vigoronline

J. Cole headlined Heineken's Inpsire concert. Photo by Leon Laing.

What a difference a year makes.

Last year, vigoronline.com covered some mega rap stars in concert, including Jay-Z and Lil Wayne.  Upcoming acts, including rapper J. Cole, opened up for Jigga at State College on Oct. 9, 2009.

Like Heineken’s red logo, Cole is becoming a star. On July 17, Cole headlined Heineken’s Inspire concert (formerly Red Star Soul) at Philadelphia’s Theatre of Living Arts. Cole, 25, currently reps Fayetteville, North Carolina, but he was born in Frankfurt, Germany. He inked the first deal with Jigga’s Roc Nation label. Before Cole graced the stage, we interviewed him backstage. He has two mixtapes under his belt: 2007’s The Come Up and 2009’s The Warm Up. He also dropped two bangin’ singles recently: “All I Want Is You” by Miguel ft. Cole and “Who Dat” by Cole.   “It’s [No.] 20 on the rap charts,” Cole said about “Who Dat.” He added that his album drops on Oct. 26, and the title is yet to be determined. We asked him what’s the most valuable tip he learned from his mentor Jay-Z. “The importance of making hits,” Cole responded.

The rhyme spitter from the ‘Ville owned the stage during his performance for songs such as “Star is Born,” “Lights Please” and “Who Dat.” Although Cole is a newcomer, the audience knew his songs, and they rapped in unison to them. Philly’s own Freeway gave a surprise performance by joining Cole on stage. Freeway brought the house down with his energetic set for the classic “What We Do.”

Cole wasn’t the only performer of the night. Rap pioneer DJ Jazzy Jeff showed his turntable wizardry, while soul songstress Marsha Ambrosius impressed the audience with her robust vocals. Musiq wooed the ladies with his soulful serenades, and rapper Skillz hosted the concert. See below for more photos.

A reporter interviews J. Cole. Photo by Leon Laing.

Marsha from Floetry poses for vigoronline.com. Photo by Leon Laing.