Album Review- 2014 Forest Hills Drive (J Cole)

J.Cole dropped his third album, "2014 Forest Hills Drive" last week Tuesday, and I would like to review it today. I got the album like a week before it dropped officially, and have been listening to it since then. I took this long to review it because I wanted to take it all in. Where do I start?

Okay, it is a good album. J Cole is known for infusing his personal life into most of his music (well, he ain't a gangster that sold drugs), but this is even more personal. The name of the album (Forest Hills Drive) is the name of the street he grew up on in North Carolina, so It explains why it is so personal. The intro is just average; he did a little singing, which is paramount on this album. The first song on the album after the intro is January 28; a very dope song, with some dope lines like...

"I don't play no games, boy I ain't no joke

Like the great Rakim, when I make my notes

You niggas might be L or you might be Kane

Or you might be Slick Rick with 19 chains

Or you might be Drizzy Drake or Kendrick Lamar

But check your birth date nigga, you ain't the God

Nah you ain't the God

Nigga Cole the God

January 28th"

Standout tracks on the 13 track album are...January 28, Fire Squad, No Role Modelz, G.O.M.D, and Love Yourz. Oh, yea, and Wet Dreamz; he showed his storytelling skills on that song. Narrating his first sexual experience. Although he didn't quite finish the story, he was able to paint a vivid picture with his words. 

All in all, this is a good album, but most definitely not as good and professionally done as his sophomore album, Born Sinner (which still is his best project, along with Friday Night Lights). This is album would have been dope as an EP, or a very top notch mixtape. Why do I say that? He concentrated more on getting his message out there, in jeopardy of production and mic skills. Some songs fill like they would have sounded better with another take. He also didn't use any big production team. I like the fact that he didn't feature any rappers; he pulled that off well, but there were a lot of hooks he tried to sing, and didn't do too good on them. A Drake, or a Future could have helped out well. It is still a good album, but not just very good. I would give the album a 3.75 out of a 5 for rating.