J. Cole is as adept with braggodicious bars as any heavyweight MC out there. Still, he's also the one possibly most ambivalent about fame — and self-aware about the destructive power of putting people down in hip-hop.

"For so long my mind state was, I have to show how much better than the next man I am through these bars. Who's the best? Let me prove it," the North Carolina-raised rapper told the New York Times in 2017. "And it's just like, damn, I'm really feeding into a cycle of keeping Black people down, I'm really feeding into that."

The prodigious artist born Jermaine Lamarr Cole expanded on his life's calling to Billboard the following year. "I consider love [to be] respect, acknowledgement of skill and talent. That was always the rush I got from rapping," he said. "There was a money aspect to it. I want to take care of my mom and my family. The part that I never considered was being famous."

So how did J. Cole get so famous and become so influential?

Granted, there are very good reasons J. Cole is a globally recognized figure. Since his debut mixtape, 2007's The Come Up, he's released albums like 2013's Born Sinner, 2014's 2014 Forest Hills Drive, and 2016's 4 Your Eyez Only, to commercial and critical hosannas.

His latest, 2021's The Off-Season, was no different, garnering four nominations at the 2022 GRAMMYs — for Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song ("M Y . L I F E"), and Best Melodic Rap Performance "P R I D E . I S . T H E . D E V I L." All in all, J. Cole has won one GRAMMY (Best Rap Song for "A Lot," a collaboration with 21 Savage, at the 2020 GRAMMY Awards) and has been nominated for 16.

And whatever form his next release takes, J. Cole is set to lead the vanguard of hip-hop in the young decade — despite, or partly because of, his propensity to kick down the fourth wall and look inward. Here are 10 facts all music fans should know about J. Cole.

He Was Born In Germany And Raised In North Carolina

Jermaine Lamarr Cole was born on a military base in Frankfurt, West Germany, to a veteran father and postal-worker mother.

When he was a baby, the family relocated to Fayetteville, North Carolina, eventually landing at 2014 Forest Hills Drive — an address that would inspire the title of his 2014 album.

That's also the location where he wrote some of his earliest raps and where he decided to pursue music as a career.

He Was Inspired Early On By Classic Rappers

J. Cole's formative influences included Eminem, Nas, Canibus and others. And as he explained in 2014, his earliest material sounded like the former two artists in a blender.

"If you go listen you will hear both influences, and I feel like when you start rapping at the beginning, you really just take all your influences and you just rap like them," he said. "Eventually, you become who you are from others' influences, and Eminem was a main ingredient."

Read More: 9 Revolutionary Rap Albums To Know: From Kendrick Lamar, Black Star, EarthGang & More

Jay-Z Initially Dismissed Him…

Early on, J. Cole waited for three hours — part of that time in the rain — waiting for Jay-Z to pull up to his studio so he could give him his CD. Jay-Z turned it down for his label Roc Nation, but J. Cole was undeterred.

…But He Then Became Roc Nation's First Signing

Part of Jay-Z's dismissal was based on the fact that Roc Nation wasn't initially a hip-hop label, but a pop label. That all changed when Hova heard "Lights Please" via record executive and manager Mark Pitts — and arranged to meet with J. Cole once more.

"Jay-Z's reactions are incredible when he's feeling some shit," J. Cole said in a 2009 Complex profile. "When he's feeling something, when there's a line that he likes, he gives you that, 'Wooooooo!' and he'll let you know that he's feeling it."

The signing was fortuitous for both sides. "[Jay] never compromised or interfered with my creative process," J. Cole told the Associated Press in 2012. "There was a never a point when he was like, 'I need to come in and play big brother and show you how to do this.'"

He's Collaborated With Kendrick Lamar

J. Cole's first collaboration with K-Dot was "HiiiPoWeR," which he produced for the latter artist's Section.80 album. And Born Sinner contains a track called "Forbidden Fruit," featuring Lamar. And on Black Friday 2015, both MCs released songs called, naturally, "Black Friday."

Read More: Everything We Know About Kendrick Lamar's Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers — So Far

He's Deeply Attuned To Social Justice

In 2014, J. Cole released "Be Free," a musical reaction to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mississippi. Three days later, he traveled to the city to converse with protesters and activists on the ground.

He's Been The Subject Of Documentaries

The following year, J. Cole released a documentary series called J. Cole: Road to Homecoming ahead of his HBO special, Forest Hills Drive: Homecoming.

The latter covered his concert that year in Fayetteville; the former featured appearances from Lamar, Rihanna, Pusha T and more. And in 2016, he released a 40-minute Tidal documentary to accompany his 4 Your Eyez Only album, simply titled Eyez.

Read More: 5 Takeaways From Pusha T's New Album It's Almost Dry

He's A Label Owner, Too

Since 2007, J. Cole has owned Dreamville Records alongside his manager, Ibrahim Hamad. Together, they've released music by artists like EARTHGANG, Lute and Ari Lennox through their distributor, Interscope Records.

But that's not the only sector of his life called "Dreamville": his charitable nonprofit, the Dreamville Foundation, aims to "'bridge the gap" between the worlds of opportunity and the urban youth."

In 2014, he purchased his childhood home in Fayetteville so single mothers and their children can live there cost-free.

He's Just As Serious About Basketball As Music

In 2012, J. Cole participated in the NBA All-Star Weekend Celebrity Game, playing in the Eastern Team. "Sports is where it started for me," he told Sports Illustrated in 2013, comparing it to the hyper-competitive field of hip-hop. "It parallels my life."

"No Role Modelz" Is J. Cole's Biggest Hit

On Spotify, J. Cole's most-played song by far is "No Role Modelz" from 2014 Forest Hills Drive, topping out at 1.2 billion streams.

