J.Cole – Friday Night Lights (Mixtape)

After hearing J.Cole’s self-produced track, “Lights Please,” Jay-z signed the North Carolina artist to his Roc Nation label. This record deal put a lot of attention on the young emcee, who quickly released one of 2009’s best projects in The Warm Up mixtape. Now, unlike a number of popular southern hip hop artists who release material regularly to stay relevant, J.Cole has managed to keep his buzz alive for a little over a year since releasing that tape. His impressive lyricism even landed him a guest spot on Jay-z’s The Blueprint 3 album, opening the door to nation-wide exposure. J.Cole’s debut album is set to be released in late 2010.