So I was going to put the Wale and J. Cole reviews together but I got a little too chatty Kathy. And honestly both emcees have earned the right to have their separate shine.
J. Cole….Such an anomaly. He’s a college grad who caught the eye of the living legend (or rap mogul if you can’t stomach the later) Jay-Z and ended up being the first artist signed to his Roc Nation label. Everyone had high hopes for this kid. And then after his first album was released things just went silent. He’s what I like to refer to as the Memphis Bleek of our times. Bleek was the protégé of Jay-Z. He was good. Solid. I liked him. By all indications, he was slated to be up next. And he delivered a big fat nothing. He flopped plain and simple. Cole was well on his way to being there. Rumors swirled of him being dropped and Hov, being the perfectionist that he is, gave pushback on much of Cole’s work. It was a Cole World, but he finally got his sophomore work good enough to see the light of day. It was so good that his release date moved from June 25 to June 18, the same day as Kanye’s drop of Yeezus. “Kanye West is one of the greatest artists of our generation. Which is exactly why I’m moving my release date up.” Hmmm… I like a little competition. So since someone is ready to compete, let’s get to business on this review.
Born Sinner wastes no time getting straight to business on “Villuminati.” Over a sample of Biggie’s “Juicy,” Cole goes on a lyrical rant in much the same vein as his mentor Hov.
“Sometimes I brag like Hov
Sometimes I’m real like Pac
Sometimes I focus on the flow to show the skills I got
Sometimes I focus on the dough
Look at these bills I got
This is a message for some rappers trying to steal my spot”
Other standouts on Born Sinner are of course “Power Trip” featuring Miguel, a mellow ode to being lovesick. It’s grown to be a song I enjoy, but of all the songs on the album, it’s the most formulaic – troubled love featuring hot R&B singer on hook ….check! “Forbidden Fruit” featuring Kendrick Lamar is a little more organic and finds Cole with a little more passion. It samples jazz organist Ronnie Foster’s “Mystic Brew” and describes the tales of lust. Reminds me of the De La Soul/ Tribe Called Quest era. After that there are about 4 songs that I can’t choose from. I would say that ‘s a good problem to have. “Trouble” and “Runaway” focus on troubled love while “Rich N****z” provides a candid perspective on short funds and “Chaining Day” is a cleaver ode to reckless jewelry spends:
“With the way that people perceive, and what they believe
Money short so this jewelryis like a weave
Meant to deceive and hear —— say I see you
Now b-tches wanna f-ck you and —— wanna be you”
Overall, Born Sinner is a strong album and I say that confidently. The album is lyrically dense and it also shows off his production chops. Yep, we read credits over here. Just like his album sales, which surpassed expectations, so did the quality of the album for me. But …Admittedly, I had to listen to his album a couple of times to really fall in love with it. However, the love is there (I want to make that clear). The first couple of times I found the album kinda monotone, a little flat; a little too melancholy for such a young artist. Since this album is still a product and obviously Cole wants to compete, he’s got to be a little more mindful of the packaging. I love music so I feel like it’s a tragedy for me to suggest fancy packaging (i.e., more artistic boundary pushing) for a good product. But how many times should you have to listen to something to hear the good in it? Food for thought.
My wish for Cole is to see him with more radio friendly tracks. I know we can point to “Power Trip” but … that was really lukewarm. Granted he’s nice lyrically, but that’s half the battle. It’s not all that there is to success. How many lyrical emcees never see the light of day? If he ever wants to get the recognition that I know he believes is warranted, he’s got to get a better vehicle to get to the masses. And that doesn’t always mean selling out. Cole has a nice little laid back swag but he may be too laid back at this point of his career. I don’t see him enough or hear enough for the flat tracks Born Sinner gives us. I can’t tell if it’s him or his team that’s his worst enemy right now. But someone this talented shouldn’t blend in with the scenery. When Cole appears we should expect quality and right now people don’t automatically have that thought.
A second concern I had is that J. Cole reminds me of a young Jay-Z. This is both a gift and a curse. The gift is that lyrically it’s a huge compliment. The curse is that as a young artist you want to stand out on your own accord. I can’t say that Born Sinner really gave me a clear picture of who J. Cole is. “Ain’t That Some S— (Interlude)” gives a 90s Jay/ bouncy Timbo feel. “Chaining Day” – which is one of my favs – is reminiscent of the Blue Print Jay-Z days. Still, “Let Nas Down” is probably the most flagrant. It’s not a Hov remake, but it is unmistakably Cole’s answer to Kanye West’s “Big Brother.”
All that aside, I don’t want to overshadow the great things that Born Sinner did bring. This album is in full rotation with me. It’s no classic now, but it kicked open the door to expect BIG, BIG things from Cole. Now that he’s on even footing, I really can’t wait to see what he’s going to do next.
Leave a Reply