2014 Forest Hills Drive

Wow. 

J. Cole has been one of my favorite artists to watch develop because we really have seen him grow through his music. From Sideline Story to FHD he’s gone from Young Eeyore to Christopher Robin. A result, I'm sure, of his past 2 albums having gained him enough clout with RocNation to take a chance and let him develop the album he’s wanted to make for years, the original motifs of Mr. Nice Watch have been almost* completely replaced by those present in A Tale of Two Citiez. Yet and still, even if these new lyrics and melodies are innate to his soul, I don’t think this album could have been created without the first two. All this to say, the process was necessary, and it's been fun to watch. So let’s get into it.

Formerly and first off, Jermaine produced 8 of these tracks himself, and has some other sort of production credit on an additional 2 - that means a good 75% of the music you hear is created by the man writing the lyrics. If you didn't know, that's rare in rap. 

On the content side of things, Cole really goes out on a limb with this one. The amount of self-exposure on this album is somewhere between 808s and Heartbreak and Take Care; and most songs are stripped down to provide the vulnerability that exposure deserves, which really strengthens the level of trust between speaker and audience. Honestly, Cole has always overstated his feelings, but this seems a more honest interpretation; he speaks about his youth coming to an end, the struggle of his mom to provide opportunity, about seeing peers forego the warmth of degrees to become rappers and basketball players (while he dabbles in both), and about the general pursuit of happiness. He's actually learning from experience what's valuable to him, which is more than can be said for many who are influencing this generation. It's a grittier continuation of Crooked Smile's themes with more intricate drum breaks and dramatic pauses.

Cole took the risk of singing when he doesn't have the best voice, which was absolutely the right choice. It gives you that same sense of rawness that "I'm New Here" gave Gil Scott. He's not the first to enlist the method but it certainly doesn't feel like he's copying. Speaking of which, there's a lot of influence from other artists sprinkled onto this album, mostly though production. You can hear him pulling from Acid Rap and Section 80 with particular flows and instrumentation, which makes sense when you find out he enlisted Social Experiment and Willie B as part of the production team. But despite taking bits and pieces from the world, this album is very much his own, it has the ridges of something that's been hand crafted, and it leaves you with the feeling it was made for you.

But enough about feelings, let's talk about these lyrics, after all it is a hip hop album. Each track is different in both structure and message. No track is an island but it's very much a collection that adds up to be more than the sum of its parts. It's so versatile, in fact, you almost forget there's no features. 

*Almost. Until you hear Cole still forcing brag rap lines where they don't belong. It may seem like nothing, but that laziness takes the album down a notch (or a point); it brings that stigma of shame that comes with listening to a rap album. There's lots of thanks to God, followed by lots of ungodly lines; lots of mature realizations followed by childish thrower bars. On some songs, if you took out the instruments, some lyrics could be replaced with those on A Sideline Story and you probably wouldn't notice. Exempli gratia, "I’m hot dog, catch up to me nigga. Ha couldn’t resist." Resist Cole. If this music is to you what you say it is, don’t waste a line.

So, sorry to start off with the negatives but that's really all there are. On the whole the lyrics are inspired and beautiful. For a prime example watch the Letterman performance of Be Free. Quick aside, I know Be Free was released separately from the album but at about the same time. IMO he intended to have it on there but had to cut it either for time or thematic constraints, so he realeased it as a single. I wouldn't include it as part of the album but it was clearly on his heart so it's worthy of bundling them here.

Back to the positives. Like I said, the versatility of this album carries into both the music and the lyrics. There's an elegant mix of hard and soft that gives it credibility in the eyes of the people who need to hear it the most, while still delivering the message they need to hear. And thematically he pulls from a lot of different aspects of life. It ranges from the spiteful A Tale of 2 Citiez to the awkward Wet Dreamz (which is a weird story to make into a rap song, but if you need to tell it, I guess this is the place). He covers everything from learning the ins and outs of the drug trade to professing the importance of learning to love your life despite your circumstances. And what brings all those independent stories together is the competency of the lyrics, which are consistently easily interpreted but rarely topical. And to add to that, every once in a while there are lines who’s importance is overshadowed still by how well they’re delivered, which leaves you some Easter eggs after a couple times through. Oh and can we give a round of applause to how far his flow has come. I mean it was never bad, but aside from the rasp in his voice it’s never been a standout to me. But this new stuff, I mean it just sounds like music.

Oh and these soundscapes. Dog, I hear colors on this one. I can see the blueish gray clock tower on A Tale of 2 Citiez. I can see the beachy, earthy, soft yellows and light blues of St. Tropez. The samples really mesh with the music (rather than overbearing it) in a way that brightens up that picture too, the lack of overlapping elements almost takes it from watercolor to acrylic. And every track feels more open. It might just be some flashier mixing/mastering, but even with more elements than in previous albums, no song feels crowded; the whole thing’s just more balanced. Even Cole’s voice changes pitch more frequently to match the style. The lyrics, cadence, and tracks are perfectly married. It’s the true advantage of making both hardware and software.

And finally, the Outro. I listen to the whole thing every time, I never mean to but I always end up sticking with it. It’s the perfect cap to the accomplishment that this album is, and actually brings a few realizations in and of itself. The first of which - Cole would be a great basketball announcer. Next, you really hear that Dreamville country grammar come out in his speaking voice, which makes how toned down and poignant his annunciation in songs is actually kind of impressive. I mean he almost edges on Big KRIT, but pulls that all the way back to give the words the definition they deserve in-song. If there’s one criticism it’s that he still leans on cuss words as filler too heavily, but hey, he’ll get there.

So overall? Yes. I never skip any tracks, and I never want to. There’s a few things he can improve upon but if the rest of his career has the amount of joy in it this does he’ll be getting my money for a long time. He’s getting to the point where his work is simply the musical representation of himself, not just songs he makes. And considering how positive of a vibe he’s been on lately, don't be surprised if the next album only has 3 rap songs. Admittedly, this album has a deeper warmth to it if you're struggling, but there’s still plenty of heat if you’re in an appreciative mood. It’s just stuffed full of positives. It’s so well done. Give it a listen if you haven’t, and if you have, give it another.

Rating: 9

Favorite Song: '03 Adolescense