Jermaine Cole (A.K.A. J. Cole) is a North Carolina-based rapper (born in Germany, might I add) who first saw success with his mixtape “The Come Up” back in 2007. After being signed to Jay-Z’s record label Roc Nation and releasing two more mixtapes, Cole saw big success in 2011 with the release of his debut album “Cole World: The Sideline Story.” He slowly became one of the most beloved names in modern hip-hop with the releases of his subsequent albums “Born Sinner,” “2014 Forest Hills Drive” (an album that went platinum with no features), and most recently, his 2016 album “4 Your Eyez Only,” an album that not only yielded Billboard Hot 100 Top 10 hit “Deja Vu,” but also became one of only a few albums in history to have all of its songs chart on the Hot 100.
Now while Cole has been one of the biggest names in hip-hop, I haven’t really taken the time to sit down and listen to a lot of his songs. It’s not for lack of interest, it’s just that I’ve had so much other music to listen to that I never really gave myself the time to listen to his other projects. I really love the song “Power Trip” off of “Born Sinner,” but I haven’t listened to much else from him. Perhaps in the future I will, we’ll see. But this new album dropped by surprise, and given that it’s bound to be one of the most talked-about hip-hop albums of the year, why not give it a look? Let’s go!
Intro: A neat little intro track with a cool saxophone instrumental and some nice vocals from J. Cole, there’s not really much to say about this one given that it’s under 2 minutes. It’s a cool-sounding intro, nothing I’ll add to my regular playlist, but it’s a good start nonetheless.
KOD: J. Cole talks on this track about drugs, and also about how others are “cramping his style,” and he does that over a rather minimal instrumental and a basic 808-drum beat. Still, his flow is really strong (I know it’s been said for a while that J. Cole’s technicality as a rapper is great, and this track proves that) and the hook has a lot of potential to become extremely ear-wormy. Definitely think I’ll be coming back to this one a lot in the future.
Photograph: A song where Cole talks about finding a photo of a girl on social media and wanting to be with her, Cole’s technical rapping skills remains strong on this track, but I don’t find the flow that he uses to be very special here. I also don’t find the hook to be all that memorable, and I don’t think the story being told here is all that interesting either. Might need a few more listens to grow on me, but for now, it’s just whatever.
The Cut Off (ft. kiLL edward): A song where J. Cole goes into his kiLL edward alter-ego, this one has Cole talking about how he’s had to cut people off because of a lack of trust in them. It’s a much more compelling story than the last track, and Cole’s flow throughout his verses feels so interesting and stream-of-consciousness. I like his kiLL edward alter-ego here, too, although I do think the track could’ve used a better hook. Still a pretty solid song.
ATM: A track where Cole talks all about his money and how others consider money, I wasn’t all crazy about the hook at first, but it definitely grew on me after repeat listens. What really got me into this track was Cole’s rapid-fire and very energetic performance throughout the song. It’s introspective to a degree, but it’s extremely upbeat and fun! Good track!
Motiv8: Cole speaks on this track about how “alive” he feels on this track, I’m not 100% into the hook on this track, though I once again like Cole’s rapid-fire flow on the song. I’m not sure if I’m really digging the lyrics here (what does he mean when he says “I get bread like I’m Green Day?”), and I think the song ends all too quickly, but it’s still got some pretty cool energy. Might need to give it a few more listens, though.
Kevin’s Heart: This track is about a person that’s heavily infatuated with drugs, and while it might feel a little too much like standard trap music, I think Cole’s performance on this cut is energetic and fun enough, and I like how he blends perfectly between some more rapid-fire flow, and more sing-y moments on the hook. Definitely digging this track, think I’ll definitely give it some repeat listens in the future.
BRACKETS: Here, we have Cole talking about increases in tax brackets on what is the album’s longest song, clocking in at just over 5 minutes. And unfortunately, I don’t feel myself vibing too much with this track because I just think it’s a bit too spacey. Still, the beat on here is pretty cool, and Cole’s got some really great lyrics on here, especially on the second verse. This one has the most potential to grow on me.
Once an Addict - Interlude: A 3-minute interlude, this is a really introspective, minimal track, but I really love Cole’s very emotional performance and flow throughout this cut. His vocals on the outro are also extremely nice, and I feel like, even as an interlude, J. Cole really sang and rapped this song from the heart. Really loved this track a lot, definitely gonna come back to it in the future.
FRIENDS (ft. kiLL edward): kiLL edward returns on this track to help J. Cole understand his addiction to drugs, and what he blames his addiction on, be it politicians, his personal life, or any other thing. Cole’s performance is once again very emotional, as it feels like his addiction is pushing him to his emotional limits. His flow is very strong, and kiLL edward’s vocals on the hook grew on me a bit after a few listens. Really great, emotional track.
Window Pain - Outro: Another very introspective song, Cole talks here about what he wants in life, bookending the track with the story of a young boy witnessing his cousin being shot, and trying to make sense of the bad things that happen in the world. The hook on this one is very ear-wormy, and I like Cole’s vocals on it, and his performance on his verse once again feels emotional and confident, even if the song isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Really good track!
1985 - Intro to “The Fall Off”: Ending things off (or, potentially, the intro to another upcoming project of his, from what I’ve read?) Cole once again reflects on his life here, given that he was born in 1985. He also talks about the rap industry and seems to take some subtle shots at the recent wave of SoundCloud rappers (though apparently, the diss is mostly directed at Lil Pump? Who knows?), and he kind of gives pointers to these rappers about how to manage themselves while being in the industry. I love his flow on this one, as he just raps straight-through on one verse and does a damn good job of it. His lyricism is as strong as ever, and this is a great ending to the album.
Overall, I get the feeling this album isn’t going to be for everyone (I think I’ve heard that J. Cole’s music isn’t for everyone? I think I've heard you need a certain level of "intelligent's" to vibe to it?), but given that this is my first time really sitting down and listening to him, I have to say that I’m really digging this project. Sure, some of the hooks may not be all that great, and some of the songs might be a bit too spacey, but J. Cole’s technical rapping skills are most certainly there, and he proves to be a really amazing lyricist as well. Even if he spends a lot of the time on here talking about drugs, he does it with such conviction, and transitions nicely from rapping and singing throughout.
I also must point out, this is an example of an album that grew on me while I was listening to it. After the first few tracks, I was worried I was gonna give this an “okay” at best. By about the halfway point, I thought it would get something close to a “good.” By the end, I really found myself considering it an “excellent” record. This is a case of an album that may be flawed, but I can look past those flaws (or rather, notice them less) and really dig the project. The last half of this album was really amazing, and it helped boost my opinion on the record. And you never know, maybe with a few more listens, the front half of the album will grow on me as well. Either way, I’ll definitely be coming back to this album quite a bit in the future! It’s a really great record, and I know J. Cole fans will really enjoy it. I’m not even a regular listener of his, and I dig it.
And yes, I will consider reviewing his older albums, too. There’s a lot on my plate for reviews, though, so no guarantees.
Favorite tracks: KOD, ATM, Kevin’s Heart, Once an Addict - Interlude, FRIENDS, Window Pain - Outro, 1985 - Intro to “The Fall Off”
Least favorite tracks: Photograph
Rating: Excellent
No comments:
Post a Comment