J. Cole Returns To “Fayettenam” For “Who Dat” Video

We’ve been blasting J. Cole’s head-nodding “Who Dat” for weeks, but we’ll admit it: we weren’t sure how the North Carolina rapper and Jay-Z protege would represent himself when it came time for his first official video. We’re happy to report that Cole (working with directing duo BBGUN, who shot the original Kid Cudi “Day N Nite” video) got it right: he turned the spotlight on his hometown, leading a marching band and cheerleaders through “Fayettenam” with one artful tracking shot. Watch below — and look out for that burning car in the street.

J. Cole — “Who Dat”

Cole packs a punch in those razor-sharp rhymes: it’s fun to watch him romp around his town while he prounces himself the new fresh prince (“I’m Will Smith to the hood, baby”). Though Fayetteville city leaders have not taken kindly to the “Fayettenam” nickname, it sounds like Cole is still quite proud of his roots: “I’m proud of how Fayetteville’s grown,” he told the Fayetteville Observer while shooting the video. “There’s a lot of potential here, and I hope when people see how I’ve been able to reach my dreams, that they’ll be inspired – not just in music, but anything.”

Sounds like a proper introduction to us.