I've never done too many hip hop reviews for Spotlight or any of the websites I've written for honestly. The last one I remember doing for a mainstream artist was my review of Wale's sophomore album Ambition back in 2011...and that was for a music writing class my senior year at Loyola (*laughs*).However, I'm trying to do more music and movie reviews, and it starts with the albums that I'm actually buying, which includes J. Cole's junior album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive. Cole did something different this time around by deciding not to collaborate with anyone or drop any singles, just giving his listeners a release date of December 9th, an order link on iTunes, and a video for his Intro as he rides his bike through NYC. Now the album is here, and the reviews are mostly pretty good!
What I respect about Cole is that he is really is about his music. Sure, every artist is somewhat driven by sales, but some artists take it too far releasing terrible content with a catchy hook that the audience is sure to dance to (*insert whoever's name here*). To me, Cole isn't like that. He carefully crafts his lyrics, which, as a listener, I love, because he is one of very few rappers who makes me think (as a blogger, I get annoyed when I can't get it, because I'm trying to write a damn review here!). Throughout the album, Cole literally takes listeners on a journey through his younger years until now, and you really get a feel for who he is as Jermaine and not just J. Cole.
Check out my song by song review below!
