This next shit is in no way to boast
But my city love breakfast, ’cause niggas had toast early
Coach had us doin’ jumpin’ jacks
Then sent us to the water fountain after runnin’ laps
My nigga went and grabbed his bookbag, threw it on his back
And brought it to me just to show me he was fuckin’ strapped
We was twelve years old, how was we to know better?
I analyzed his life and see that he was so set up

How can anyone say Cole is boring with verses like this?

Probably the least known of the Simba trilogy, it’s also probably the best. While the first two were good, the original had the aforementioned lack of a definitively Cole voice, and the second, while still better, didn’t display this level of tenacity or hunger.

Great storytelling, addressing some serious topics–both reflecting on his past and thinking about his future, and tons of wordplay (SO MUCH!), this track is a reminder of why Cole is considered by many (myself included) one of the leaders of the new-ish school.

Got good grades but A’s can’t stop strays so pray for me

Off the top of my head, this is top 5 favorite closing verses on any rap project. This verse sums up everything great about Cole: great wordplay, like the quote above, tons of emotion, and a balance between the good and the bad.

Cole knows his childhood was rough and that he did some less than ideal things, but he knows that they’re what made him the man he is today. Because of that, he wouldn’t erase any of the pain or his mistakes; instead, he embraces and acknowledges them.

But if this shit ain’t fire, nigga, why you nodding with it?
The hate in your blood can’t stop your soul from vibing with it

A sarcastic Cole gets on his bragging game and, as this verse shows, his confidence in his abilities is well justified. Cole’s lyrical dexterity is on full display featuring impressive multisyllabic rhyming and plenty clever wordplay. Combined with a ferocious delivery, this verse really will have listeners' souls vibing with it.

The devil buying souls, nigga, no refunds

Cole does what he does best here: vivid storytelling about inner-city struggles. Throughout the verse, he interweaves his own hopes and troubles with stories of some of the horrible things he’s grown up around. Near the end of the verse, Cole slows down to make sure every line hits home and makes fantastic use of repetition, first trying and failing to convince himself “ain’t nothing wrong,” and second, with the wonderfully simple “I gotta ball”—the urgency in his voice rising each time.

Jacob the jeweler’s cooler now that he’s a felon

One of Cole’s most aggressive verses sees him at the top of his punchline game. Ruminating on the necessities of presentation in his business, Cole shouts out Waka Flocka Flame and addresses rap’s infatuation with villains.

When I say a minute I mean years, man
Damn, a whale could have swam in them tears fam

In the closing track off of Cole World: The Sideline Story, Cole discusses his absentee father and how it affected him as a child, a topic he rarely addresses. This verse shows why. Still struggling between anger at the absence and desire for affection, this experience has left a mark on Cole that he is not able to escape, even as an adult.

No disrespect meant, honey, this just a compilation of my observations
While trapped inside this God-forsaken nation

This standout verse from the Dreamville label’s first official project, the Revenge of the Dreamers mixtape, sees the boss man lacing some stellar rhymes on a familiar topic: the hypocrisies of humanity. A common theme in Cole’s work, he takes a bit of a different approach here. Often Cole discusses his hypocrisies, but here he shows them in practice, angering a woman by essentially telling her he won’t sleep with her because she’d too dumb, but then trying to bed her later that night as he gets a little less inhibited.

Ay, could it be I give the hopeless broke kids hope?
Caught me walking through the mall looking like he seen a ghost

This song couldn’t come at a better time. After the intensity of 2 Face, it’s nice to see this side of Cole. Often, it feels like he’s either trying to address major issues with appropriate seriousness or make damn sure people notice him. This verse feels like Cole couldn’t care less how people respond and is just musing on his life, how he got there, and what it and he might mean to others–I do love the anecdote about running into a fan. There’s no concern, just Cole taking a moment to consider everything.

And the clip is on E ‘cause your chest got a fill up

Probably my favorite song from Cole’s mixtape debut of the same name.

What makes this stand out so much is that Cole takes a break from the flurry of fast-paced rhyming that makes up the rest of the tape. While I love the rest of the songs and think the tape is mad slept on, a lot of it felt more like Cole imitating his idols than developing his own voice. This feels like it’s the first glimpse of the artist Cole later developed into: slowing down the flow and easing up on the need to rhyme as much as possible to make way what still probably one of his most quotable songs.