With numbers like that, lines like "I punch the time sheet, not no more / And my assigned seat is the throne" — from "a m a r i" — don't feel arrogant, but prescient.

Childish Major On George Floyd, The Essence Of Atlanta Hip-Hop & His New Project Thank You, God. For It All.

Amid the excitement of first-round voting for the 2025 GRAMMYs, we've reached the end of another week that's been filled with new music. 

Case in point: eschewing the traditional Friday release schedule, Maggie Rogers and J. Cole both dropped singles midweek to help fans get over the proverbial hump with new tunes.

In other news, James Blunt marks the 20th anniversary of his 2004 breakout debut Back to Bedlam — which spawned global smash "You're Beautiful" and remains the best-selling album of the 2000s in his native UK — with a special re-release. Plus, Rod Wave hits a new stride with his latest LP Last Lap, rising country stars Erin Kinsey and Carter Faith each deliver new EPs, respectively titled Gettin Away With It and The Aftermath, and EARTHGANG team up with T-Pain for "Love You More," the lead single off their upcoming album, Perfect Fantasy.

Below, dive into 10 of the best new releases of the week from JENNIE, The Kid LAROI, GloRilla, and more.

Remember late September? Maggie Rogers sure does. On her wistful new single "In The Living Room," which arrived by surprise on Tuesday (Oct. 8), the former Best New Artist GRAMMY nominee reflects on a lost relationship as she belts out, "All of the things, we pulled apart/ I let it go, it doesn't matter/ The seasons change, it broke my heart/ But I will always remember you/ When we were dancing in the living room."

Directed by Grant Singer, the accompanying music video brings Rogers' lyrics to life as she performs in a wood-paneled apartment complete with green carpet, a bare mattress and a brooding love interest played by Luka Isaac. 

"It's a song about the beauty and pain of memory, and the way that interweaves with reality when you're processing the exit of a person in your life," the "Alaska" singer/songwriter said in a statement upon the song's release.

Attention, BLINKs and RUBIES! JENNIE's first solo single since launching her Odd Atelier label is more than a "Mantra," it's a bonafide playbook for all the pretty girls to live by. "Pretty girls don't do trauma, no more drama/ We already got a full day/ Pretty girls that you gon' remember, know that you could never/ nothing ever trigger me/ This that pretty girl mantra, she's that stunna/ Everyone knows she is me," the K-pop idol sings over horn blasts and thumping bass on the chorus.

The high-fashion visual accompanying the track's release, meanwhile, is filled with fiery choreography and a cavalcade of colorful vehicles, from a creamy white Mercedes covered in a lace sheath to a cherry-red big rig. The latter might just rival the size of the glittering disco ball of a tank Jennie's famous for riding atop in the videos for BLACKPINK smashes "DDU-DU DDU-DU" and "Shut Down."

On his new single "Aperol Spritz," The Kid LAROI is double-fisting the fizzy orange cocktails on a trip to the club with his latest flame. While the singer doesn't explicitly name-drop girlfriend Tate McCrae on the swaggering track, he's certainly not shy about showing off his new love — as fans have recently seen everywhere from the MTV Video Music Awards to a romantic getaway in Bora Bora.

"There's a whole lot of girls up in here/ But can't nobody f— with my b—," he brags on the chorus, while the song's music video fittingly sees the Australian chased around a studio by a mass of shrieking female fans. Only when he trips and falls does the chase give way to an editorial-ready dogpile, with The Kid LAROI surrounded by the dozens of models as they all gaze coolly up at the camera.

After building substantial buzz for the past two-and-a-half years as one of the most explosive rappers to come out of Memphis, GloRilla finally delivers her debut album, GLORIOUS, via Interscope Records.

The long-awaited LP lives up to its title with a star-studded roster of guest features to support the viral sensation born Gloria Hallelujah Woods. For starters, girl power is out in full force, with the rapper's close pal and recent tourmate Megan Thee Stallion joining the fun for highlight "HOW I LOOK," while Latto and Muni Long each show up on respective cuts "PROCEDURE" and "DON'T DESERVE." Plus, GloRilla assembles Kirk Franklin, Chandler Moore, Kierra Sheard and Maverick City Music for gospel-infused outlier "RAIN DOWN ON ME" and declares herself "QUEEN OF MEMPHIS" with an assist from Fridayy on the album's triumphant closer.

Kane Brown slows things down to what's most important on his heartwarming new single, "Backseat Driver." The country star paints a sweet picture as the ballad opens early in the morning in a McDonald's drive-thru, "two muffins, one coffee and a little, bitty orange juice."

The backseat driver in question is Brown's 4-year-old daughter Kingsley Rose, who adorably peppers her famous dad with crucial questions like whether or not squirrels have houses in the trees and why God put stingers on honey bees. "It's crazy all the things she sees on the side of the road/ Out of that window beside her," he sings before concluding, "I wish I could be more like her/ My little danglin' feet, pretty in pink backseat driver."

The heartfelt track is the lead single from Brown's upcoming fourth studio album, The High Road, which will arrive Jan. 24, 2025. Along with revealing the album news on Oct. 9, the singer also announced a North American tour that will kick off March 13.

On Wednesday (Oct. 9), J. Cole dropped his latest single, "Port Antonio." Built over dual samples of Lonnie Liston Smith's spacey keyboard track "A Garden of Peace" from 1983's Dreams of Tomorrow and a pitched-up version of Cleo Sol's 2021 deep cut "Know That You Are Loved," the rapper revisits his autobiography by referencing "young Jermaine," who worked minimum wage jobs while watching everyone around him spend thousands on designer duds.

However, the root of the downtempo song — which precedes Cole's highly anticipated forthcoming project The Fall Off — sees him removing himself from the headline-making, diss track-filled feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar that erupted earlier this year. (Back in April, Cole removed his own diss track "7 Minute Drill" after publicly apologizing to Lamar.)

