J. Cole and Skullcandy Packs the 40/40

In the beginning, there was Rakim. He ruled in the temple of lyricists for ions. Then, came HOVA. He was the truth, the way, and the shine in lights. There was no one “King of America” before him. The deciples of the Rolling Stone Temple chose HOVA as such. In his lifetime, he beget many sons. He gave the world his only loyal and humble son, young Simba. HOVA set young Simba off to bring Skullcandy to his nation at the HOVA temple of 40/40 on June 16, 2010. And what became of young Simba during the night? I now share my eyewitness account with the followers of HOVA…and all who wish to know “Who Dat?”

When I arrived in New York Wednesday afternoon, I was met by the CEO of Grand Royale Records: Mr. Daniel Azure. I was told by Mr. Miglani that I would be in good hands…he was NOT kidding. He became my genie in the driver seat of my car. The handsome, well connected, London native made me feel like the queen I am for my entire stay. I asked him, “Where is the 40/40 club? How far is Marcy from us?” immediately BEFORE I found out where J. Cole’s secret show would be held. Even though he is fresh from London to New York, he made my wish come true in less than thirty minutes. We arrived at Broadway and 6^th Avenue early to see lines of people wrapped around both sides of the building. Entering the club was surreal. I felt like I was floating on the RocNation sea of perfection. Lights flashing J. Cole, RocNation tees bumbling here and there, and an anxious mob of people waiting for Cole to take the stage. I was still pinching myself anywhere I still had feeling when Daniel got us in to the VIP area right next to the stage. Shook hands with Alexis Jordan (she is even prettier in person). The 40/40 club was packed wall to wall.

Surrounded by live Skullcandy artwork, J. Cole’s performance had me speechless and in tears. The guy is pretty hilarious dappin an imaginary Wale and Miguel after he performed his portion on “Beautiful Bliss” and “All I Want is You.” There was an effervescent glow in my eyes as I was mesmerized by his passion; I had to keep cool considering I was directly in front of one of the livestream cameras. This performance made my dreams tangible. Personally my 1^st and it was unforgettable. The vibrations from his voice, the insatiable tracks, and the ultimate venue for any fan of Jay-Z (RocNation) just set the entire performance into a league of its own. Still humble with hit after hit that the crowd was ever so anxious to complete with or without Cole’s prompt, J. Cole collected even more avid fans of his art. Hard-core fans were dodging cameras, record execs, and even a steep set of stairs to get as close as possible to the stage. Amazing how Daniel and I are in this video from the stairway...no I didn't know the camera man but it looks like it huh?

After trying my best to contain myself during J. Cole’s (Fayetteville, NC’s own Hip-Hop savior) performance , Daniel continued to grant my wishes. Immediately after the performance, he escorted me to the ESPN lounge upstairs…” at the 40/40 ESPN on the screen.” There was an immaculate display of the Aviator Skullcandy headphones with president Jeremy Andrus planted right beside it chatting with Daniel and some admirers of the display (including myself). There were two sets of Aviator Headphones on display (Aviator Brown Gold, Aviator Black). I HAD to try on the Brown. Ultimately all the “who’s who” were a grounded, friendly bunch that made this the night that dreams are made of for me at our King’s 40/40 Club. J. Cole’s sincere efforts to restore Hip-Hop to quality not quantity was matched by a welcoming, family-orientated atmosphere at Jay-Z’s 40/40 club.