[:: J. COLE THREAD | DREAMVILLE's ROTD3 ALBUM OUT NOW!! ::]

[Remy LeBeau]

Wale probably heated as **** right now with the buzz Cole getting off of a minuscule 2 week promo run... Meanwhile he's been tryna promote his new album for almost a year everywhere, with Jerry Seinfeld, with no one paying attention

Wale been crying about not getting the same attention as some of the top artist for years and personally I think that's his problem. Dude needs to stop worrying about that and just make music.

 

[jocruz89]

Wale been crying about not getting the same attention as some of the top artist for years and personally I think that's his problem. Dude needs to stop worrying about that and just make music.

Wale should have never signed with MMG... who even takes those clowns serious?

 

[sonunox34]

I'm coming around to 2014 Forest Hills Drive. It really helps to listen to it in the car with no distractions. The first couple times I spun it, I was at work and playing it pretty quietly due to coworkers. But it needs a serious listen. And I really do appreciate that these rhymes are heartfelt and personal. They're a welcome distraction from some of the trash rap we've all heard lately.

The Letterman performance was very gripping; I'd be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't be captivated by that. The one distracting thing for me was how he was late on the "All want to do is be free," he should have started that on the 4-and part of the measure, but that's an extreme nitpick and who knows, it might have even been intentional.

Here's Pitchfork's take on the album. They gave it a 6.9/10. I agree with most of this, but I'm still not even close to calling this a classic. I'm a little puzzled by guys declaring that so early. I'll never listen to Wet Dreamz and the Note to Self all the way through again. But 03 Adolescence, Tale of 2 Citiez, Fire Squad, Apparently, I like those tracks a ton. It's a good step forward and a really nice sign of what might come.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20054-2014-forest-hills-drive/

J. Cole is a student of hip-hop, the kind who moves to New York to stalk Jay-Z for an opportunity to rap for him, peppers his lyrics with nods to the greats, and pens an apology to Nas when his biggest single comes across as too poppy. Cole is aware of the structure and pace of good rap albums and anxious to apply them to his own music. For his third record, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, he channels the nostalgic self-mythology of Jay-Z’s Black Album. The cover is shot at his childhood home as Eminem did on the Marshall Mathers LP. The tracklist swaps s’s for z’s (“Wet Dreamz”, “A Tale of 2 Citiez”, “Love Yourz”) like 2pac’s All Eyez on Me. With 2014, Cole is certain he’s made his classic; he’ll tell you as much partway through the 15-minute credit roll “Note to Self”, which apes Kanye West’s joyous, candid College Dropout closer “Last Call”. Problem is, Cole hasn’t earned it yet.

J. Cole is a workmanlike MC, a good-natured populist grappling with the ridiculousness of sudden celebrity. He makes passable albums with memorable singles. He’s great at synthesizing everyman relationship woes into terse pop nuggets. He works well with guests; his collaborations with Drake, Missy Elliott, and TLC are highlights in his growing body of work, and he gets along so well with Kendrick Lamar that the duo is rumored to have clandestinely recorded an EP together. In its quest to canonize Cole, 2014 Forest Hills Drive eschews both singles and guests. It’s a block of Cole raps and Cole hooks served mostly over Cole beats. Bold move, and where it floats, it soars, but it flops gloriously when it doesn’t.

The laughable wordplay fails of mixtapes albums past (“My money like a senior, watch it graduate,” “Cole heating up like that leftover lasagna”) are thankfully absent, but Cole isn’t yet sharp enough of a storyteller to carry a full album on his own. “Wet Dreamz” recounts his first time having sex in lurid detail, from lying to a girl about his prowess to looking at porn for pointers to finding out the girl’s been lying, too. It’s relatable but hardly the kind of story you want to hear more than once. “No Role Modelz” parlays a suspicion about a hookup being a golddigger into a tirade about black women lacking respectable public figures, crudely suggesting that “she’s shallow but the ***** deep.” (For all the talk of Cole’s enlightenment he’s a perfect brute when it comes to women, and “No Role Modelz” is something of a tacit admission.) 2014 Forest Hills Drive often plays at a depth it never delivers.

