**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79616 posts
Wed Apr-18-18 12:56 PM
3. "I know its old but I never seen it before" In response to Reply # 1
shit had me rolling.
"21, 21, 21.. it's a lil catchy. I dropped out of school, Trump won, my girl left me, I got guns and shit.. bruh, you can go!"
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
4. "I'm one of the cats that gives J. Cole a hard time..." In response to Reply # 0
We've been thru all the reasons before.
But I will say this...when he drops an album, I try to always give it a listen. Even though nothing of his has ever grabbed me, I'll give the kid a shot.
I respect his immense talent(s) and positive disposition enough to check his albums out each time as well. Hope he grabs me this time.
>RE: I'm one of the cats that gives J. Cole a hard time... > > We've been thru all the reasons before. > > But I will say this...when he drops an album, I try to always >give it a listen. Even though nothing of his has ever grabbed >me, I'll give the kid a shot.
10. "me too but i'm thinking it's going to be super preachy and judge-y" In response to Reply # 6 Thu Apr-19-18 08:47 PM by bearfield
i'm recalling his blunt and unsympathetic versez on "no role modelz" and "false prophets" and wondering how he's going to tackle the delicate, sensitive, and extremely complex topic of addiction. it's not looking good in my mind but we'll see how it goez when he dropz the album
I like J. Cole. I like this album too after one listen. He has and continues to give me the impression that he honestly cares about stuff other than just himself. As he grows up more and more, it becomes more obvious in the work he does. I hear the kid on Friday night lights years later still trying like hell to get his point across to whoever will listen. That type of stuff works on me almost every time when there’s any skill teamed up with it.
But I’m old so hey. I’m gonna like solid rappers who rap about stuff they care about and it’s not just the same old rapper stuff in the same old rapper way...even if it’s not perfectly executed or if it’s a bit ‘in your face/obvious’.
And I can certainly understand trying to talk to/at/with folks who might not be apt to want to listen. For my money, Tupac struggled with the same thing. He went too deep cover to try to get himself the cred he thought he needed to empower his best case scenario dreams for himself and others. With that horrible position, he promptly fucked around with the wrong folks (again) and got shot to alleged death (he’s dead folks). Big was was too passive about it all, didn’t get far enough away from it after the Pac thing in Vegas and got got too. Snoop and Jay managed to benefit without getting killed off by it. Puff and kinda sorta Suge too. Hell, Master Percy and Baby snuck in too. And Dr. Dre managed to escape it. Now, headphones! What a wonderful and crazy world.
I think it is great that a rapper in Cole’s position can do the albums he does and still have the love from enough folks to be a ‘big’ rapper. That’s a great benefit to 2018 vs let’s say 1996. Him and his two popular contemporaries (Aubrey and Mr. Duckworth) are all trying to make music with some kind of ‘meaning’ to it. I love em all for trying to do it even if calling out the flaws is an easy stance to take.
13. "ATM, Motiv8, Kevin's Heart <- 3 back to back bangers" In response to Reply # 0
Cole has settled into himself and stopped trying to venture too far outside of himself. For me, that's the only time he makes completely unlistenable music. I can play this whole album. He makes his best music when he's talking about something he really cares about and makes it personal through family, relationship or community issues. His last album FYEO was his best yet imo. Those who thought that one lacked standouts should be happy with this one. After a couple of listens, I still personally prefer the last one, but this is what I expect from Cole. Decent album.
