J Cole’s new album “Born Sinner” is something I’ve
been anticipating for so long now.
Finally I got some headphones around my ear to take a listen to the
albums 16 tracks and I must say the album has exceeded my expectations. After “Power Trip” released as a single I was
worried that that particular song, like for many current rappers, would be the
apex of the album. It just sounded so hard
to top. 16 tracks later I regret my
doubts and realize that each song on the album carries a purpose and doesn’t
fall into the realm of “filler.” J Cole
got got rap music right and I applaud his dedication. I’m also grateful for the lyrical interludes and
some fantastic skits. Below is a track
by track review of the album. Order
it on iTunes people! Born Sinner June 18th
Cole starts out the album with a fury. The beat is dark, heavy, and bumping
loud. Then at around 42 seconds in you
here a familiar the voice in the sample. You process the thought like: “Holy
shit it’s Biggie, he sampled Biggie! Not only that, he sampled ‘JUICY (bold
move Jermaine)!’” After getting over
this fact you realize that j Cole is rapping harder than the Floyd Mayweather’s
Chest reinforced by a Nokia phone jacket.
Oh yeah, and he also gives his honorary “F*ck Illuminati” lines
somewhere in there as well.
Track 2: “Kerney Sermon” (Skit)
OUTKAST FOREVER!
J Cole samples Outkast’s “Da Art of Storytelling Pt 1” from there 3rd studio album Aquemini in this lyrical ride through J
Cole’s life. Only three tracks in and
he’s paying tribute to so many classics!
The beat is lighter and the lyrics are more relaxed and reminiscent but
still possess that heavyweight lyricism J Cole is known for. The way the beat
slows down at the end is a nice touch to for the transition into the next song
“Power Trip.”
Would you believe me if I said I’m in love! Cole is fire! Miguel’s feature is fire! The
beat is addicting! If you haven’t heard
this song yet you live under a rock.
Just flexing the lyrics and “Money” is the word. J
Cole rips apart a minute using the word “money” 32 times without rhyming “money”
with “money” (thank god).
What comes after money? PROBLEMS! And in Cole’s case we have plenty
of them in track 6: “Trouble.” Darkness
approaches as J Cole raps about the troubles he experienced in his journey to
the “promise land.” The beat is
accompanied by haunting choir chorus, which is personally my favorite part of
the song. At the end of the of the track
only one question remains: “Mama did you F*ck J Cole?”
J Cole gets real with his listeners about his relationships.
Going out on tour and messing around with girls when he had good girl at home
holding everything down. Honesty and
venting dominates the track. The tone of
the rapping is filled with the emotions of anger, regret, and wounded pride. The
best word I can put to the beat is woeful.
It’s definitely something for a rainy day.
If sin had a sound it would be the whispering chorus
of Amber Coffman on “She knows.” Her
voice and the dark drumming beat are constantly intermingling. On this track J
Cole is well aware of what he has become at a certain point in his life. His girl knows that he’s cheating and (follow
me here) HE knows, SHE knows, and HE don’t give a flying f*ck. The verse “on some DMX shit” kind of sums it
all up for us. The album is proving to
be incredibly dark at this point. With 8 tracks in and only 8 to go I wonder; will
Jermaine find the light?
What is that I hear? It’s such a beautiful sound, so
relaxing and soothing! How wonderful! There’s even trickling water in the
backgrou-“I hate a rich Ni**gaz God Dammit…” It looks like we aren’t out of
hell just yet. That water comes from
rain and that rain is making thunder on this nature filled beat. J Cole expresses his anger over the fact that
he never had money growing up, and then
transitions into lyrics about being afraid of change now that he has money. He doesn’t want to become so immersed in
his new lifestyle that he becomes numb to things he never would have dreamed of
doing. A haunting chorus by Cole asks
over and over again: “how much for your soul.”
Track 10:
“Where’s Jermaine” (Skit)
Okay I know J Cole wanted to do the album where he
was the only one rapping but come on give your man Kendrick some bars! Instead we see Kendrick doing a nice
effortless hook. Good to see the two
great minds together (but come on, give Kendrick a verse). There’s some
incredible lyricism on this one and the beat is surprisingly light. To top it
all off that baseline is smooooooth!
On this track
J. Cole tells his accountant this is
the last time he’ll spend money on chains and such. He tells his mom that this is the last time
he’ll degrade himself like this by being a slave to material things. Though he
recognizes his mistakes Cole admits he will probably keep doing these things. This song premiered back in 2012 without a
beat, so it’s good to see Cole got a good beat for those lyrics. The beat is lighthearted and jumpy but
transforms into a slow jam about halfway through. Just going to hop off for a second and say
that although I still enjoyed it this was my least favorite track.
Beat is quick and light making the the attack of J
Coles lyrics on this interlude feel like they embodied a swarm of bees and are coming
at you ear pretty aggressively. At this point you can feel the tone of the
album rising from all that trouble as well.
 |
| J Cole's 2nd single "Crooked Smile Ft. TLC |
So it seems J
Cole was all like “let’s take all this bad, turn it inside out and make it good!” On “Crooked Smile” we are hit with a special
type of honesty that is empowering and almost beautiful. Along with a catchy and appropriate hook from
TLC, J Cole talks about his messed up teeth and how he used think about getting
them fixed, then transitions that thought into a bigger picture about or
perceptions of ourselves. Crooked Smile
is the happiest track of the album in my oppinion, full of hope.
A Smooth Sax accompanies my favorite track of the
album (Nas sample wins). “Let Nas Down” is
a tribute to the idols of rap as well as a confession of a heavy regret. Back when J Cole dropped “Work Out” he
finally thought he had beat the radio game and got the single that the label
wanted. He did, except the song wasn't what the fans and particularly Nas had expected of him. Nas told J Cole of his disappointment. Fortunately
for us, J Cole turned that regret around and made an incredible track 15 with
it!
Track 16: “Born Sinner” ft. James Fauntleroy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAekzW-iKog
We are at the end! “I’m a Born Sinner, but I’ll die better that” sings James Fauntleroy (and later an inspirational choir, maybe the same from “Trouble”) as the album reaches its end. J Cole no doubt has come a long way from The Warm Up and Friday Night Lights. This last track carrying the title of the album lifts Cole to the height of his achievements and sets him on a path forward, and when he starts touring again I guarantee more than just his dedicated fans now will be coming to show love and respect for this truly gifted artist.