Still, ceding an entire hour to a rapper who works best in short bursts works better here than anyone could’ve expected. “03’ Adolescence” flips the classic rags-to-riches narrative inside out as Cole starts to reminisce about how hard he had it growing up only to get a chin check from a friend whose future isn’t half as bright. “G.O.M.D.”, “Fire Squad”, and “A Tale of 2 Citiez” all flash Cole’s technical excellence, while “Intro”, “Apparently”, and “St. Tropez” emote through his gruff singing voice. The production here is never less than delightful; Cole’s own beats run coyly referential samples through milky instrumental embellishments. “Wet Dreamz” is an adept “Impeach the President” flip, and “St. Tropez” reimagines Mobb Deep’s “Give Up the Goods (Just Step)” as sedate, orchestral R&B.

2014 Forest Hills Drive is Cole planting himself in the pantheon of rap greats, a volley to the spike of Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” verse. He gets more than a little ahead of himself, though, claiming to be better than Slick Rick, LL Cool J, Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane on “January 28th”. Kane and Rakim’s flows were tighter, LL’s swagger is inimitable, and Rick’s stories surge with a purpose nothing in J. Cole’s canon can muster. This self-aggrandizing pageantry is a ultimately bad look on a guy who earns his keep speaking to the struggles of the common man, and these songs work best when they’re not busy telling you how good they think they are. 2014 Forest Hills Drive is a decent album selling itself as great. It wraps itself in the garments of a classic, but you can see that the tailoring is off.

 

[nako xl]

 

Cole marched with protesters in NY over the Eric Garner verdict.

http://www.vibe.com/new-yorkers-protest-eric-garner


Any other rappers stepping up like that in regards to any of these issues?


Or nah?

Maino and Uncle Murda have a song out that's going to Eric Garner and Michael Brown's family.

Game had that song too.

and I know a few rappers actually went to ferguson.

but are any protesting? 

I wish athletes would show action instead of sending tweets too.

People are gonna be mad but, Macklemore was out protesting the Brown ruling on night one.

 

[thekillerj23]

I'm coming around to 2014 Forest Hills Drive. It really helps to listen to it in the car with no distractions. The first couple times I spun it, I was at work and playing it pretty quietly due to coworkers. But it needs a serious listen. And I really do appreciate that these rhymes are heartfelt and personal. They're a welcome distraction from some of the trash rap we've all heard lately.

The Letterman performance was very gripping; I'd be hard pressed to find someone who wouldn't be captivated by that. The one distracting thing for me was how he was late on the "All want to do is be free," he should have started that on the 4-and part of the measure, but that's an extreme nitpick and who knows, it might have even been intentional.

Here's Pitchfork's take on the album. They gave it a 6.9/10. I agree with most of this, but I'm still not even close to calling this a classic. I'm a little puzzled by guys declaring that so early. I'll never listen to Wet Dreamz and the Note to Self all the way through again. But 03 Adolescence, Tale of 2 Citiez, Fire Squad, Apparently, I like those tracks a ton. It's a good step forward and a really nice sign of what might come.

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/20054-2014-forest-hills-drive/

J. Cole is a student of hip-hop, the kind who moves to New York to stalk Jay-Z for an opportunity to rap for him, peppers his lyrics with nods to the greats, and pens an apology to Nas when his biggest single comes across as too poppy. Cole is aware of the structure and pace of good rap albums and anxious to apply them to his own music. For his third record, 2014 Forest Hills Drive, he channels the nostalgic self-mythology of Jay-Z’s Black Album. The cover is shot at his childhood home as Eminem did on the Marshall Mathers LP. The tracklist swaps s’s for z’s (“Wet Dreamz”, “A Tale of 2 Citiez”, “Love Yourz”) like 2pac’s All Eyez on Me. With 2014, Cole is certain he’s made his classic; he’ll tell you as much partway through the 15-minute credit roll “Note to Self”, which apes Kanye West’s joyous, candid College Dropout closer “Last Call”. Problem is, Cole hasn’t earned it yet.

J. Cole is a workmanlike MC, a good-natured populist grappling with the ridiculousness of sudden celebrity. He makes passable albums with memorable singles. He’s great at synthesizing everyman relationship woes into terse pop nuggets. He works well with guests; his collaborations with Drake, Missy Elliott, and TLC are highlights in his growing body of work, and he gets along so well with Kendrick Lamar that the duo is rumored to have clandestinely recorded an EP together. In its quest to canonize Cole, 2014 Forest Hills Drive eschews both singles and guests. It’s a block of Cole raps and Cole hooks served mostly over Cole beats. Bold move, and where it floats, it soars, but it flops gloriously when it doesn’t.