Later in the song, Cole even name-drops Drake and gives credit where credit's due ("I ain't ashamed to say you did a lot for me"), before pointing out to his hip-hop peers and everyone listening, "F— all the narratives/ Tappin' back into your magic pen is what's imperative/ Remindin' these folks why we do it, it's not for beefin'/ It's for speakin' our thoughts, pushin' ourselves, reachin' the charts/ Reaching your minds, deep in your heart screamin' to find/ Emotion to touch, somethin' inside to open you up."

It's been almost exactly one year since BoyWithUke revealed his face to the world in October 2023, and the TikTok star who once wore an LED mask to conceal his identity is already preparing to burn it all down. "Gaslight" serves as the TikTok star-turned-independent artist's latest single off his upcoming fifth album Burnout, which he's promised will be his final body of work under the stage name that made him famous.

Following fellow singles "Can You Feel It?" and "Ghost," "Gaslight" is a volatile, churning breakup track dedicated to a sociopathic love interest that BoyWithUke is determined to cut ties with…but not before getting a little revenge of his own. The accompanying music video plays out like a haunted horror show, but the musician gets the last laugh with a lyrical twist of the knife that you simply have to hear to believe.

Samara Joy — 'Portrait'

Eighteen months after winning Best New Artist at the 2023 GRAMMYs, Samara Joy returns with her latest full-length album, Portrait. Co-produced by Brian Lynch and recorded at the hallowed Van Gelder Studio, the LP contains eight new tracks including pre-release singles "You Stepped Out Of A Dream" and "Autumn Nocturne."

Portrait paints a lively picture of the Bronx-born jazz starlet's prodigious talents, as well as her electric chemistry with her eight-piece touring band. In fact, the entire body of work was conceived and fine-tuned during the GRAMMY winner's near-constant touring schedule in the two years since she released her 2022 breakout album, Linger Awhile. "I'm often the fifth voice, the fifth horn," Joy said in a statement coinciding with Portrait's release, adding, "I hope listeners will see that I'm a musician too."

It's been 15 years since Major Lazer dropped their debut album, 2009's Guns Don't Kill People… Lazers Do, and they're marking the milestone with a 15th anniversary re-release featuring unreleased tracks from the era.

The first track the trio — now consisting of Diplo, Walshy Fire and Ape Drums — are dusting off from the vault is "Nobody Move," another collaboration with Vybz Kartel, who previously appeared on the original album's second single "Pon De Floor" alongside Afrojack. On the bonus cut, the group crafts a swaying tropical groove over Kartel's laid-back but threatening refrain of "Nobody move, nobody get hurt."

Love has Dylan Gossett's head in the clouds — or at least the foliage — on his toe-tapping new single "Tree Birds." In fact, the rising Americana sensation employs the perfect amount of harmonica to properly communicate just how head over heels in love he is on the giddy track, which follows his recent Songs in the Gravel EP.

"You remind me that there's something up above/ Do I deserve all your love?/ I swear I don't/ When you need me, just know that I'll show up/ Oh I'll go anywhere, state, city or town/ I promise you're the best damn thing from the South," Gossett vows before letting out an ecstatic "hey yeah!" on the final chorus. The jubilant love song is sure to be a highlight of the Austin, Texas native's ongoing Back 40 Tour, which runs across North America through the end of November.

At 37 years old, the heavily tattooed, free-speaking Jay Park doesn’t exactly fit the cookie-cutter K-pop idol mold. 

Sixteen years into his career — which included a stint as the fan-voted leader of hip-hop group 2PM in the 2000s, an infamous departure, and equally incredible comeback in the 2010s — Jay Park is one of the few K-pop artists who have managed to stay relevant in an increasingly saturated industry.

Now, Park is back to dispel any doubts about his longevity with The One You Wanted. Out Oct. 8, the 20-track, collab-rich R&B album is his first in five years and the result of an even longer period of creativity. 

"In Korea when people hear a song, they say, 'Oh, this sounds like Jay Park.' It’s like my music has become a genre by itself," he tells GRAMMY.com.

Much like his persona, Jay Park's road to K-pop stardom has been unorthodox. Born Park Jaebom to Korean immigrant parents, Park was raised in Seattle and never felt like he fully fit into the multiple cultures he was brought up around. 

He never aimed to become an artist; it was initially just a way for him to express himself. "Hip hop and R&B just became where I found my identity," he adds, citing a deep admiration for artists like Michael Jackson, Usher, and Drake. 

Once he began breakdancing, rapping, and battling his friends, his mother pushed him to try out at a locally advertised talent audition. "At that time, it was just me, and mom and my brother, having money problems. We couldn’t pay the electric and water bill," he told CNN, explaining why he went for it at all. He got through, after auditioning with a rap he wrote himself (and recalled word-for-word over video call). Unbeknownst to him, the audition was for K-pop juggernaut JYP entertainment.

For a while, it seemed like Park had made it — he debuted in 2008 as the leader and main rapper of heartthrob hip-hop group 2PM. The seven-member 2PM are credited with originating a particularly masculine image in K-pop, a break from the softer "flower boy" image that other boy groups held at the time. They released two mini-albums in 2009 and were preparing for a full-length release. Things were looking good.

Exactly a year after his debut, however, Park’s star trajectory came to a screeching standstill. Moving to Korea from the US as a 17-year-old had been difficult on Park, who wasn’t fluent in the language or expectations of him as an idol. Eagle-eyed netizens spotted comments from his old Myspace posts disparaging Korea and its idol system, and in 2009, before the group released their first LP, Jay Park left 2PM.

His departure split K-pop fandoms down the middle, with large swathes defending his perspective while others decided he no longer deserved to represent Korea in a cultural space. Online searches for Jay Park exploded in the next few months, his name even topping the 2010 Oscars to take the No.1 on Twitter’s trending list in March. 

