J.Cole , Physics and The Pathetic Fallacy

Part One:

The Literature.

“The sun set peacefully while the stars watched. I stood between whispering trees , the moonlight gentle against me.”

That is called a Pathetic Fallacy, it’s a literary device where you ascribe human emotions to inanimate objects. It’s when the environment informs the emotional landscape of the scene. Yknow, thunder rolls when the bad guy is on the screen, the sun is bright for your plucky hero’s entrance. It’s one of my favorite literary devices across any medium. The last book I fell in love with is basically one very long pathetic fallacy.

“The letter is sealed. The sky should crack. The world is hollow.”

So it’s no surprise that when mf J.Cole hops on Johnny P’s Caddy and opens up with one of the coldest pathetic fallacies , I was caught immediately. This was pure magic.

“On the night I was born, the rain was pourin’, God was cryin’

Lightnin’ struck, power outage, sparks was flyin’

The real one’s here, the young boy that walk with lions

Around the outlines of chalk where the corpses lyin’”

Bro said I’m built different …born different. The air is crackling with power by his birth. You can see the wind whipping , the storm raging in your eyes when he says it.

Not only does it say that the world shakes at his birth but capital g God sanctioned it. This is Leonidas fighting the wolf level imagery, this is that sweet sweet Chosen One prophecy right here and I love it. Go listen to it, it’s a banger.

Part Two :

Ether.

“Some see the glass as empty, I see a glass full of ether

Collectin’ his bread in mass like he a Catholic preacher

Just to count a nigga cash, you might need a calculus teacher

Eureka, Einstein on the brink of the theory of relativity

Really no MC equal, feel me?”

Quelle surprise, I like physics.

Strap in, we’re about to learn a thing. Renee Descarte is a dead white man who spoke a lot. He’s prolly most famous for ‘Cogito Ergo Sum ; I think therefore I am.’ He also proposed a theory about the universe that persisted for almost 3 centuries. To grossly oversimplify he said there was a medium, some essence that was always present everywhere. It was this essence, this ether that allowed sound and light to travel. This was medium basically allowed things to happen. Cool?

SO when J. Cole says that he sees a glass full of ether, he’s saying he sees potential where others don’t. He’s that good. You’re a pessimist but I’m a creator.

But then the top genna Einstein says nah. He proposed the theory of relativity which gave us the world’s most famous equation E=mc2 . (It also disproved the existence of the ether)

Really, he was unmatched. The theory that basically all of physics is based on. GPS works because of it, wifi , fiber optics and the list goes on. Truly, unmatched.

I really like that fantastic word play of mc (an alternative title for a rapper) to mc to reference the theory of relativity. I can’t praise how much fun I have listening to it.

It also references the opening of the song where Benny says:

“This ain’t my story ‘bout rags to riches

More ‘bout how I mastered physics”

What more could I want? Narrative consistency, physics and my favorite literary device? C'mon.

Part Three

Mastery

I’m talking: Kendrick on Control , Tee Grizzley on First Day Out ,Cardi on Bodak Yellow , Nicki on Monster, Tyler on Cash In Cash Out.

I, like most of us, love to see excellence on display. To see people who have worked long and hard at something demonstrate the fruits of the labor. I love when people who have earned their accolades remind you why they deserve them. This verse did that for me, it reminded me what I like about J. Cole, his wit, wordplay and intensity on this track was emblematic of a significant part of what I love about his work.

This is the kind of song that reminds me to keep working. To keep developing myself and my skills. I hear it and I want to get back to my work. This song makes me want to be better, to be the best.