The laughable wordplay fails of mixtapes albums past (“My money like a senior, watch it graduate,” “Cole heating up like that leftover lasagna”) are thankfully absent, but Cole isn’t yet sharp enough of a storyteller to carry a full album on his own. “Wet Dreamz” recounts his first time having sex in lurid detail, from lying to a girl about his prowess to looking at porn for pointers to finding out the girl’s been lying, too. It’s relatable but hardly the kind of story you want to hear more than once. “No Role Modelz” parlays a suspicion about a hookup being a golddigger into a tirade about black women lacking respectable public figures, crudely suggesting that “she’s shallow but the ***** deep.” (For all the talk of Cole’s enlightenment he’s a perfect brute when it comes to women, and “No Role Modelz” is something of a tacit admission.) 2014 Forest Hills Drive often plays at a depth it never delivers.

Still, ceding an entire hour to a rapper who works best in short bursts works better here than anyone could’ve expected. “03’ Adolescence” flips the classic rags-to-riches narrative inside out as Cole starts to reminisce about how hard he had it growing up only to get a chin check from a friend whose future isn’t half as bright. “G.O.M.D.”, “Fire Squad”, and “A Tale of 2 Citiez” all flash Cole’s technical excellence, while “Intro”, “Apparently”, and “St. Tropez” emote through his gruff singing voice. The production here is never less than delightful; Cole’s own beats run coyly referential samples through milky instrumental embellishments. “Wet Dreamz” is an adept “Impeach the President” flip, and “St. Tropez” reimagines Mobb Deep’s “Give Up the Goods (Just Step)” as sedate, orchestral R&B.

2014 Forest Hills Drive is Cole planting himself in the pantheon of rap greats, a volley to the spike of Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” verse. He gets more than a little ahead of himself, though, claiming to be better than Slick Rick, LL Cool J, Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane on “January 28th”. Kane and Rakim’s flows were tighter, LL’s swagger is inimitable, and Rick’s stories surge with a purpose nothing in J. Cole’s canon can muster. This self-aggrandizing pageantry is a ultimately bad look on a guy who earns his keep speaking to the struggles of the common man, and these songs work best when they’re not busy telling you how good they think they are. 2014 Forest Hills Drive is a decent album selling itself as great. It wraps itself in the garments of a classic, but you can see that the tailoring is off.

Not a bad review but I still have it as 8.5 to 9 out of 10, most other outlets have it close to a 8 also.......I also lost a lot of respect for pitchfork when they gave yeezus a 9.5, i didn't mind yeezus (had it as 6) but no way it was a 9.5

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Are you guys really going to be bouncing your kids telling them about when forest hills drive game out?

The reality is publications like pitchfork review not just the music but it's cultural impact and like it or not, Yeezus is going to be remembered.

Thats just how pichfork operates so if you don't like it don't read it I guess.

*shrugs*

 

[kal-el-8]

 Yeezus is going to be remembered.

 

For why?

Album was buns, sans two songs.

 

[sonunox34]

Not to turn this into FHD vs. Yeezus, but I personally agree with both albums' ratings. I think a near 7 for FHD is still pretty good, considering 5 is average and 10 is perfect. These aren't dunk contest scores.

Also, it sort of bugs me that Cole said that great bit about Macklemore and Elvis, etc., then basically said "just kidding." Dude, step up and own it if you believe it.

 

[jocruz89]

For why?

Album was buns, sans two songs.

It's cool if you think it was buns, but it was groundbreaking and transcending

 

[sonunox34]

 Yeezus is going to be remembered.

 

For why?

Album was buns, sans two songs.

In short, it brought distortion and noise rap elements into the mainstream. Thematically, it was Kanye's struggle in adapting to fatherhood and married life. It pushed boundaries with features, samples, and styles and succeeded.

 

[kal-el-8]

 

For why?

Album was buns, sans two songs.

