It’s a story catalyzed by the American Dream, fueled by desperation and greed. His story is filled with the consequences of drug dealing, the addiction, violence, paranoia, and past friends “immortalized on this shirt”. The first two verses introduce the listener to Cole’s friend who shows up sporadically throughout the album. This song is perfect for the morning commute, or busting out a couple miles on the treadmill. Cole’s flow and cadence is a good showcase of his skill as a rapper. Aside from setting the sonic tone of the album, this introduction doesn’t make much of an impact. The delivery is solid though, I’m glad it was just over two minutes, because if there was a take-away message here, it didn’t stick with me. For communicating the feeling of helplessness and frustration he’s going for, the lyrics are too over the top and generic. Cole take center stage, but I’m not a huge fan of what he’s doing lyrically. The minimal jazzy instrumentation is nice and it lets J. Cole, Nate Fox, Peter Cottontale & Nico SegalĪs an intro, this song does a decent job. After falling in love with his last project for over a year, I was excited to hear some new music from Cole to see if he’s the real deal. Paak, but he might be one great project away from it. Unlike a lot of people and publications, I wouldn’t put him in the top-tier of this generation’s artists, alongside Kendrick, Chance and Anderson. While he is liable to deliver superficial braggadocious verses, he shines when he’s telling you his life story and that’s why I think he’s been able to blow up the way he has in recent years. That is his biggest strength–his storytelling.
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Cole makes it easy for his audience to understand his flaws and insecurities in the stories h e tells. You don’t have to print out the lyrics and bust out a red sharpie, a dictionary and an encyclopedia (or more realistically, just check Rap Genius) to figure out what he’s trying to tell you. You know exactly what Cole is talking about when he raps.
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He’s not a complicated rapper, but his writing style is a demonstration of the value of being clear and direct. I wasn’t bumping 2014 Forest Hills Drive when it came out and it took about six months of critical acclaim for me to realize that his music was undeniable.