The next song "January 28th" is fittingly Cole’s announcement to the world that he’s arrived. " If the album itself is a journey through his youth, the "Intro" contains the thoughts of an embryonic Cole, outlining his hopes for the future as well as warning himself about the pitfalls that await.
J.cole forest hills drive free#
The slightly somber, almost hypnotic " Intro," begins with Cole singing (to the best of his ability): "Do you wanna be happy? Do you wanna be free?" Free from what exactly? "Free from pain, free from scars, free to sing, free from bars. That’s a complete reversal from last year’s commercially successful Born Sinner, which was replete with easy hits, namely the über-successful " Power Trip." Cole’s new album is a more cohesive, narrowly focused project, and a shorter one at that, with a mere 13 tracks. They become so bloated and desperate to be taken seriously they stop being fun, diminishing the pleasure of noticing the right balance is finally achieved on penultimate track Love Yourz.įorest confirms that Cole dreams bigger than most major-label rappers, but he has yet to realize that vision in LP format.Kim Kardashian Didn’t Break Character on SNL Sophie Gilbertįor this album, Cole has stopped trying to make radio-friendly singles. and No Role Modelz, Cole constructs lumbering tracks weighed down by extended instrumental bridges, choir vocals and over-elaboration.
Fire Squad offers lukewarm battle raps over what sounds like a reheated '90s Wu-Tang beat, just as A Tale of 2 Citiez echoes a tepid rehash of Kendrick Lamar's m.A.A.d. Not including any guest artists and insisting on singing every chorus may seem like a brave choice, but the album's second half exposes the fact that, talented though he might be, Cole is not as singularly compelling as he thinks he is. Ironically, that's right about the point on Forest where Cole could use a friend. Those same talents are used to darker effect on 03' Adolescence, as he strikes an honest emotional tone in rapping from the perspective of a despondent friend urging him to stay focused on his career. Wet Dreamz could be the album's best moment, a breezy nod to awkward adolescent hookups that serves as a showcase for his self-effacing wit and storytelling skills. The smooth and self-assured manner in which he addresses his career so far on January 28th makes you believe this LP will be the one. Presenting himself as rap's cocky yet vulnerable everyman, he gets off to a convincing start. After two good-but-not-great albums, Cole is doubling down on the premise that, this time, he'll get it right without retooling his formula. You at least have to admire his conviction. Still, after hearing his third album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive (* * ½ out of four), out Tuesday, it seems as if it wouldn't hurt Cole to have someone like Jay in his ear every now and then, if for nothing else but to save him from himself. 1 albums on which he also served as lead producer. Aside from a perfunctory Jay Z cameo on Cole's debut album, the 29-year-old North Carolina native, to his credit, has been just fine on his own, building his own brand and releasing two No. For an artist recruited by Jay Z to be the new face of his Roc-Nation label in 2009, it's amazing how little use rapper J.
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