Also on the latter album: a posthumous verse from 2Pac himself, underlining the fact that Cole frequently reversed the typical R&B singer and rapper relationship by featuring MCs on her tracks. Cole explored that duality across her albums while also bringing more women into her circle: 2007’s Just Like You featured a club-ready slice of boisterous female empowerment co-starring both Missy Elliott and Lil’ Kim (“Let It Go”), and 2008’s A Different Me included a duetted ode to devotion with Monica (“Trust”). But it was the heartrending “Love” that exposed the softer side of her bluntly titled 2005 debut, The Way It Is. When Cole at last found her own spotlight, it was over a Kanye West beat on 2004’s “I Changed My Mind,” an ex-skewering anthem cowritten by John Legend. Three years later, in 1996, she was set to record with 2Pac when he was gunned down.
After cold-calling MC Hammer at age 12, the local hero gave her a shot at studio backing vocals. The Oakland singer (born in 1981) started her career early, immersed in rap. And, of course, it’s in her throaty voice, powerful at both a quaver and a wail. It’s in her unbridled emotion, which rings true whether she’s wounded or hopeful. It’s in her style, which bridges R&B’s earnestness to hip-hop’s realness.
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