By: Vita Duva –
Far more than just your typical rapper, J. Cole finally released his highly anticipated debut studio album, “Cole World: The Sideline Story,” this past Tuesday, September 27 as he took on the streets of New York City for a spontaneous performance of his hit single featuring Trey Songz, ‘Can’t Get Enough.’ Succeeding four booming mixtapes including, “The Come Up Mixtape Vol. 1,” “The Warm Up,” “Friday Night Lights” and “Cole World: The Sideline Sessions,” the 26-year-old already had a tasting of the limelight; J.Cole was signed in 2009 as the first artist of Jay-Z’s recent label, Roc Nation.
Handling the greater part of production on his own, with some assistance from eminent and polished producers such as, No. I.D. and L & X Music, the North Carolina native continues to build from his distinctive sound. Listen to the hard-hitting tracks ‘God’s Gift,’ ‘Mr. Nice Watch,’ featuring Jay-Z and ‘Daddy’s Little Girl’ for a sample of J.Cole’s well-rounded implementation.
However, J.Cole whose real name is Jermaine Lamarr Cole proves he is also driven lyrically. Not only is the MC’s flow exceptionally natural and alluring, but J.Cole for the most part keeps it real; outpouring with emotive sincerity through his use of vocal poetry. Touching on dark personal memories, counting his mother’s drug addiction and his father’s estrangement from his life, J.Cole feeds his fans’ appetite– songs that have genuine body, such as ‘Lost Ones,’ ‘Breakdown’ and ‘Never Told.’
Not to say that J.Cole’s debut effort is even close to flawless, he questionably included seasoned songs like, ‘In the Morning,’ featuring Drake and ‘Work Out.’ Certainly, not every track makes an everlasting mark, but with just enough potential sprinkled throughout the record, J.Cole surely deserves a chance.
Overall Rating:
6/10
Tracks on Repeat:
‘God’s Gift’
‘Dollar and a Dream III’
Tracks to Skip:
‘Cole World’
‘Cheer Up’
