J.Cole, Hammersmith Apollo - music review

J.Cole's She Knows saw his Nas-esque vocals combine with a dazzling light show and pristine sound to take live hip-hop to another level
Can’t Get Enough: J.Cole was as energetic as a herd of stampeding bison
Photo by C Brandon/Redferns via Getty Images
John Aizlewood9 December 2013

"I have to be honest with you, London," sighed Jermaine Cole, the future of hip-hop after this summer's magnificent Born Sinner album, "I've been drinking a lot of Hennessy tonight."

In that peculiar claim, if in nothing else, it was hard to take the 28-year-old seriously. The North Carolinian may embrace the crotch-grabbing, baseball hat and bling clichés and his voice may have become more hoarse as the evening progressed but he was as energetic as a herd of stampeding bison, he could have drowned in his own charisma and he never mislaid a metaphor-laden line, even when the going got tongue-twisting on Back to the Topic and Work Out.

He did though seem a restless soul, admitting to feeling like Jay-Z on good nights and the rather less heralded J-Kwon on bad ones, where the crowd “can barely speak English”. Last night’s headspinning, rapturously received 90 minutes was distinctly Jay-Z.

Wisely, rather than attempting the wholly solo route, he was joined by a sizzling ensemble of two stentorian keyboardists, a surprisingly rocky guitarist, two wailing backing singers and a DJ. Blow Up resembled early Red Hot Chili Peppers and the mid-show, melody-drenched double delight that was Runaway and She Knows saw Cole’s Nas-esque vocals combine with a dazzling light show and pristine sound to take live hip-hop to another level.

Despite their complexity, audience favourites Can’t Get Enough and Power Trip were singalongs, and as he left Cole promised to play the O2 in 2014. Frankly, on this showing, he might as well book it now.

J Cole plays the Hammersmith Apollo on Dec 2 & 3 (0844 249 1000)

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