Park shies away from talking about that time in his life, simply repeating over the years that he had made mistakes. "I was very ignorant and not very open-minded," he says. "I was also young, you know? It was hard, but I'm glad I went through all those periods now because it taught me a lot."

Moving back to the US, Park decided to take some time for himself. A family friend gave him a job at his tire shop, which, though a far cry from his idol days, helped him recoup after igniting endless conversations about the expectations placed on idols. 

While Park was laying low, the tide had turned in Korea; the majority of K-pop fans now felt that he was too harshly judged. Fans organized silent protests and boycotted products endorsed by 2PM members. Some reportedly paid for a plane to drag a banner with the words, "J, what time is it now?" across the Seattle skies, in a reference to his band name 2PM.

Others found his church address, and started sending him gifts — including a laptop, which he used to start a YouTube channel. Park chuckles at the full circle fan moment in our interview. 

His first cover in 2010 — a take on B.o.B and Bruno Mars’ "Nothing on You" recorded in his bathroom — went viral, garnering more than 2 million hits on YouTube in 24 hours. The song got so popular that B.o.B re-released the song in Korea with Park’s vocals instead of Mars’. Korean news agency Yonhap reported the song sold 5 million copies in Korea.

The cover gave Park’s music career a new lease on life, and his return to Korea in 2010 was greeted by thousands of cheering fans at Incheon airport.

It is rare in K-pop that an artist makes a comeback after leaving a company as major as JYP Entertainment. "I faced a lot of backlash," Park said in a 2023 AFP interview, adding he was once "kind of blacklisted from the industry."

Park pressed on, releasing his first EP as a soloist in 2010, which included a rearranged Korean version of "Nothin’ On You." As a solo artist, Park could now move on from his pop image towards an edgier hip-hop sound. The transition came with "a lot of trial and error," Park recalls. 

"I look back on my lyrics from 2010 to about 2013, I cringe so hard sometimes," he says with a laugh. "I wasn’t great at translating my English thoughts to Korean, so some lyrics have become memes now." He also felt taken advantage of as a newcomer. "I didn't know anything about how the industry worked, and I was young and naive and didn’t have any proper representation," he says. "So many times, people came to me claiming to work at wherever or represent whoever, and I would just believe them."

Still, Park's music was taking off again. Take A Deeper Look, Park’s rap-heavy first solo Korean mini-album, debuted at No. 3 in the Billboard World Album Charts in 2011. Park established his own record label, AOMG, in 2013 and a second, H1ghr Music, in 2017.

"The reason why I made my own labels is because I wish I had someone to share these experiences or lend a helping hand or guide me to ... what I need to do with this type of fame or when stuff goes wrong," he told USA Today. 

The labels house mainly hip-hop artists like pH1, Sik-K, Loco, Ugly Duck, Hoody, and former GOT7 member Yugyeom. Together, the two companies have been widely credited for leading the hip-hop presence in an otherwise pop-dominated K-pop industry.

In the meanwhile, Park’s increasingly adult-themed releases like the trap inspired, sensual "Mommaev and the more mellow, groove-centered "All I Wanna Do" racked up hundreds of millions of views, further propelling him to the forefront of K-pop’s hip-hop and R&B scene.

His rapport was only getting better internationally as well. In 2017, Park became the first Asian American to sign with Jay-Z’s label Roc Nation.

In 2018, Park's first English-language EP under Roc Nation, Ask About Me, showcased his ability to move fluidly between genres, from the trap-inspired party anthem "Soju" featuring 2Chainz to the tropical house, R&B, and trap blend "Yacht." 

In 2021, Park officially stepped down from both AOMG and H1ghr Music, and established a third label called MORE VISION, representing Korean artists like Chungha and Honey J. The process took longer than expected, he says, which is why The One You Wanted is his first full-length album in five years. (Park released an introspective and uncharacteristically vulnerable The Road Less Traveled in 2019 and a mini-album titled Jay Park: Season 2 earlier this year.)

It seems as if Park has taken the whole of his experience and channeled it into The One You Wanted. Park describes the 20-track album as "easy listening" and return to his R&B roots with features from Ty Dolla Sign, Chungha, IU and Hwasa. For Park, it’s a solidification of his self-styled genre. 

Although far less reflective than his last full album, The One You Wanted still showcases his progression. "Some songs are from six years ago and others I wrote just this year," he says. "You can definitely sense how the sound is different, and my voice is different."

Park hinted at retiring in 2022, but seems in no hurry to do so now. "I’ve been wanting to retire since 2012," he laughs. "When I went solo, I had to hustle a lot to survive in this cutthroat industry. To try to find out what people are into without selling myself short, it was very strenuous."

"But right now, I feel like I’m still needed in the industry."

He is not talking just about his own music or his first world tour in six years — his label MORE VISION is also planning to debut two new K-pop groups by 2026.

For Park, it’s an opportunity to hand down wisdom from everything he’s learned since that fateful JYP audition. "Getting all that attention, getting criticized all the time or getting compliments all the time, it's not normal," he says. "I just gotta make sure while [the trainees] still think I'm cool, I can get them in the right mindset and the right balance of life."

The jury’s still out on the trainees’ opinions, but based on The One You Wanted, Jay Park is set to remain cool for a long time.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Def Jam Recordings, the New York label that made history in hip-hop, R&B, pop, and even thrash metal since its founding, and continues to do so today.

A label that began out of an NYU dorm room in 1984 quickly became an artistic (and business) powerhouse. Early acts like LL Cool J, the Beastie Boys, and Public Enemy were raw, adventurous, and risk-taking. Def Jam's roster opened new pathways in a still-young genre, seemingly every few months. 

