By Alex Horton
Staff Writer
This third studio album from Jermaine Cole is arguably the best he has dropped yet because of his transition from a rapper who was able to make some radio hits to being able to rap about what he really felt. This switch is seen in an interview with Angie Martinez where Cole said felt he was doing a disservice to his fans and himself by not saying or rapping about what he really felt. He started this in his last album in one of his songs, Let Nas Down. In this hit, Cole proclaims that after his release of his radio hit “Work Out”, his idol Nas called to ask him why would he release something that wasn’t him. In his own way Nas remixed the song and told the young rapper that “While you was writing down his rhymes that I was just trying to show you, that if you say what’s on your mind then you can stand the test of time.” The old king of rap then passed the crown to J Cole just like that. But this is about Forest Hills Drive, and this is one album that is a must listen.
J Cole starts off his album with “Intro” where he doesn’t rap, he sings about being happy and free to sing and free from bars. He repeatedly ask the question “Do you want to be happy?” telling the listener that they should contemplate this question, even though he is referring to himself with this question.
He then moves on to his next song titled “January 28th”; which is also coincidentally Cole’s birthday. He starts off by saying “The real is back, the ville is back.” which refers to the fact he’s back home in Fayetteville North Carolina, and that he’s ready and poised to take the rap game by storm and leave nobody left standing. J Cole then goes on to describe how the tragic events that took place in Ferguson, Missouri deeply affected the young rapper, who attended the funeral of Michael Brown. He then goes on to say that the law of physics state that when the “bigger we get the more likely our egos collide” but instead of fighting they should come together, in a similar way of Kendrick Lamar in “i”. J Cole begins his last verse of this song by stating he didn’t get to where he is by slinging dope or rapping about things he didn’t do. To finish he calls out JJ Cool J, Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, Drake and Kendrick Lamar, by saying they may be legends or up and coming legends but “to check the birthdate, you ain’t the God, Cole’s the God”.
Taking on this album with no features is a big risk move for Cole, some say that having nobody else on the album can hurt how many people listen to it and people may get bored of just Cole on the track. This is not the case however track by track J Cole puts on a show of why he’s the King of Rap, through “Wet Dreamz” telling Cole’s first sexual encounter, to “A Tale of 2 Citiez” where Cole talks about the Ville and his travel the New York City where he would eventually be signed by Jay-Z’s label; Admitting to his listeners that he was scared of being stuck in Fayetteville forever and that it would be easier to just live the life of a thug on the streets. On to “No Role Modelz” where the young rapper opens the song by paying homage to the late James Avery who played Uncle Phil in Fresh Prince of Bel-Air with the line, “First things first rest in peace Uncle Phil”. He then goes on to say that Avery was the person he looked to when Cole dreamed of being a father, where Avery played a father figure to Will Smith’s character in the Fresh Prince. He then goes on to point that even thinking back to his childhood he could not point out a role model, a line that he reiterates from earlier in the album in ‘03 Adolescence. Cole then goes on to end his great album by rapping about how he is attempting to make up for all the wrong he has done by understanding that people believe in him in the song “Apparently.” Cole’s next song goes on to tell others that the need to love their life and to be happy with what they have and if they want more for themselves they need to work for it like he did. His last song finally finishes with a message saying that love is the one thing that holds everything together and that we need to cherish that, and ends with crediting and shouting out to all those who had something to do with the making of his album.
Cole’s album is one to listen to and really enjoy, he touches on all parts of life, the rich and the fame of “hollywood life” to that of his childhood and life before the money, doing it the right way by rapping about his life and his experiences instead of rapping about drugs and things he never did this is how he sets himself apart from the rest of the rappers in todays game. As an avid J Cole fan who has listened to every mixtape and every album, this is one that Cole should be proud of. This is some of his best work, and should be appreciated by everyone who enjoys listening to rap.
