J. Cole has already attained much success with his latest album “Born Sinner,” garnering the Roc Nation artist some much deserved acclaim, as he has currently outsold Kanye West’s “Yeezus.” Now Cole is back with a video for his single, “Crooked Smile,” which tells a story about the war on drugs. As reported by rollingstone.com:
“J. Cole takes on the war on drugs in his new video for the Born Sinner track ‘Crooked Smile,’ featuring TLC. In the clip, he shows both sides of the intense struggle: Cole plays a family man who cares deeply for his daughter, juxtaposing this against a white DEA agent who is also a single father. But though Cole slings baggies of marijuana, he’s far from a violent criminal, inviting his parents over for his daughter’s birthday and making a cake especially for her. Both sides collide tragically when DEA agents raid the house and Cole’s daughter is shot, rattling everyone involved in the takedown.”
Aside from taking a stance on the war on drugs, J. Cole’s “Crooked Smile” video is also dedicated to Aiyana Stanley-Jones, who according to mtv.com was “a 7-year-old girl who was shot and killed during a police raid on her house in Detroit back in 2010. The case was spotlighted in the national media at the time, and clearly it resonated with the Roc Nation rapper.”
The end of the “Crooked Smile” video reads:
“For Aiyana Stanley-Jones,’ and please reconsider your war on drugs.”‘
Check out the J. Cole “Crooked Smile” video above and comment below.