18. "meh" In response to Reply # 0 Fri Apr-20-18 04:39 AM by bearfield
firstly the instrumental for "BRACKETS" is fantastic. there are almost no drums and the bassline carries the rhythm, just like actual trap music. but it's all samples and very 90s. it's amazing. the rapping in the first part of the record is technically impressive but he's kind of dry. very straight and rigid. no wiggle to it. it actually gives me a greater appreciation of artists like valee and playboi carti who are the complete opposite of cole: 90% sauce and less focus on technique (even though it's kind of a minimalist thing, which is a technique)
it seems to start off as a concept album in which cole writes from the of perspective a successful trap rapper (it's still very much cole's voice) over trap-ish beats but then it just turns into a j cole album. it's cole rapping in cole's voice and over cole beats (which are pretty bland here) and not the rapper's voice or the rapper's beats. maybe that's intended as a lead-in to what might be another album, implied by the title of the final song
the narrated moment in "once an addict" is kind of fascinating as i can't really recall such a big name rapper mentioning god in anything but the most flattering light. and he's southern and he's black. at the very least he grew up surrounded by christianity. but then he ends the album with a song containing a chorus that is basically a prayer (vow?). it's kind of all over the place but it's very much j. cole
i am glad i listened to it, even if what i took away from it was more about the technique of recording a rap album in the style of another rapper (even though elzhi kind of beat him to it). i wonder if cole could do this for another era. maybe a late 80s style record in which he kind of does the same thing as on /KOD/ but with high tempo pre boom bap beats. like edan. maybe he shouldn't do that. this approach however is interesting and mostly unexplored, possibly for good reasons, but i hope this album inspires some rapper to take a risk and make a project outside of their immediate musical surroundings
72. "those two things aren't mutually exclusive" In response to Reply # 61 Tue Apr-24-18 02:37 PM by bearfield
the one song i was talking about ("BRACKETS") has a prominent sample that drives the song with its bass line, and with what sounds like a sampled drum kit. i like that song and was compelled to single it out because it successfully bridges the past (traditional sampling) and the present (tempo, minimalism) in a clever way
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79616 posts
Fri Apr-20-18 07:27 AM
19. "forgot my headphones at home.. smh" In response to Reply # 0
welp, the office will hear J Cole thru my phone today
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
26. ".... This is great lyrically, production is good after track 4....." In response to Reply # 0
The beats on DAMN are eons better than this....
Cole is a nice guy for dissing Lil Pump and putting him on game at the same time on 1985.
It's not the greatest album I've ever heard but it's Illmatic to some of the garbage trash younger artists put out this year. The bars on this are a breath of fresh air compared to trash I've heard this year.
This is by far his worst album. It's too short and not packed with standout struggle bars early on. It doesn't touch his Star Wars struggle trilogy of Come Up, Warm Up, and Friday Night Lights.
This is more of his Hip-Hop is Dead social commentary album and that's fine because somebody needs to speak on this BS. This is a 10/10 compared to what's out now.
39. "this is pretty much where im at with cole in general:" In response to Reply # 26
>It's not the greatest album I've ever heard but it's Illmatic >to some of the garbage trash younger artists put out this >year. The bars on this are a breath of fresh air compared to >trash I've heard this year.
id rather listen to cole than 95% of the shit floating around out here today.
i actually think he is a better rapper than drake and kendrick. but they make better music.
27. "Pure DOPE! Can't front" In response to Reply # 0
. .
"I cannot see how nature could have created itself. Only a supernatural force that is outside of space and time could have done that. ~ Francis Collins
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79616 posts
Sun Apr-22-18 08:30 AM
35. "Anyone saying KOD/Cole makes them sleepy" In response to Reply # 0
needs to see a doctor.
Such a wack as criticism for a rapper in 2018.
Same folks saying Cole is boring every time he drops an album. Who are you trying to convince?
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79616 posts
Mon Apr-23-18 07:34 AM
46. "J Cole? Jermaine Cole? " In response to Reply # 40
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
47. "Kendrick Impersonation" In response to Reply # 0
Can someone explain that one to me ??? I mean, I think I hear it on the adlibs but Ion't know fa sho.
I kinda thought that Kenny on DAMN was using trap-style cadence instead of his normal shtick to relay a broader msg to today's avg listener and Cole on KOD is clearly doing the same thing.
