Lost Ones by J. Cole Song Info
“Lost Ones” is a dialogue between a young couple who’ve just discovered the girl is pregnant. Exploring the whirlwind of thoughts and emotion that follow this revelation, Cole adds depth to the narrative by having each verse from a different perspective; the man’s, the woman’s, and a neutral standpoint. In 2011, Cole cited the track as “one of his favorites” during a Muve Music Sessions interview: ""Lost Ones,“ that’s one of my favorite songs. Because obviously, when you listen to it, it’s super emotional, super deep. I feel like my favorite records of my own are my favorite because they really hit your heart or I know the impact it’ll have on people." The music video, which was released October 25, 2011, featured an opening disclaimer reading: "With just a Dollar and a Dream, this video was shot in 2008 before I even had a record deal. 3 years later, watching it still give me the same emotions. This is dedicated to the Lost Ones." — Jermaine Cole In 2014, a DJ Booth writer Kevin Taylor wrote an article about “Lost Ones,” admitting that it gave him “the reality check of a lifetime,” even going on to dub it “a conscious music masterpiece.” A blogger, Jane, wrote a critical analysis of the song in reply to Kevin’s article. "A song with dealing with young pregnancy, when you’re around that age of either late teens or early 20s or whatever age you are, it explores all of that from both sides… That’s one of my favorites, and I’ve been holding on to that song for like four years, just waiting for this album to come out." — J. Cole, via Billboard