It's cool if you think it was buns, but it was groundbreaking and transcending

but how? Him yelling into songs is groundbreaking and transcending?

Using auto tune is groundbreaking and transcending?

 

[kal-el-8]

I wholeheartedly disagree on Yeezus. Wasn't anything special and MBDTF was more "transcending"

This is a J cole thread so let's just get back on track. 

 

[jocruz89]

but how? Him yelling into songs is groundbreaking and transcending?
Using auto tune is groundbreaking and transcending?

First of all, the album wasn't marketed like earlier projects. Secondly, it wasn't radio friendly at all. Thirdly, the arrangements of the songs were conpletely different than anything we'be ever heard, and lastly, the subject matter was raw, unfiltered, and treading uncharted teritory. Kanye was the first rapper to ever admit to struggling with his masculinity.

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Forget about what yuou think of the quality of the music.

The biggest rappers in the world choosing to release a dissonant, difficult to listen to, noise/grunge/experimental concept album with no singles, and little marketing is something the will be remembered as a thing that mattered culturally for a long time.

 

[kal-el-8]

 
I wholeheartedly disagree on Yeezus. Wasn't anything special and MBDTF was more "transcending"

This is a J cole thread so let's just get back on track. 

see above

 

[jocruz89]

Forget about what yuou think of the quality of the music.

The biggest rappers in the world choosing to release a dissonant, difficult to listen to, noise/grunge/experimental concept album with no singles, and little marketing is something the will be remembered as a thing that mattered culturally for a long time.

I really wish cole had more weird **** on this album. I'm not going to say it's not real or heart felt, but other people have done this before. Cole is the chosen one, and I expected a lot more out of him than this.

 

[ace rawstein]

I dont feel like reviews ever give Cole enough credit.

I am not saying this is classic or better than born sinner, which was also rated poorly but I feel like I will never agree with the reviews his albums receive.

Pitchfork never comes "correct"... feel like they underrated KRIT's album as well.

Dorky white dudes that dont even take a car to get from a to b.... sorry for the stereotype.

 

[jaymosenvied]

In short, it brought distortion and noise rap elements into the mainstream. Thematically, it was Kanye's struggle in adapting to fatherhood and married life. It pushed boundaries with features, samples, and styles and succeeded.

Man stop tryna get deep. That album was trash

 

[shoeking2101]

Yeezus the most overrated album of the decade. Very srs.

 

[kal-el-8]

 

In short, it brought distortion and noise rap elements into the mainstream. Thematically, it was Kanye's struggle in adapting to fatherhood and married life. It pushed boundaries with features, samples, and styles and succeeded.

Man stop tryna get deep. That album was trash

dudes be   for Kanye.

Im a J cole STAN. but Born sinner was meh and SS was meh. FNL and Warmup are greatness.

And FHD is a personal classic. 

 

[osh kosh bosh]

Im not talking about the quality of the albums im just telling you how pitchfork tends to work.

Chance the Rapper a great example, regardless of weather you like Chance, his music is unique and sounds different, and because its a weird and different sound, pitchfork is going to give it high marks. They don't want to miss out on identifying the current zeitgeist.

 

[licensed to ball]

Yeezus was highly overrated on a music standpoint. It just wasn't that good musically outside of a few tracks. Just because he was being outside the box, yelling, and autotuning on weird *** beats doesn't mean it was "amazing music." It was just, different... Or unique, If you wanna put it nicely.

However, it's impact is not overrated. It definitely will be remembered, whether we like it or not. The impact it had is something that can't really be debated.

The quality of the music however? That's open for debate.

 

[sonunox34]

In short, it brought distortion and noise rap elements into the mainstream. Thematically, it was Kanye's struggle in adapting to fatherhood and married life. It pushed boundaries with features, samples, and styles and succeeded.

Man stop tryna get deep. That album was trash

The things I said are just truth. The only subjective part is that that, IMO, he succeeded. "Trying to get deep" is the micro-analysis foolishness on RapGenius.

Dorky white dudes that dont even take a car to get from a to b.... sorry for the stereotype.

What does that have to do with ANYTHING?

 

[georgescorewell]

Why discuss that trash Yeezus in here? Born Sinner crushed that...



I'm really feeling 03' Adolescence...

 

[jocruz89]

Love yourz is my go to as of now