J. Cole-Born Sinner

    I would be lying to you if I told you that I was riding with J.Cole since 2009 or whenever his first project came out. Whether it be Roc Nation (/_\) lol... Or self released. I had definitely heard some of his music back then but I wasn't ready to fully commit to this "upstart" rapper from North Carolina. I initially wrote him off as a product of the industry considering the recent success of the other LITE-SKINNEDED rapper Drake..so I just figured this was Jay's version. Foolish 22 year old I was back then. It also seems I was a foolish 26 and 27 year old as well. It took me hearing "Grew Up Fast" in my boy Malachi's whip back in the winter of 2012. I finally took full on notice when "Truly Yours" came out I was like "Ok, dude is legit" Then "Truly Yours 2" was released, thats when I started getting excited.
    On the cover of Truly Yours its simply says "See You June 25th". Not to mention that was a stellar EP but I wont get into that right now. But what I will get into is that the June 25th date was tentative because as we all know now...J.Cole's sophomore set "Born Sinner" was pushed up to June 18th to compete with "Yeezus".  Mac Miller was also released on the same day so needless to say this was literally Christmas in June for me.
    "Born Sinner" opens with this epic salvo of a song known as "Villuminati". at over 5 minutes..This song is the perfect opener as he weaves in and out of his self produced gem and sets the pace for whats to come. After the forgettable skit, "LAnd of The Snakes" reassures me that Cole is something special. A self professed "Rap Nerd" much like myself, so it came at no surprise that the song contained the instantly recognizable sample THE "Art of Storytellin Pt. 1". MAN I WAS IN AURAL HEAVEN when I bumped that song as a youngster and this current version made me feel the same way.
     Leaving singles where they need to be...I delve into the "Mo Money" interlude which sounds like a ILL ass game load time beat. Cole is dropping jewels about the ills of money and how many of us don't know how to manage it...Wish it was a full song. "Trouble" , "Runaway", and "She Knows" all serves as a EP within a LP because it seems as if they all have pretty similar topic matter and concepts...each song is worth its merit and doesn't detract from the previous songs.
    After that however is where the sequencing gets kinda altered to me. "Rich Niggaz" and "Forbidden Fruit" should be switched...because it feels like the former doesn't really gel with that EP concept but thats my minor gripe. He commits this offense again with "Chaining Day" and "Crooked Smile" with "Aint That Some Shit" sandwiched in between. At first listen its seems like Cole is all over the place and doesn't know how to sequence his songs. On the second listen you realize that was the entire point. Each song in that sequence is there to represent to the listener inner struggle within him and ourselves. Makes perfect sense to me.
    "Let Nas Down" Is something out of this world. Its gives us a rare glimpse into the vulnerability of a fan turned rapper and how he dealt with letting down one of his most revered artists. That some heavy stuff right there. Saying that the concept was awesome was and is a SEVERE understatement.
     "Born Sinner" closes out this Opus and also brings everything full circle. As a album this project was conceived and executed with precision. There are no missteps with J. Cole's latest offering and if there was, I'm sure there are few and far in between. The Deluxe edition includes an healthy 5 extra songs to keep the party going a few extra minutes. That was a good move because they don't fit with the overall theme of the album. Actually they could have stood alone and used for one of those  "after the album mixtapes". I'm glad he decided to include those songs...each one is dope.
       That last sentence is my entire review in a nutshell. After hearing this album you realize that Each song is dope..I mean EVERY song..that is extremely hard to do in today's rap climate. The fact that J. Cole made it seem effortless shows that he is in HIS groove and if he keeps "MAKING" records like this...that TOP 5 alive amongst the current crop of MC's conversation will have to get a hell of a lot longer...