by Saule Wright
I don’t have a fancy lead in for this or some long backstory. Fact is that I like J.Cole, really enjoyed his first project but am confused about why he isn’t more of a big deal. Confused about why Hov doesn’t push him with a fraction of the energy that he moved Rihanna. You can even go as far as Hov is holding him back…Cole even said so a few times as brother GQ pointed out. All that aside, J.Cole put out a very honest, albeit slightly subdued album. So it lacks the usual punch of an album laced with 4 or 5 bangers, but there isn’t a skip moment or bad song on this album. I guess at the same time, there isn’t a run away better song either. Everything is done at a consistent high level. I’m curious to see what the next project brings as he clearly has an issue with his current situation. As it were though, Born Sinner is a fantastic album that I’ll gladly purchase and play loudly. The scary part….is that he’s still getting better…and that may be a problem for everyone else.
