Cold Days and Dark Nights is the latest album from underground Chicago rapper Jelani Lateef (J Fury), who has been steadily on the rise as one of independent rap’s most promising artists over the past decade. Akin to Kendrick Lamar and The Roots’ Black Thought, Lateef preaches messages of hope, perseverance, tenacity, and resilience.
In 2011, he founded Manhood Entertainment and released his debut album My Soul to Keep in 2013. A year later, he dropped My Soul to Keep 2 and soon followed up with 2015’s Cold Days and Dark Nights. With highly personal, autobiographical lyrics, his soulful brand of hip-hop aims to uplift the listener, a breath of fresh air in the often misogynistic and violent nature of current mainstream rap. Conversely, Cold Days and Dark Nights tells the tales of a Black man simply trying to avoid a path of drugs and violence. Standout tracks like “Forward Advance,” “Can’t Stop Now,” “Flashback,” and “One Life One Chance,” propel his agenda of persevering through life’s hardships.
Lateef’s name can be found in The Source, Allhiphop.com, Black Minds Magazine, and Rap Sheet, proof he’s finally garnering the notoriety he’s tried so hard to achieve. It’s clear this won’t be the last time the name Jelani Lateef is written.
Check out the album and video for “Keep Looking” below:
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