After that initial explosion, the label experienced a brief lull in the early 1990s when one label founder departed and the other expanded into fashion and comedy. Def Jam came roaring back beginning in 1994, and by 1998 the label was home to some of the most popular and influential artists in the game — including burgeoning megastars DMX and Jay-Z. To this day, Def Jam maintains a roster of both commercially successful and critically beloved artists in hip-hop, R&B, and pop.

To commemorate the anniversary of the label that gave us, well, pretty much everyone, here’s a list of 15 of Def Jam’s essential releases. While Def Jam brought audiences plenty of singles, EPs and remixes, this list primarily focuses on albums. Each project has a mix of artistic merit, popularity, influence and longevity, originality, and played a key role in the story of Def Jam as a whole. Think of it as a chronological run through the key albums that built one of the most lasting labels in modern music. 

And finally: it must be said that in recent years, a dark shadow has begun to loom over Def Jam’s legacy. Label co-founder Russell Simmons been accused over the past seven years of numerous instances of sexual assault, dating back decades. In spite of these accusations, the label (in which Simmons hasn’t been involved for a quarter-century) remains on top, safeguarding its valuable archive while looking forward to another four decade run as fruitful as the first one.

The one single on this list is also the first piece of music ever released with the now-famous Def Jam logo. "It’s Yours" was a single produced by Def Jam co-founder Rick Rubin — his very first hip-hop production. Instrumentally, it was perhaps only comparable to Larry Smith and Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons’ contemporaneous work with Run-D.M.C. Both "It’s Yours" and D.M.C.’s early work were severely stripped-down, consisting of a few drum sounds, an instrumental stab, and some scratches. 

Lyrically, though, "It’s Yours" is worlds apart from "Sucker M.C.’s" — or pretty much anything else going on in hip-hop at the time. T La Rock, the brother of Treacherous Three member Special K, came from a family of educators, and he put every ounce of his erudition into the track. It begins, "Commentating, illustrating/ Description giving, adjective expert" and goes from there.

In the early 1980s, the state of the hip-hop album was very grim. Only a few existed, and they almost exclusively consisted of a few singles mixed with often-confusing filler. Two things changed that. First, Run-D.M.C.’s 1984 self-titled debut, which GRAMMY.com examined in depth a few months ago. Second was LL Cool J’s debut album Radio, the very first full-length album Def Jam ever released.

In many ways, Radio kicked off hip-hop’s Golden Age. The record shows LL, then still in his teens, as a versatile artist who can be boastful, funny, aggressive, lyrical. The album shows many different sides of his personality, and helped set the template for what a rap album could be.

Read more: 20 Iconic Hip-Hop Style Moments: From Run-D.M.C. To Runways

Beastie Boys - 'Licensed to Ill' (1986)

The Beasties would release more complex and enlightened albums than Licensed to Ill, and one of the members would eventually apologize for some of its lyrics. But there’s no denying that it was a smash hit. It was the first rap album to ever top the Billboard 200, got the group onstage with Madonna, and would eventually sell over 10 million copies. 

Was some of that success due to their race? Sure. They were a credible group, signed to a hot rap label, at a time when it was still novel for white people to be performers in hip-hop. And yet, that’s not the whole story.

Licensed to Ill is a catchy, unique, energetic album, and the group members show undeniable chemistry. To this day, shout-filled, guitar-heavy anthems like "No Sleep till Brooklyn" and the ubiquitous "Fight for Your Right" can still get the party started.

Read more: The Beastie Boys Provide A License To Party

Public Enemy - 'It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back' (1988)

There’s not too much you can say about this album that hasn’t already been said in the years of books, conferences, academic papers, and deluxe re-issues. It has ended up at or near the top of many all-time best lists. Its abrasive, collage-like approach to composition was never equalled (and, in light of current laws and practices around sampling, can never even be approached). The comic stylings of Flavor Flav bring just the right amount of levity to balance Chuck D’s takes on life-and-death issues. 

Decades after its release, the album still sounds urgent. And sadly, in an America still roiled with tensions over race, incarceration, drugs, and the media, its concerns remain as relevant as ever.

Read more: 5 Things We Learned At "An Evening With Chuck D" At The GRAMMY Museum

Slick Rick - 'The Great Adventures of Slick Rick' (1988)

Slick Rick is the ultimate rap storyteller, and his debut album is the best example of his artistry. "I wrote them like an essay," Rick once said of creating the batch of songs that make up Great Adventures. He also compared it to doing stand-up. So you have exactly what those two reference points imply: stories that are well-constructed, and also frequently riotously funny.

Rick is the master of the telling detail (remember "Dave, the dope fiend shooting dope/ Who don’t know the meaning of water nor soap" from "Children’s Story"?), the humorous twist, the morality tale, the bedtime story, the character voice. His influence lives on in perhaps his most devoted protege, Ghostface Killah, as well as in any rapper who has tried to craft a song with a beginning, middle, and end.

Learn more: Essential Hip-Hop Releases From The 1980s: Slick Rick, RUN-D.M.C., De La Soul & More

Warren G - 'Regulate… G Funk Era'(1994)

A bit of an edge case here, as technically the record was put out by Violator Records and Rush Associated Labels, the latter of which was a sort of umbrella organization Def Jam ran in the mid-1990s. Many albums that could have made this list, including projects by Redman, Onyx, Domino, and Nice & Smooth, were released under the RAL banner. But Warren G’s debut, a giant hit in an era where Def Jam really needed it, became inextricably associated with the label, to the point where an article about the album on Universal Music’s website mentions Def Jam five times in the first two paragraphs.

Regulate is a pop-savvy take on the G-funk sound that was then ascendant. It was a huge success in a year that saw the introduction of tons of amazing rappers into the game. And Warren G being associated with Def Jam meant that the East Coast-centric label had expanded its geographic footprint. 

