VIDEO: J. Cole Wins Us Over With His "Crooked Smile" And Sizzling Super Bowl Blitz Set!

By Jordan Runtagh

January 28, 2014 / 12:00 PM

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VH1's Super Bowl Blitz concert series got off to a stellar start last night as J. Cole made temperatures rise with a sizzling set at Queens College! Obviously the rap star brought the the house down with his hit "Crooked Smile," but that just scratches the surface of his unforgettable performance.

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After some pump-up words from hosts Nick Cannon and Stacy Keibler (sweet moves from Iggy the Penguin), the man of the hour took to the stage amid thundering drums announcing "Trouble." It's track off of last year's breakthrough album, Born Sinner, and the crowd showed their love by helping out on the backing vocals.

From there, Cole was in flight, taking us through "Land of Snakes," and tearing the roof off the joint with "Blow Up." A major highlight was "Work Out," alternating between fierce raps on the verse and the sultry Paula Abdul sample on the hook. Cole was treating fans to a live mashup of "Lights Please" and "In The Morning" as the clock struck midnight, officially marking his 29th birthday. Fans delighted the birthday boy by launching into a spontaneous rendition of "Happy Birthday!"

Finally, he capped off the evening with "Power Trip," with a little help on the final verse from his new friends in the crowd. Talk about a killer birthday...and a killer gig. Head up to the gallery above and for all song selections from the night!

Don’t forget to catch your favorite artists performing at VH1's Super Bowl Blitz all week long. Next up we've got Janelle Monae!

· Tuesday, January 28: Janelle Monáe – Bronx: Lehman College

· Wednesday, January 29: Fall Out Boy – Brooklyn: Brooklyn Bowl

· Thursday, January 30: TLC – Manhattan: Beacon Theatre

· Friday, January 31: Goo Goo Dolls – Staten Island: St. George Theatre

· Saturday, February 1: Gavin DeGraw – New Jersey-: The Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ)

[Photo: VH1]