J. Cole went from an anonymous light-skinted kid on NahRight to one of the most highly anticipated young artists in the game, because that's just how easy it is to become a famous rapper nowadays. He also signed with Jay-Z, who I suppose has some clout in the music industry. I actually think that Cole is a talented kid with a bright future, even if his style is so indistinguishable from his rapping peers (Lupe, Drake, Big Sean, etc.) that you would think Jay-Z created him in a laboratory. Anyway, as I said in the conclusion of my Big Sean review, bring on the J.Cole album!
1. Intro
The album starts with the piano playing and J. Cole states that he is "coming for what I'm owed", whatever that means
2. Dollar And A Dream III
Admittedly I've been sleeping on J. Cole's mixtapes and shit so I've never heard part one or two. The piano from the intro transitions into this song on which J. Cole spits inspired raps about his life. This may be boring musically but the content makes it work well as a more literal introduction, being that it is the first real song.
3. Can't Get Enough (Feat. Trey Songz)
The single with the Reggae flip and Trey Songz. This isn't normally the kinda shit I'm into but it might be the most tasteful Trey Songz feature of all time.
4. Lights Please
This song has to be at least a year old at this point, but it's probably his best-known song and it still knocks so I'm not mad at him putting it on the album.
5. Interlude
In the intro J. Cole says he's gonna tell the story of the day he got signed. The first part of the story, in which he gets pulled over by an undercover and thrown in jail, is told in this interlude.
6. Sideline Story
This album is getting points already for using the intro and interludes to supplement the album, which is rarely done anymore. This track flips the piano from the last interlude into a funkier version of Consequence's "Disperse", which is pretty great to begin with. I loved every second of this.
7. Mr. Nice Watch (Feat. Jay-Z)
This much-talked about Jay-Z feature appropriately sounds like a Timbaland track from the late 90's, not a good one either. J. Cole is clearly better at making deep, introspective songs than showy, braggadocios shit like this and Jay-Z recycles his laziest flows from Watch The Throne. In fairness, this is better than I'm making it sound, it just should be much better.
8. Cole World
This is kind of a banger but the beat is just a clusterfuck of weird noises and J. Cole doesn't sound quite right rapping over it.
9. In The Morning (Feat. Drake)
Another older one, from that Friday Night Lights tape. Again I can see why he or the studio or whoever wanted to throw this on here since it's a well-received Drake feature. They should've thrown "How High" on here too, just for good measure.
10. Lost Ones
A somber ode to aborted babies or some such. I wasn't totally following along to be honest. Whatever the case, this is one of the album's more boring moments thus far.
11. Nobody's Perfect (Feat. Missy Elliot)
When I heard this slow, Southern-sounding beat I thought this would make for a great Bun B feature, but shockingly this album doesn't have one. Instead, speaking of late 90's Timbaland, it's Missy Elliot on the hook.
12. Never Told
J. Cole sort of conversationally raps over a slow, stripped-down instrumental. Think something from 808s & Heartbreak meets any number of Drake songs that fit exactly what I described in that last sentence.
13. Rise And Shine
This one begins with an incredibly apt Jay-Z clip, where he says he's gonna sign the kid thats out there eating Apple Jacks and coming for his spot. Then the appropriately triumphant-sounding beat kicks in with a heavy bass and choir like something Weezy mistakenly passed on for Tha Carter IV.
14. God's Gift
Another skippable track. Sounds a lot like anything by the Cunninlynguists.
15. Breakdown
This starts off sounding like a Premo beat but ends up being more like everything else on here if not for the drums. Even without the choppy loop, this is still one of the best songs on here, as Cole compliments the jazzy instrumental with meaningful raps about staying strong through hard times.
16. Workout
This single was dumbed-down and disappointing but I guess it really isn't that bad. Musically there are no egregious synths or drums and the fake Roger Troutman is a good touch.
17. Nothing Lasts Forever
A piano-laced tribute to the one that got away that's very reminiscent of Ye's "Blame Game". Maybe not as good, but still.
18. Daddy's Little Girl
The album goes out with a whimper thanks to another Drake-esque song about teenaged girls that can take shots to the face.
Best Songs: "Lights Please", "Sideline Story", "Breakdown"
Comments: Yawn. I still think that J. Cole is a very good MC and this album confirms that if anything. That said, Cole World had a serious shortage of bangers and one too many piano-led, introspective songs that all sort of meshed together. "Blow Up", for instance, would have been a welcome addition to this album instead of one of the other re-hashed songs they used. Still, a solid debut release.
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