Read more: Warren G Revisits 'Regulate: The G-Funk Era': How The 1994 Album Paved The Way For West Coast Hip-Hop's Dominance

Foxy Brown - 'Ill Na Na' (1996)

Def Jam wasn’t always a friendly place for female artists (despite many of the most important employees being women, including one-time president Nana Ashhurst). In fact, the label didn’t release a rap album by a woman until Nikki D’s Daddy’s Little Girl in 1991. So Foxy Brown’s impact — on Def Jam and on the rap world as a whole — cannot be overstated. Ill Na Na was an album that changed everything for female rappers. It had songs for the clubs, the block, and the radio. Foxy’s sexuality, versatility, and first-class rhyming would have an influence on countless rappers, most famously her number one fan Nicki Minaj, who has been effusively praising Foxy for more than a decade.

Read more: Ladies First: 10 Essential Albums By Female Rappers

No less an authority than Nas referred to 1998 as "The year DMX took over the world." It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot is how he did it. The album set fire to Bad Boy’s so-called "shiny suit era" by embodying its polar opposite: a dark, grimy vision full of gothic synths; raspy, full-throated lyrics; and, sometimes, actual barks. Without DMX, there’s no NYC street rap return: no G-Unit mixtape run, no Diplomats.

The record is consistent and captivating from start to finish, and its thematic centerpiece comes, appropriately, about halfway through with "Damien," which reminds all of us that the most difficult battles we fight are the ones with ourselves.

Jay-Z has made more critically beloved albums than Vol. 2 (Reasonable Doubt and The Blueprint both fall in that category). He has made albums with bigger hits (The Blueprint 3 had a No. 1 hit with "Empire State of Mind"). But he has never made a more important LP.

Vol. 2 was the album that made Jay a superstar. Its Annie-sampling title track (produced by the late 45 King) sent him to the stratosphere — a process he actually documented on his follow-up album. But the record wasn’t just a commercial novelty. It showed Jay at the absolute top of his game: cocky, funny, and brilliant. Case in point: his novel approach to storytelling in "Coming of Age (Da Sequel)," where all the important action takes place in just a few seconds, inside the characters’ heads.

Read more: Songbook: How Jay-Z Created The 'Blueprint' For Rap's Greatest Of All Time

Ludacris - 'Word of Mouf' (2001)

Around the turn of the millennium, Def Jam had its sights set on conquering new territory. Specifically, the South. So they set up Def Jam South and hired Scarface to head it up. The entity’s biggest success came from an Atlanta DJ who went by Chris Luva Luva on the air, but began rapping as Ludacris.

Word of Mouf was Luda’s second album, but it was the one that really cemented his stardom with songs like "Rollout (My Business)," "Area Codes," and the immortal "Move Bitch" (the last of which has had an artist-approved second life as a protest chant). The album proved that the South was here to stay, and that Def Jam would have a role in determining its hip-hop future.

Learn more: A Guide To Southern Hip-Hop: Definitive Releases, Artists & Subgenres From The Dirty South

Scarface - 'The Fix' (2002)

Speaking of Scarface and Def Jam South, Face had no intention of dropping music while running the label. But, in his telling, Def Jam exec Lyor Cohen insisted on it, paying handsomely for the privilege.

"There were so many things working in my favor on that album," Scarface wrote in his memoir Diary of a Madman. "For the first time, I was working on an album for a label that believed in me 100 percent and didn’t want anything from me except for me to make the dopest album I could possibly make. And they went out of their way to make that possible."

Def Jam’s history of putting out classics inspired Face on The Fix, he writes in that book. And in the end, the album stands up there with any of them. It is one of only a small handful of rap records to earn a perfect five-mic rating from The Source, and it belongs in that rarified air with projects like Illmatic and Aquemini. 

Kanye West - 'The College Dropout' (2004)

Yes, today Kanye West is the worst: a Hitler-loving, Trump-supporting, paranoid, antichoice, antisemite who stands accused of sexual harrassment. But two decades ago, the world met a Mr. West who at least seemed very different. 

The College Dropout presented an artist who was already extremely well-known as a beatmaker. But Kanye’s carefully crafted persona as the bridge between mainstream rap and the underground — "First n— with a Benz and a backpack," as he put it — meant that he appealed to pretty much everyone. The College Dropout wasn't West at the top of his rap game, but it did show his skill at developing song concepts, at beats, and at creating an artistic vision so powerful, and so relatable, that it captivated an entire generation.

It’s impossible to talk about Def Jam without discussing Roc-A-Fella. Jay-Z’s label hooked up with Def Jam in 1997, and had a years-long hot streak with artists like Kanye, Beanie Sigel, Freeway, the Young Gunz, and of course Cam’ron’s Diplomats crew — Cam, Juelz Santana, and the overall group all released projects there.

Purple Haze came at the very tail end of Roc-a-fella’s golden age. It has Cam at the absolute peak of his absurdist rhyming powers, keeping computers ‘puting and knocking out eight-syllable multis about Paris Hilton like it was nothing. During the Purple Haze era, it was Cam’s world, and we were all just lucky to be living in it.

Rihanna’s first two projects were full of Caribbean sounds and ballads. But when her third album came along, she needed a change. Riri wanted to go "uptempo," and history shows that was the right choice. Good Girl Gone Bad began the singer’s transformation into the megastar we know today. It spawned five singles and two separate quickie tie-in albums (Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded and Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes).

"Umbrella" was the way forward. Rihanna had a No. 1 record prior, but she’d never made a sensation like this. The song (with a guest verse by then-Def Jam president Jay-Z) not only made it to the top slot, it also won a GRAMMY and was undeniably the song of the summer. The album also contained the sensation "Don’t Stop the Music," a track that kickstarted the EDM/pop hybrid that dominated the late aughts. Without Good Girl Gone Bad, it’s safe to say we’d be living in a very different, Fenty-less world.

