Cole World: Post-Game Analysis

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The first time I saw J. Cole live, I think he was wearing a ninja turtle shirt from Wal-Mart, b. He did an a capella performance of "Lights Please", seemingly surprised by the fact that people actually knew the lyrics to his songs. Now he has the number one album in the country, a pretty solid fanbase, and he just made his network TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel last night. That's major!

As a fellow North Carolinian, I couldn't be more proud. So, I thought I'd take a moment to give my two cents on the album, Cole World: The Sideline Story. Not a review per se, just a few random thoughts on the project. Hit the "read more" link for the scoop.

•The typical cut that everyone likes:
"Nobody's Perfect"
This joint is aural crack! It features an interpolation of Curtis Mayfield's "Think", which was also used by Jazmine Sullivan and Victoria Beckham for "Resentment". Missy sounds amazing on this joint, so it's no surprise that Cole chose it to be his next single.

•The song that nobody likes, but I happen to love:

"Mr. Nice Watch"

Not everyone is feeling the Dubstep influence, or the radio-friendly appeal. Some even think Hov gave Cole a "throw away verse" but I beg to differ on this line alone:

"I got a Hublot, I call it Tebow, I strap that bit' with a gator band/ Y'all niggas ball half-time, y'all niggas like the Gator Band/"

 

Sports references over EVERYTHING!

•The song that prevents me from saying "I can play the whole CD through without skipping":
"Work Out"
:-( No comment.

•The song that I absolutely relate to the most:

"Breakdown"

"So many things you could have told me/ And saved me the trouble of letting my mistakes show me, I feel like you barely know me/ And that's a shame cause our last name is the same/ That blood type flowing through our veins is the same"

If I kept a diary. Cole could have very well used it to write this one, b. 

•Favorite cut overall:

"Rise and Shine"

"We in two different games, you playin' patty cake/ Brother you're lame, ya Shane Battier!"

I don't know if it's the Jay-Z clip at the beginning or the shot at former Duke player, Shane Battier, that makes this stand out. It's probably the latter #UNC #TarHeels!

•The joint that sounds the best in the car, aka my "ride out" track:

"Cole World"

"B*tch, I made this in the crib, watchin' Belly/
Eatin' peanut butter jelly, what the f*ck can niggas tell me?/"

•The track that could push this album into the "classic" conversation:

"Lost Ones"

"I've been giving it some thought lately and.../ Frankly I feel like we ain't ready and this.../ Hold up now, let me finish!"

Now before y'all jump down my throat, I'm not calling Cole World a classic. I don't think you can deem an album classic until yeeeears later, when you can pop it in the deck and rock to it like it just released yesterday. But either way, rappers generally don't tell stories anymore and Cole did/does it well...a la some of the greatest.

•That one song that I can listen to repeatedly and never get tired of it:

"Never Told"

The beat breakdown at 2:35 is just... >>>

What do you all think of the project? What are some of your favorite songs? Least fav? Ride out track?