afrobeat star Burna Boy on Friday (August 25).
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For Gucci’s “There I Go,” produced by beloved instrumentalist Mike WiLL Made-It, Cole skillfully reiterated what rap fans already knew about him in the song’s opening verse, doubling down on his humility and poise.
Real n***a, I don’t say that a lot
You can tell how I talk and the way that I rock
I’m a straight shooter, no sugarcoat
No booger sugar, never had a nose full of dope
His first-ever collaboration with Gucci, “There I Go” is now the ninth pre-released song on the track list for Gucci’s impending project Breath of Fresh Air, set to release on October 17. Following up other stellar guest appearances from Lil Baby on “Bluffin,” 21 Savage and DaBaby on “06 Gucci,” and Kodak Black on “King Snipe,” “There I Go” could potentially make the most noise on the charts of all, thanks to Cole and Gucci’s collective star power.
[RELATED: J. Cole Confirms New Album ‘The Fall Off’ In the Works]
As for Burna Boy, he just put out his seventh studio album, I Told Them… On top of his aforementioned joint track with Cole, Burna was able to connect with other marquee emcees for the LP such as GZA, 21 Savage, and the British phenom Dave. However, much like Gucci’s “There I Go,” Burna and Cole’s “Thanks” will also likely garner the most hype from listeners, thanks to Cole’s fiery tone manifests into lyrics about the wealth he’s amassed and the strong aura he and Burna possess.
Burna and me, been runnin’ this shit for eternity
I fathered a couple of styles, I’m takin’ paternity leave
Permanently, they hate, now I’m brushin’ the dirt off my sleeve
Steadily talkin’ Ms to me, it’s like I’m learnin’ to read
Check out both “There I Go” and “Thanks” below.
Photo by Josh Brasted/FilmMagic