Read more: Songbook: The Ultimate Guide To Rihanna's Reign, From Her Record-Breaking Hits To Unforgettable Collabs

One could fill a whole blurb about Channel Orange simply by quoting the extreme praise it received. "A singular achievement in popular culture." "Landed with the crash and curiousness of a meteor." Two days after its release, Pitchfork was already saying that it "feels like a classic."

And yet, somehow even that kind of acclaim doesn’t do the album justice. You really had to be there when it came out, when Frank looked into his soul and, in doing so, connected deeply with so many listeners

Read more: Frank Ocean Essentials: 10 Songs That Embody The Elusive Icon's R&B Genius

"Channel Orange is the most concentrated version of 2012 in 2012 so far," wrote Sasha Frere-Jones at the time, in one of the most dead-on statements about the album. It expressed the contradictions we all lived in. Its fragmentation mirrored the social media that was beginning to take over all of our lives. Ocean left bits of his biography scattered throughout the album, but they almost didn’t matter. He was speaking for all of us, in the way only great artists can. 

A Guide To New York Hip-Hop: Unpacking The Sound Of Rap's Birthplace From The Bronx To Staten Island

In a world of braggadocio lyrics, where weakness is often looked down upon, hip-hop can often seem far from a safe place to discuss mental health. 

But underneath its rugged exterior, hip-hop culture and its artists have long been proponents of well-being and discussing the importance of taking care of one's mental health. Openness about these topics has grown in recent years, including a 2022 panel discussion around hip-hop and mental health, co-hosted by the GRAMMY Museum, the Recording Academy's Black Music Collective, and MusicCares in partnership with the Universal Hip-Hop Museum. 

"Artists are in a fight-or-flight mode when it comes to being in this game," said Eric Brooks, former VP of Marketing & Promotions at Priority Records who worked with NWA and Dr. Dre. "And there need to be strategies on how to deal with the inner battles that only happen in the mind and body."  

The panel only scratched the surface of the many times hip-hop culture has illuminated critical mental health issues that often remain hidden or under-discussed in the music industry. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, read on for 10 times hip-hop has shone a light on mental health. 

J. Cole Apologized To Kendrick Lamar

A long-simmering beef between Drake and Kendrick Lamar was reignited in March 2024 when Metro Boomin' and Future released "Like That." The track featured a scathing verse from Kendrick, where he took aim at  Drake and J. Cole, and referenced the pair's collaborative song "First Person Shooter." 

The single begged for a response, and J. Cole, under what was presumably a significant amount of pressure, surprise-released his Might Delete Later. The album featured "7 Minute Drill," in which Cole calls Kendrick's To Pimp, A Butterfly boring. 

But the same week Cole's album came out, he apologized to Kendrick onstage at his Dreamville Fest, saying it didn't sit right with his spirit and that he "felt terrible" since it was released. Cole added that the song didn’t sit right with him spiritually and he was unable to sleep. Cole subsequently removed "7 Minute Drill" from streaming services. 

Strong debate followed about whether or not Cole should have removed the song. However, many heralded Cole’s maturity in the decision and said it was an important example of not doing things that don’t align with one's true emotions, and avoiding allowing others expectations of you weight down your own physical and mental health.

SiR Spoke Candidly About Depression & Sobriety

Although an R&B artist, TDE singer SiR is hip-hop adjacent, having collaborated with former labelmate Kendrick Lamar on tracks like "D'Evils" and "Hair Down." SiR recently spoke with GRAMMY.com about the troubles that followed him after the release of his 2019 album Chasing Summer.

"I was a full-blown addict, and it started from a string of depression [and] relationship issues and issues at home that I wasn't dealing with," SiR says. After the Los Angeles-based singer had hit rock bottom, he found the spark he needed to do something about it. His initial rehab stint was the first step on the road to change.  

"I was there for 21 days [in 2021]. [The] second time, I was there for two months and the third time wasn't technically rehab…I did personal therapy, and, man, [that] did wonders," he recalls. 

SiR also tackled the stigma many Black communities place on therapy and seeking help for mental health issues. "I would've never done something like that if I was in any other position, so I'm thankful for my issues because they led me to a lot of self-reflection and forgiveness," SiR says.

Big Sean Educated His Audience About Anxiety & Depression 

One of the biggest challenges in addressing anxiety and depression is the feeling that those issues must be kept under wraps.  In 2021, Big Sean and his mother released a series of videos in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Month, in which the GRAMMY nominee opened up about his battles with depression and anxiety. 

In one of those videos, Sean and his mother discussed  the importance of sleep and circadian rhythms when managing depression and mental health issues. In an industry that prioritizes the grind, the hip-hop community often overlooks sleep — much to its detriment.

"Sleep is the most overlooked, disrespected aspect of our well-being," said Myra Anderson, Executive Director & President of the Sean Anderson Foundation and Big Sean's mother. "Even one day without good sleep can mess up your hormones severely." 

As a busy recording artist, Sean concurs that, for him, a lack of sleep contributes to challenges with anxiety. “If I’m not in the right mindset, I don’t get the right sleep,” says Sean in the mental health video series. “Then that anxiety rides high, and my thoughts are racing. I’m somebody that lives in my head.”

G.Herbo's "PTSD" Addressed The Impact Of Street Violence

Eastside Chicago's G. Herbo is an artist vital to the city's drill music scene. On "PTSD," the title track of his 2020 album, Herbo raps about his struggles coping with violence and loss. 

"I can't sleep 'cause it's a war zone in my head / My killers good, they know I'm hands-on with the bread / A million dollars ahead, I'm still angry and seeing red / How the f*ck I'm 'posed to have fun? All my n— dead."  

