Rap’s rising star and current ro cover boy J. Cole may call himself “Young Simba” but the bright young emcee is proving that he’s got the wisdom to be hip-hop’s next “Mufasa.” With his debut album, Cole World: The Sideline Story, hitting stores today, Sept. 27, Cole recently released a video for his latest single, “Daddy’s Little Girl,” and flaunts his conscious side.
In the video, which is directed by Axel Larameé, the Roc Nation emcee serves as the story’s narrator as audiences watch the tragic story of a young girl with dreams of becoming a professional dancer see her ambitions turn to dust as she becomes a dancer of another kind.
The video begins with the young girl, dressed in traditional ballerina garb, dancing in the bright lights of the center stage. But as the video progresses, we see the same girl become a young woman and watch her dreams die as she works as an exotic dancer at a strip club, using her ballet skills to dance around a pole for money.
As the young girl dances, Cole seen rapping in between scenes, paints a dark and vivid picture of the young girl’s downward spiral.
“Her mind is on a different level/Plus the teachers couldn’t reach her, always been a rebel/Hit the club, watch out boy, you dancin’ with the devil.”
By the time viewers watch the young woman knocking back shots to wash away her own sweat and tears, Cole, contemplating how a good girl goes bad, is left watching with the other men as “daddy’s little girl” grows up before his eyes on stage.
What are your thoughts on the video? –nicholas robinson
