J.Cole's sophomore album, Born Sinner dropped the same day (June 18) as Kanye's Yeezus, and it led to a lot of people comparing the two. I think they are two very different albums; both great in what each individual artists set out to accomplish. For those that don't like to read lengthy write-ups, I'd like to state at this point that Born Sinner is a better album than Cole's first album, Cold World:The Sideline Story.
The album starts off on a fast tempo note with the track, Villuminati. Cole delivered with a rapid-fire flow on this track; switching up his flow here and there in the 5 minute, 4 verse track. Dropping shook-value lines like- My verbal AK slay faggots, and I don't mean no disrespect
whenever I say faggot -- okay, faggot?
Heh, don't be so sensitive, if you wanna get fucked in the ass
That's between you and whoever else's dick it is (AIY-YO!)
Pause, maybe that line was too far
Just a lil' joke to show how homophobic you are
This is actually a great intro of what to expect later in the album. A skit comes after this, and it does a great job in connecting the listener to the next song, Land Of The Snakes. This track is a very mellow song, with a great beat in the background. From there, the lead single, Power Trip (feat. Miguel) comes next. And a politically conscious interlude (Mo Money) comes up afterwards, and links you to track 6- Trouble. On Mo Money, Cole drops deep lines like- Still broke compared to niggas with old money/I mean the type of niggas that laugh at Hov money/Billionaires with Petroleum and coal money/Probably kill themselves if they had Cole money
The album is 16 track long- two skits, two interludes and 12 full length songs. The skits and interludes help the album have a cohesive feel to it. This album is J.Cole. I think that is the best way I can describe it. Cole is not a gangster, neither is he a loverboy like Drake; he is more in between. So, you get a lot of stories from his past relationships, his struggles while coming up in the rap game, and some enlightenment for the black race.
This album would have gotten a perfect 5 from me if not for some low points off the album like the Trouble track, which was too ordinary compared to the other songs on the album. Also, Forbidden Fruit would disappoint a lot of people that are expecting Kendrcik Lamar to have a verse on the song. Kendrick did just the chorus, and it seemed like Cole was out of his element on the track. It just didn't come out a great piece. Overall, the album is a smooth ride from the beginning to end; but the stand out tracks are the album title track, Born Sinner, Rich Niggaz, Land Of The Snakes, Villuminati, and Let Nas Down. The album has a life; it's not one of those albums with random songs thrown together. It will definitely grow on you.
I'd give this album a 4 out of 5 in rating.
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