This November will be remembered in the hip-hop world as the month Kanye dropped his game-changing My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. However, it could also be remembered as the month when J. Cole finally stepped into the well-deserved limelight with his tape Friday Night Lights.
The tape captures what makes J. Cole the most-anticipated new artist going into 2011. Cole’s lyricism is undeniable, whether he is rapping about mixtape standbys like girls and his own fame, or incredibly heavy topics like the death of five-year old Shaniya Davis on “See World,” a truly moving, disturbing take on the it’s-a-cold-world hip-hop trope.
Cole’s production is no less impressive than his rapping. He knows exactly the kinds of beats that allow his voice to work, a pared down style of production that leaves Cole with plenty of room to weave his verses. Even more impressive is that Cole produces the vast majority of his own stuff, demonstrating a good ear for beats and a keen awareness of his own strengths. He’s not Kanye, but he knows what works for him. And it works quite well.
Cole’s website crashed when he released Friday Night Lights, and if the mixtape had crashed musically, it would have been disastrous for young Cole. Personally, I’m still partial to his previous tape, the Warm-Up, which I feel is a little more creative lyrically and musically, but Friday Night Lights is a welcome addition to Cole’s discography. I can’t wait for his album to come out, and anyone somehow uninitiated into Cole World needs to get introduced.
I’d highly recommend “Blow Up, ”Back to the Topic,” and “In the Morning feat. Drake.” But get the whole tape. It’s free here from Cole himself:
The Warm Up can be gotten here. Worth it. Do yourself a favor and get it.
http://www.mediafire.com/?ytmdmjtntod
J. Cole’s trailer for FNL, if you still need to be sold a free hour of good music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjOB1_dFbBk
--Trap Yates '14
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