The lyrics echoed the realities of what G. Herbo grew up seeing in O-Block, considered by many to be one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Chicago. But it wasn't just a song title; G. Herbo was diagnosed with PTSD in 2019 and began therapy to manage it, showing that even rap's most hardened have opened themselves up to professional help. 

"I'm so glad that I did go to therapy," G. Herbo told GRAMMY.com in July 2020. "I'm glad that I did take that leap of faith to just go talk to somebody about my situation and just my thoughts and get 'em to a person with an unbiased opinion." 

Joe Budden Opens Up About His Darkest Times 

In 2017, on the "Grass Routes Podcast," rapper-turned-podcaster Joe Budden opened up about multiple suicide attempts and his lifelong battle with depression. 

"For me, there have been times where I've actually attempted suicide," Budden shared. "As open as I've been when it comes to mental health, it wasn't until retirement from rapping that I was able to dive into some of the things the fans have seen." 

Never one to shy away from rapping about his mental health struggles, Budden songs like "Whatever It Takes" peel back the layers on an artist fighting his demons: "See, I'm depressed lately, but nobody understands / That I'm depressed lately, I'm sorta feelin repressed lately." 

Budden continued to be a champion for mental health that year, including on his former Complex show "Everyday Struggle," where Budden broke down while discussing the suicide death of fellow rapper Styles P's daughter. 

In recent years, Budden has uses his wildly popular "The Joe Budden Podcast" as a tool to discuss his own struggles and raise awareness of mental health issues. 

Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five Broadcast A Serious "Message"

Hip-hop culture has long used rap as a tool to highlight mental health and the everyday struggles of its community. Released in 1982, Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five's "The Message" is an early, effective example of vulnerability in hip-hop.

"The Message" described the mental health impacts of poverty and inner-city struggle, describing desperate feelings and calling for support in underserved communities: "I can't take the smell, can't take the noise / Got no money to move out, I guess I got no choice." Perhaps the most recognizable lyric comes from Melle Mel, who raps, "Don't push me cause I'm close to the edge/I'm trying not to lose my head." 

Eminem Got Honest About Depression While In Rehab

On "Reaching Out," Queen and Paul Rodgers sing "Lately I've been hard to reach / I've been too long on my own / everybody has a private world where they can be alone." These lyrics were sampled on the intro to Eminem's 2009 single "Beautiful," a raw tale of the rapper's struggles with depression. Half of the song was written while Eminem was in rehab, including lyrics like "I'm just so f—king depressed/I just can't seem to get out this slump." 

The lyrics pierced the core of Eminem's audience, who were able to see the parallels between the struggles of a rap superstar and their own issues. The song reached the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for a Best Rap Solo Performance GRAMMY Award. In an interview with MTV about the song, Eminem said it was an important outlet for him at a challenging time. 

But it was far from the first time Eminem has discussed mental health. One of the earliest examples was in his song "Stan," where Eminem rapped from the perspective of an obsessed fan who ended up killing himself and his wife after Eminem failed to respond to his fan mail. In a 2000 interview, Eminem told MTV that he wrote the song to warn fans not to take his lyrics literally. 

Logic Sparked Change With A Number

One of the most impactful moments hip-hop has seen regarding mental health and sparking change was when Logic released his song "1-800-273-8255" in 2017. The record, named after the real National Suicide Lifeline Prevention phone number, which is now 988, hit the top three on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Following the song's release, the British Medical Journal released a study sharing data that showed the song contributed to a 27 percent increase in calls to the prevention hotline that year and may have even contributed to an actual reduction in deaths by suicide. 

Logic's single further proved that rap music's impact extends well beyond charts and sales. "1-800-273-8255" highlighted the connection artists have with their fans, as well as the ways music can be a tool to cope with challenges like mental health and suicidal thoughts. 

Kid Cudi Opened Up About Suicidal Urges 

Cleveland's own Kid Cudi has never shied away from putting his emotions on record, rapping vividly throughout his career about his struggles with mental health. Cudi records, like the hit single "Pursuit of Happiness," are brutally honest about trying to find happiness in a world filled with trials and tribulations. 

In a 2022 interview with Esquire, Cudi recalled checking himself into rehab in 2016 for depression and suicidal urges. He had been using drugs to manage the weight of his stardom and even suffered a stroke while in rehab. "Everything was f—ed," Cudi said. 

Cudi took a break to develop stability, returning to the spotlight with the 2018 project Kids See Ghosts in collaboration with Kanye West.. Today, Cudi and his music remain pillars of strength for those facing similar challenges.   

Jay-Z Detailed The Importance Of Therapy & Getting Out Of "Survival Mode"

In 2017, Jay-Z released his critically acclaimed thirteenth studio album. 4:44 was packed with lessons on family, mental health, and personal growth.

An interview with the New York Times, Jay-Z discussed how helpful therapy had been to him. Therapy helped the rap superstar in his interactions with other people — something that had been hardened growing up as a black man in Marcy Projects. "I grew so much from the experience," he told the Times.

"I think the most important thing I got is that everything is connected. Every emotion is connected, and it comes from somewhere. I understand that, instead of reacting to that with anger, I can provide a softer landing and maybe, 'Aw, man, is you O.K.? You're in this space where you're hurting, and you think I see you, so you don't want me to look at you. And you don't want me to see you,'" he said. "You don't want me to see your pain."

The album also unpacked Jay-Z's infidelity. "I'll f— up a good thing if you let me," he raps on "Family Feud." In the same interview, Jay-Z shared that growing up in the hood put him into "survival mode," impacting his abilities to be a good partner and husband earlier in life. 

"You shut down all emotions. So even with women, you gonna shut down emotionally, so you can't connect," he reflected. "In my case, like it's, it's deep. And then all the things happen from there: infidelity." 

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