Many a rapper has used this technique, use another rapper style or in this case a genre in short burst to show your dexterity
Biggie on Notorious Thugs
Lobbing a "kendrick impersonation" could be somewhat serious when talking about a rapper who prides himself on his abilities and is, to an extent, a peer of Kenny himself like Cole is
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79616 posts
Mon Apr-23-18 09:36 AM
51. "I def hear a Kendrick influence on a few cuts" In response to Reply # 47
but these dudes rock together so I don't think it's a big deal.
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
55. "I never said it was wrong....." In response to Reply # 51 Tue Apr-24-18 03:02 AM by Heinz
But these people wanna act oblivious to it is just funny. I get it. You like Cole. So do I, I just stopped caring for new albums because he was making the exact same album over and over again. We are all on the same page that this is new....FOR COLE. But to act that its new IN GENERAL?...nah. Stop it. People should at least just acknowledge he's doing what Kendrick did on DAMN. They cant cherry pick that rap all sounds the same because they copy each other, then when 1 guy you like copies another guy you like you dont want to call them out LOL *shrugs*
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79616 posts
Tue Apr-24-18 07:44 AM
58. "I wish he was making the same albums like Forest Hill Drive" In response to Reply # 55
His last album was different from his previous catalog
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
71. "RE: nah, they've both trended their deliveries" In response to Reply # 64
>towards mainstream+ is really the only similarities i can >hear > >he literally sounds like he's using every trendy cadence and >flow to troll a lot...i only heard kendrick like on one track
After a few listens this is where I'm at Motivate does sound like Kendricks Levitate in terms of the hook but thats about it
that sounds wild considering drakes relationship with apple music and how heavily that views album was promoted through the platform. but apparently their subscriber base has tripled since views was released.
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79616 posts
Tue Apr-24-18 08:41 AM
68. "Cole fans + sleepy detractors = a whole lot of streams" In response to Reply # 53
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
56. "I dunno. Solid album, the messaging is kinda shitty" In response to Reply # 0
I don’t know if meditate, dont medicate is exactly a revelation...it feels more like preaching to the choir of people already waiting to look down on ya drug addicts and soundcloud rappers. Even though Cole raps from ‘their’ persona’s often he seems to be talking down to them and he can’t hide his distain for his subjects
As opposed the to Kendrick’s take on socially aware rap where he finds a way to humanize the people he’s talking to. Or a bunch of underground dudes like Mellow Music group who critique but find humor and empathy in what their saying. The whole, “No features” is imho the problem, he needs more people around him to give him a broader prospective.
Saying guns and drugs are wack shouldn’t be a revelation in 2018, particularly since much of that is rooted in depression exacerbated by white supremacy. We shouldn’t be handing out awards for calling em out when the problems are much bigger than the, “We fucking up” J cole yakes
legsdiamond Member since May 05th 2011 79616 posts
Tue Apr-24-18 07:46 AM
59. "Of course he has disdain for these wack ass trap mumblers. " In response to Reply # 56
Is that wrong? Lol
**************** TBH the fact that you're even a mod here fits squarely within Jag's narrative of OK-sanctioned aggression, bullying, and toxicity. *shrug*
69. "Id argue he’s kinder on the soundcloud rappers than the regular folks" In response to Reply # 65
1985 comes off more ‘I aint mad at y’all getting money, but know that sambo shit ain’t gonna lead to a long career, lemmie put you onto game lil nigga’
When the other stuff is like...don’t cheat cause you gonna lose a good one? There’s one exception, “Once An Addict” which does kinda go deeper than “My moms an alcoholic” but some kf them other parables is kinda Steve Harvey-ish
70. "the danger of self-medication" In response to Reply # 69
everyone wants to act like they're negligble so if you don't...then it's viewed as condescending preaching rather than "chill...it's a band-aid on a bullet wound"
i think he avoids "shaming" addicts since he acknowledges his own and those around him struggling with it as well
Let me sport my Air Hyperbole 2010s in peace. (c) ansomble
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