This is Rise&Grind’s personal review of J. Cole’s “Cole World: The Sideline Story” written by Jeremy “Remix” Siegel aka Swagneto.
It would be an understatement to say that it is a difficult thing to release a debut album shortly after two of the most anticipated albums of the year. Yes, there was much hype surrounding “Cole World: The Sideline Story”, a buzz that was maintained throughout the epic struggle that arose between the chart topping albums “Tha Carter IV” and “Watch the Throne”. How difficult is it to release an album in the shadow of your own co-signer, Mr. Nice Watch himself? This folks, despite the misleading title, is not “The Sideline Story”. This is Cole World: The Path to Greatness, starring J. Cole.
How else can I start this but by saying this album is my pick for album of the year? The production is flawless (over half of it is self-produced) and melodic, his flow is impeccable, and his hooks are not only catchy but as he says so himself, “come from the heart.” He tells his story without using much more than his lyrics, and the skits are brief and poignant. J. Cole seems as starstruck about hanging out with Jay-Z and Steve Stoute as Kanye was on “College Dropout”, and I would consider this album being on par with Yeezy’s debut. If being co-signed by HOV is a common theme on these two albums, J. Cole definitely takes his own spin on things and runs with it. We’ve heard this story before but somehow it’s different, and refreshing.
Track by track review and a video of J. Cole speaking about authentic rap after the break.
“Dollar and a Dream III” starts off the album in a cinematic light, and is classic Cole. We hear the story of his struggle, from it’s very beginnings, as he moves on his way to touring and life on the road. “Scattered thoughts, dark secrets lead me to a blacker heart/ life can’t get any worse, Stevie with his glasses off” show us his internal strife, while he drops gems like “Mozart meets Humphrey Bogart with this from the heart sh*t”.
Lately we heard Pusha T on his “Don’t F*ck With Me Freestyle” taking a deuce on people who “Put Trey on your hook, still couldn’t save ‘em”, and out of process of elimination we are ruling out J. Cole. “Can’t Get Enough” had me noddin’ my head the instant the beat came on, and “I love it when you give me head/ I hate it when you give me headaches” sealed the deal for me. I want to say this is a standout track because of how tight his flows are, but I can say that about every track up on here. The guy is a lyrical word surgeon.
Let’s have a moment to thank J. Cole for producing a lot of his own tracks. “Lights Please” definitely has his unique vibe to it, the drums a mellowed out version of “Hiii Power”. “And all that next sh*t I was previously talkin’ is now that wet sh*t that I’m currently lost in/ and while that sweat drip I am reminded all the times my brother told me that pussy is blindin'” let’s say Cole has lines for days about girls.
“Sideline Story” also has a great vibe, and I love the hook. He goes in on this one with “No pain, no gain, I blow brains, Cobain/ Throw flames, Liu kang, the coach ain’t help out, so I call my own shots”, and even wonders if Coretta Scott King knew about all the dreams a young MLK Jr. was thinking up. A very solid track and one I’ve ran back quite a few times already.
“Mr. Nice Watch” seems to me as an offering to the new generation of Hip-hop, one that is obsessed with swag and materialism. Not knocking the dude, he should be able to get his shine on, but this is probably his weakest offering on the album. That being said, he does it better than most youngin’s in the game. All I have to say about Jay-Z is “Put the front on the back, cause I’m back and forth/ put the front on the back of the ‘bach because I’m a boss”. ‘Nuff said.
Cole gets right back in with “Cole World.” After showin’ off his watch and chain, he must be on some “now you see me, now you don’t” a la Method Man on Ghostface Killah, cause he switches up the flow entirely and comes out of nowhere on this one. The hook is superb, beat is tight – it most certainly is a “Cole World”.
“In The Morning” has been out for awhile so I’ll keep it brief - he and Drake show off their swagger on this one. Question: Do they not care about morning breath?
I first heard “Lost Ones” sometime earlier this summer. It still gives me the chills. When he raps from the perspective of a woman being told to give up her baby, it shows his maturity beyond his years. The same wisdom is showcased on “Daddy’s Little Girl”, another great selection.
He put Missy Elliot on “Nobody’s Perfect”. If you can get her on your debut album, you’re definitely doing something right. This beat knocks, and this is definitely a song that many people can relate to. He knows how to assess different situations from his life and paint a picture that makes me think “Oh yeah, I’ve been through that”.
If you listen to “Never Told”, J. Cole seems to be rapping from the perspective of himself 10 years from now. Maybe No I.D. laced him with this beat and said, “if you don’t rap on some futuristic sh*t I’m not going to give it to you.” Either way, he’s wiser than you might expect.
“Rise & Shine” is probably my favorite song on the whole album. Maybe it’s because the beat is straight fire, I don’t even know. This song was captivating straight from the top, and the drumline-esque fills get me hype. It sounds epic in it’s own way, and he really goes in hard on this one. “The best out, foolish pride’ll make you not admit it/ but if this sh*t ain’t fire n*gga, why you noddin’ with it? The hate in your blood can’t stop your soul from vibin’ with it/ now you all conflicted cause my flows is wicked.
The hook on “God’s Gift” really resonates, and he lets us know just how hard he has worked. “Jigga wouldn’t even take my CD when he seen me/ Two years later bitch we made it on, on to the Blueprint”, oh right – he was on BP3. How could we forget?
We see J. Cole coming down slowly in “Breakdown”, as if spitting the last lyrics with his exhaling breath. A solid offering and a great finish to a soon-to-be classic album.
I conclude my track by track review with the bonus track “Work Out”. I originally heard this on the radio and wasn’t feelin’ it at first, but after listening to the whole album through it really makes sense. The beat is what drew me back in – it really knocks. He pays homage to “College Dropout” with the sample – we see where he is going with this one. This is his version of “Last Call”, in a much more subliminal way. He’s subtle with everything- the swag, the production (did you know he was a rapper/producer?) and the accomplishments.
It’s been a pleasure writing this because I really enjoyed the album. Cole’s really got a debut masterpiece on his hands, and as Jay says “Men lie, women lie, numbers don’t”. Time will only tell if this album is as good as I think, but why not have a listen for yourself? “Cole World: The Sideline Story” is in stores now, be sure to go pick up a copy and enjoy.
Remix aka Swagneto
