Imitation # 7 (2011) J.Cole - Lost Ones

Joel Milian                                                                                                                      12/1/12

Lost Ones

By- J. Cole (2011)

She said nigga you got the nerve
To come up to me talkin’ bout abortion
This my body nigga so don’t think you finna force shit
See I knew that this is how you act, so typical

Said you love me, oh, but now you flipping like reciprocals
It figures though, should’ve known that you was just another nigga
No different from them other niggas
Who be claiming that they love you just to get up in them draws

Critique:

This powerful song by newcomer J.Cole describes a situation involving abortion and teenage pregnancy; both very important topics that are extremely prevalent in today’s society. This song details these topics in an event centering on a guy and the girl he’s impregnated. J.Cole raps and talks as if he’s both persons arguing to one another. Although the song is somewhat of a story, I believe it to be a critique on many events that occur every day similar to the one told in the song. In this sample of the song, the pregnant girl is talking to the guy and is extremely upset and angry at the guy’s interest in abortion. The girl is not so surprised that he told her he loved her, only in an attempt to sleep with her.  In the end the guy is no different than any other guy interested only in sex. The audience of this song can be Cole’s fans and anyone who’s dealt or knows of someone who has gone through unplanned/unwanted pregnancies which are common among the teenage communities, especially in urban areas. The tone in these bars is somewhat tense and angry. Also present is simile, which in a very clever way, J.Cole uses the line “but now you flipping like reciprocals” to show how the change in the guy’s mindset is similar to that of a reciprocal which is a fraction which is inverted, thus flipped. “Lost Ones” is a very powerful and relevant song which should be definitely listened to.