"It's much darker this time" as J. Cole addressed the crowd as the What Dreams May Come Tour touched down at Detroit's Masonic Temple late Thursday night. Accompanied by fellow Roc Nation artist Wale, the born sinner gave a performance that rivaled a choreographed broadway show, while never sacrificing the message of his music that fans have come to love from the emcee.
Opened by protégé Bas, the Queens native ran through a quick set of songs from his mixtape Quarter Water Raised Me, all the while keeping the mostly unfamiliar crowd entertained as anticipation for the main acts brewed.
Following a brief intermission, MMG's own Wale hit the stage to perform a medley of hits. Backed by hype man Black Cobain, the D.C. rapper sang shorten versions of his hits, including singles off of his latest release The Gifted. Halfway through his set, Folarin raced off stage into the crowd while rapping his hit "Pretty Girls, in which the audience responded by circling him, each with an iPhone camera in hand capturing every moment. As radio favorites like "Clappers" and "Bad" kept the crowd on its feet for the duration of the set, the peak came during the encore where street anthem "Bait" had the Masonic Temple at its loudest.
After a drastic set change, simulated rain and thunder alerted the crowd that the main act had arrived. As t.v. screens broadcasted that Cole was involved in a fatal car crash on the way to the venue, the Fayetteville emcee made his grand entrance to the sounds of "Trouble", descending from a flight of stairs that appeared to be coming from heaven's gate. Backed by a live band, it was clear that this would not just be a concert; but it would be a journey through the life of Jermaine Cole, and on that Thursday night all in attendance were invited for the ride.
Cole went through the majority of his sophomore album Born Sinner, while in between pre-recorded phone messages and swigs of hennessy gave the crowd insight into each and every song. With no guests, with the exception of opener Bas to perform the song "Lit", Cole single-handedly gave a VH1 storytellers inspired performance describing his personal purgatory; ranging in topics from the absence of his father to his mother's drug abuse. As songs such as "Runaway", "Rich Niggaz", and "Lights Please" gave the audience access to the personal world of J. Cole, singles like "Work Out" and "Can't Get Enough" lightened the mood and kept the crowd on its feet for the entire show.
Concluding with his biggest hit thus far "Power Trip", the best moment of the night came when Cole reversed the mic and let the crowd sing the acapella hook as he stood motionless in amazement. As the band played to Cole's exit an ambience of what true hip hop is supposed to be filled the air, showcasing that the genre is safe in the new generation's hands.
