J.Cole did it again, the Staple Center had sold out seats as J. Cole brought L.A. fans together for his KOD tour. The Staple Center was packed by a sea of fans and when J.Cole came out, the crowd went wild! Everyone was standing up wanting to get a glimpse of Cole. The vibe in the night of the concert was amazing, as a fan who has seen him perform three times on tour, J.Cole's performance seemed different, it seemed as if he was more confident as an artist and that he had a purpose to be standing in front of thousands.
Cole's performance was phenomenal, he brought energy to the stage where you can feel that he was enjoying every moment due to the collective effervescence the crowd brought to the arena. At the beginning of the concert, J.Cole introduced himself and what the acronym KOD means to his album. In the introduction Cole stated that the first meaning is Kids On Drugs, the second one is King Overdosed, and the third one is Kill Our Demons.
What J.Cole wants to do in this album as he said it during the concert is to make people aware that sometimes people numb pain with drugs, alcohol, weed, and sex and states how that is not the way to go. Cole specifically said, "The thing that makes us healthy is our ability to deal with pain the healthy way." I know friends, peers, and even myself who has numbed pain in an unhealthy manner and I feel that it happens frequently among people. Within the conversation Cole was carrying with his audience he asked "why doesn't no one show us how to deal with pain?…L.A. people die every day and they never dealt with their shit and let me tell you this, I'm not trying to die with my shit. I'm trying to deal with my shit so I can live peacefully."
I feel that this conversation Cole shared with his audience is significant because not only is his voice important to all the people in the arena, but there is an epidemic of drug abuse going on in America that is not talked about.
I believe that part of the reason why there is an issue is that people don't know how to deal with their demons. In the end, all what J.Cole wanted fans to know is to discover how to deal with their pain in a healthy manner rather than numbing it.
Dreamville
Another message Cole tried to get across to his fans -- overnight success does not exist.
He stated that some people get caught up in the idea that their dreams are not coming fast enough, but stated that it will come step by step, "Just keep putting one step in front of the other, that's how it works."
Cole continues that if one wishes for overnight success, the journey is not going to be a significant one, "If you really have a dream this is what I am saying listen, if you go to 0 to 100 like this, what you are really doing is robbing yourself of the beauty of fucking journey."
What Cole wanted to get across is the idea of working towards a dream and feeling good about oneself when one passes the next step. People dream about their goals in life and get frustrated when it does not come, but when people persevere towards their dreams and achieve it, that's when it becomes beautiful.
During the concert, he gave the example of how he would do shows at clubs back when he was starting off. He stated that sometimes club shows would be successful and sometimes they wouldn't. He also stated how people didn't think he would make it big but didn't let the negativity get to his dreams. On that night he reflected how grateful he is to have worked hard in his dreams and to have a sold-out show where Kobe Bryant has played basketball in the arena and where LeBron is scheduled to play.
I am all for what J.Cole wants -- to spread awareness and positivity. I like how Cole takes the time to think about what message he wants to get across to his audience throughout his music and during his concerts. I admire that he wants to create positivity in society by interacting with his fans where he advised them to create change and to keep on dreaming.
