J. Cole - Letter For The Fifth Anniversary Of The Warm Up" lyrics

5 years ago, we started a
Journey together on June 15th
2009 I released The Warm Up
To a few who were waiting patiently for it
Full of my dreams, fears and predictions
It resonated with you right
Away over the next
Year I watched it grow legs and
Spread at an unbelievable pace
All because you
Felt it so much five years later
I couldn’t be more proud of
It’s impact thank you

The Warm Up is a declaration
Of dedication to Greatness
Told from the perspective of a kid who wants
More than what his city has to offer him the
Crime the stagnation he wants more from the
Girls he dates he wants out
Of Muhammad’s house he


Refuses to let anyone tell him he can’t
Dream that he won’t make it he believes in
Himself he dedicates his life to his craft
Because he’s finally realized that the work
That you put in today has
A direct and absolute impact on
The life you live tomorrow

You heard the passion, you heard the stories
And you believed in him too you rooted
For him and your’e still rooting my
Thoughts today come from my observations over
The past 5 years i
Understand now that you’re rooting for
Him, rooting for me
Because you are also rooting for
Yourself you realize that this
Society kills dreams and encourages you to
Conform to settle for the block, to
Join the army, to become a lawyer
When you really want to paint, to
Get comfortable in the projects
To slave away at a 9-5 you hate because
It pays decent to become complacent with
Safety the Warm Up says
"Fuck that i will be Greater watch me"

I think about all the times over the past few
Years that one of you has said to me
"you’re the reason I went to
College, " "yo, The Warm Up got
Me through some hard times, "
"got me through law school, "
"med school, " "high school
" "The Warm Up changed my life"

I imagine that 5 years ago we all
Wanted more the Warm Up was
Just something that put music and words
To what we were feeling
As I write this I’m on a plane from Sydney
Australia back to
New York City music has taken
Me around the world now
Doing shows in places I never thought
I would be i’m grateful

I’m wondering where you are
Today 5 years later
The Warm Up dropped when some of you
Were upperclassmen in college i’m
Hoping that you’ve found
A career doing some shit you love
Something that makes you happy maybe
You needed more time
To figure it out grad School? Or maybe
You’re back in your parents
Crib trying to regroup
Everything will be OK don’t stop dreaming
Some of ya’ll were still in high school
If you went on to college, enjoy
It while you got it if you
Went straight to the real world, i wish you
The best i hope you found a trade you love
Or a job that allows you
To support yourself happiness is
All that matters
If you ain’t happy, adjust please

Some of you were underclassmen in college
Which means you probably just entered
The workforce or you’re still
Trying to get that entry
Level position these are
The toughest times you will
Struggle no doubt
But it will all work out in the end

No matter where you were 5 years ago
I hope that today you are closer
To your dreams i know that everything hasn’t
Gone exactly the way you planned
It hasn’t for me either but
Our job isn’t to plan
Our job includes 3 responsibilities 1
To dream 2 to
Believe that dream is attainable and
3 to work hard
Everyday towards that dream let
God handle the rest

As you go throughout this week
Replaying this project that
Changed my life and lots of yours too
I want to leave you with this because I
Feel we all need
It read this as if these words were yours
Because they are

In 5 years I have come so far
I am grateful to be here today, alive and
Full of potential but, I am not satisfied i
Still want more i still have dreams
Even bigger now than before i will
Not settle or conform i
Rededicate myself to greatness i give my time
And my passion to my craft
Because I realize that the work I put in
Today affects the life that I
Live tomorrow i believe in
Myself and to all those that doubt me I say
"Fuck that i will be Greater watch me"

- Cole