J. Cole a distinctive, honest voice in rap game

That J. Cole has become one of the best-selling rappers in the game is hardly surprising. He‘s easily one of the most compelling artists to emerge in recent years. He‘s a magnificent MC with a lyrical aptitude that is matched by only a few of his mainstream counterparts, but really his appeal extends well beyond his abilities.

He‘s different from everybody else in the game right now, which makes him stand out glaringly. He‘s self-aware when it comes to his success. In a clip promoting his latest record, he talks about the superficiality of fame and how true happiness comes from interpersonal relationships. Before becoming ensnared by its allure, "hopefully I caught myself just in time," he says.

With that in mind, you get the sense that the acclaim has only allowed him to play with the house‘s money. From hosting listening parties for fans at his childhood home — which he purchased and plans to house struggling families in for two-year stints — to performing impromptu shows for fans for a measly dollar, his generosity is rivaled only by his activism.

To that end, he‘s proving to be a man of significant depth. He‘s earnest, self-aware, disarmingly honest and vulnerable, and all of those traits have carried over convincingly into his music, which is at once thought-provoking and affecting.

From the unsettling video for "Crooked Smile," inspired by the story of Aiyanna Stanley-Jones, a 7-year-old girl from Detroit, who was erroneously killed in a police raid, to his stirring Letterman performance of ’Be Free," a track dedicated to Michael Brown, whose town the rapper traveled to last year during the Ferguson, Mo., uprising, J. Cole has become resounding, articulate presence.

Read more from Dave Herrera at bestoflasvegas.com. Contact him at dherrera@reviewjournal.com.