01. Intro (skit)
02. Dollar and a Dream III (4.25) - Good way to start off album; high-energy
03. Can’t Get Enough (Feat. Trey Songz) (3.5) - Tired concept of J. Cole joints
04. Lights Please (4.5) - Old, but one of J. Cole's best
05. Interlude
06. Sideline Story (4.5) - One of the best, though somewhat unremarkable
07. Mr. Nice Watch (Feat. Jay-z) (3) - Too pop-inspired for a song that's not the lead single
08. Cole World (3.5) - Throughly unremarkable; average
09. In The Morning (feat. Drake) (3.5) - Getting old...
10. Lost Ones (4.25) - Storytelling with J. Cole always takes the same route...
11. Nobody’s Perfect (Feat. Missy Elliot) (3) - I thought Missy Elliot was gone. Still wish she was.
12. Never Told (Prod. by No I.D.) (4)
13. Rise and Shine (4) - Songs begin to run on and meld into one. Just like previous J. Cole works.
14. God’s Gift (4.25) - Well-needed high-energy track near the end
15. Breakdown (4) - Good, but the storytelling is getting old. Just reusing concepts at this point. Album could have been more concise, more interesting.
16. Cheer Up (3.5) - Has little substance for an end track
**Bonus Tracks**
17. Nothing Lasts Forever (4) - Different style for a J. Cole track - in a good way
18. Work Out (3) - Not much to say.
19. Daddy's Little Girl (3.5)
So to answer the statement I posted before, no, this does not fully live up to the hype. J. Cole's hyped himself and this album up for too many years for this to be as borderline as it is. It just feels like another one of his mixtapes, really. They start off strong, and end pretty weak and boring, because he reuses concepts so often it's hard to pay attention. When every other track is either about sex or a story, you need some other concept to follow. That's J. Cole's main weakness, and after a while, it just makes him boring to listen to. There are numerous standout tracks, like "Sideline Story" and "Lost Ones", but it's mixed in with so many borderline mediocre tracks that it's hard to want to listen to the album cover-to-cover multiple times. It's like everything he does is the exact same again and again. J. Cole needs to evolve as an artist, quickly.
Sample Tracks
"Dollar & A Dream III"
"Sideline Story"
"Breakdown"
Beats & Production: 8.5/10
Rhymes & Lyricism: 8/10
Originality & Creativity: 6/10
Overall: 75/100
Download
2 comments:
Thought it was a good album. Didn't need to skip a song, consistent pretty much from start to finish. And Cole produced most of the album?? it should at least be in the 80 range not 75 IMO.
I thought some outside producers like No I.D could result in at least one good track; my fault, I should have known better. Nothing can redeem this kid from making unbearable garbage.
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