J. Cole‘s relentless domination of Dead Presidents II provided the original inspiration for the 3:16 series. Granted, asking emcees to recite their most revered verses isn’t anything too new but what I heard in Cole’s couplets on that song stuck out like the only hand raised in a classroom full of deaf kids. Yes, wrestling with a man-making beat like “Dead Presidents” with it’s heavy Hov history and Nas sample invites a certain degree of hyperbole, and that’s precisely the point, he’s forcing the comparison, jumping right into the equation by matching his mentors bar for bar. The truth is, J. Cole is that kid in the back of the classroom with his hand raised; the consummate student, always on time, homework in hand, respectful of his teachers, grateful for their lessons, and dreaming of the day he’ll turn practice into action.

Witness the evolution of an emcee, in 3′s…

From the potent punchlines of Cannibus’ “Buckingham Palace” (above)

To the dramatic brush strokes of Nas’ “Undying Love”
And the culmination of those lessons in one of his own songs, “Lights Please” (above)

For more on the 3:16 series, hit up our partners in crime, The Smoking Section and DOWNLOAD J. Cole’s next single ‘Who Dat” (via).